Blue Ruin (2014)

What a freaking movie. So many twists and turns. Absolutely intense from start to finish.

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

This is a simple movie, yet very effective and original. With an ironic twist, it has a powerful message that will make you think. It is short and very watchable, and quite memorable. Highly recommended

The protagonist of this film is not badass. He is not a ruthless killing machine. Most revenge pics we see take mild-mannered men & on the spin of a coin they become badass killing machines with an unusual amount of skill & artistry to go with it. In Blue Ruin this not the case. He is a normal guy without murderous tendencies struggling with what he does or is going to do. The act of vengeance plays out fairly early in the film & what we see is the fallout of his act. The grounding in realism is what sets this apart from your average revenge picture. He gets shot in the leg with an arrow & guess what? He doesn't then run around for the rest of the film like nothing happened. He faints from blood loss. He goes to a hospital. He limps for the remainder of the film. An understated & brilliant thriller

The movie presents a realistic plot with realistic characters, saying realistic things, for such a plot. A completely incompetent, petty man vs the world. It's only deep if you try hard making it deep; otherwise it's just unimaginably bland. The only tension fueled by nigh-comedic awkwardness and violence. If you don't find awkwardness and embarrassment entertaining or enlightening (?!), if you don't like how it's used as a cheap substitute for proper drama, just skip it.

What a great film. From start to finish, I was hooked. It may be a slow burner, but man that slow burn was hot. I loved the fact that the entire movie had about 3 noises in it. This thing was quiet, but that made it so much more realistic, and easy to sink into. The photography and cinematography in this movie were brilliant. Not a single frame seemed like a throw away. As far as the story goes, this thing was brilliantly written. The main plot-line is great, and all the little twists along the way make the story pop. The thing I really liked about the writing though were the subtle details that kept the story from flowing too fast. All the little hic-ups that Dwight seemed to run into along the way make for great writing. Will definitely recommend, and definitely watch again.