Indie Gems: Blue Ruin

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I'm going to politely kill you now.

When we first meet Dwight (Macon Blair) he seems like just another homeless man trying to get by. Soon, he's informed that a man that did prison time for killing his parents has been released. He finds him and kills him, but soon that man's family, led by Teddy Cleland(Kevin Kolack) is hot on his trail. 

Blue Ruin is a perfect slow burn. Movies often get criticized for being slow, and some certainly deserve it, but it works very well here. Dwight is very soft spoken, and almost too naive to be carrying out the violent crimes he commits. There's a lot of waiting on his part. It fits with the constant worry that Dwight is in over his head.

Blair is excellent here. And the Cleland family is so perfectly trashy. Their faces needed bullets. I was on the fence about this movie for awhile, but I'm glad I finally took the plunge and watched it. It was definitely worth it.

Grade: B+

 Memorable Quote: "Wipe that off your face. He probably has hepatitis." Ben (Devin Ratray)

Comments

  1. AnonymousAugust 7, 2015 at 7:22 AM

    Loved this movie!!!

    LOL, your comment about the Cleland families faces needing bullets was hilarious! And, yes, Blair was top notch here!

    ReplyDelete
  2. s.August 7, 2015 at 1:55 PM

    I really need to see this one asap, heard nothing but good things

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamAugust 7, 2015 at 9:28 PM

      You would like it! I put it off for so long because a friend of mine was sure I would hate it.

      Delete
  3. DellAugust 7, 2015 at 6:33 PM

    Yes!!!! So happy you enjoyed this. It's one of my favorites from last year. And yes, the Cleland's faces did need bullets!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamAugust 7, 2015 at 9:28 PM

      They needed SO many. (I'm glad some got a few lol)

      Delete
  4. Candice FrederickAugust 7, 2015 at 10:12 PM

    yeah...i do think it was far too slow for me, but when it was good it was great

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamAugust 10, 2015 at 9:06 AM

      Understandable, I thought the slowness worked, but I'm glad you thought it was great when it *was* working for you.

      Delete
  5. Kevin PowersAugust 8, 2015 at 8:23 AM

    THIS is how you do "slow-burn"! This movie literally made my heart pound, pretty much the whole time. I loved it. Made my Top Ten of last year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamAugust 10, 2015 at 9:06 AM

      Exactly. I can't think of a better example of it now. It fits the bill.

      Delete
  6. AnonymousAugust 8, 2015 at 1:13 PM

    I love this movie, and I couldn't agree more about the slow burn working beautifully here. And you gave us a priceless line: "And the Cleland family is so perfectly trashy. Their faces needed bullets." That's pure gold. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  7. JoshAugust 20, 2015 at 3:28 AM

    It really is a great slow burn, and Blair is, indeed, terrific. Glad you liked it.

    ReplyDelete

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