Blue Ruin

Last updated

Blue Ruin
Blue Ruin film poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Jeremy Saulnier
Written byJeremy Saulnier
Produced by
  • Tyler Byrne
  • Richard Peete
  • Vincent Savino
  • Alex Orr
  • Anish Savjani
Starring
CinematographyJeremy Saulnier
Edited byJulia Bloch
Music by
  • Brooke Blair
  • Will Blair
Production
companies
FilmScience
Neighborhood Watch Films
Distributed by RADiUS-TWC
Release dates
  • May 17, 2013 (2013-05-17)(Cannes)
  • April 25, 2014 (2014-04-25)(US)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$420,000
Box office$993,313

Blue Ruin is a 2013 American revenge thriller film written and directed by Jeremy Saulnier and starring Macon Blair. Saulnier funded production on the film through a successful Kickstarter campaign, which MTV called "the perfect example of what crowdfunding can accomplish." [1]

Contents

The film is named after the derelict blue Pontiac Bonneville which the main character Dwight operates.

Blue Ruin premiered at the Cannes Film Festival as part of the Directors' Fortnight section on May 17, 2013, [2] and won the FIPRESCI Prize. [3] The film was nominated for the John Cassavetes Award at the 2015 Independent Spirit Awards. [4]

Plot

Dwight Evans, a vagrant, lives out of his car in Delaware and scavenges for food and money. After learning of the impending release of Wade Cleland, the man who murdered Dwight's parents twenty years earlier, Dwight returns to his hometown in Virginia. En route he steals a gun but breaks it trying to open its trigger lock.

Dwight watches the Clelands collect Wade from prison in a limousine and follows them. They go to a local club to celebrate Wade's release. Dwight follows Wade to the club's restroom and fatally stabs him in the head. Having dropped his car keys in the club, Dwight steals the Clelands' limousine. Discovering a teenage boy, William Cleland, in the back of the car, Dwight lets him go. William implies that Wade didn't kill Dwight's parents.

After cleaning himself up, Dwight visits his sister, Sam, for the first time in years and tells her that he has killed Wade. Sam is shocked but relieved by this revelation. As the killing has gone unreported on the news, Dwight surmises that the Clelands have decided to seek revenge without police involvement. Since Dwight's car is registered to Sam's address, she flees her home with her daughters and Dwight waits in the family house for the Clelands' attack. Wade's two brothers, Teddy and Carl, arrive in Dwight's car. As Dwight escapes, he runs over Teddy and places the unconscious body in the trunk. Before he can drive away, Carl shoots him with a crossbow.

After having the wound treated at a hospital, Dwight returns to Sam's house to clean up from the attack. He tracks down Ben Gaffney, an old high school friend, and asks for help. After obtaining a rifle, Dwight interrogates Teddy at gunpoint on Ben's property. Teddy reveals that Wade was not his parents' killer. Dwight's father and Wade Sr.'s wife were having an affair. As revenge, Wade's now-deceased father killed Dwight's father; Dwight's mother's death was incidental, as she happened to be in the car during the ambush. Wade Jr. took the blame so that his father, who had terminal cancer, did not have to die in prison. Teddy wrestles the gun from Dwight but is shot dead by Ben from a concealed position. Dwight and Ben put Teddy's body back into the trunk and part ways after Ben resupplies Dwight with food and more weapons. To keep Ben from further involvement, Dwight sabotages his truck.

Dwight goes to the Clelands' house and removes as many hidden firearms as he can. He buries Teddy and waits to ambush the Clelands. He leaves a message on the answering machine informing them of Teddy's death and asks them to leave Sam out of the dispute. Carl, his older sister, Kris, and their cousin, Hope, return and listen to Dwight's message. When it becomes clear that the Clelands intend to kill Sam and will search for her in Pittsburgh, Dwight fatally shoots Carl. He holds the women at gunpoint while musing out loud about whether he should kill them all. William, entering through another door, shoots Dwight. William refuses Hope's order to murder Dwight, while Dwight disarms William and quickly realizes he's been fatally wounded by William, and tells him to leave with his car. As William leaves, Dwight tells the women that William is his half-brother. Hope attacks Dwight as Kris reaches for a hidden gun. Kris accidentally kills Hope, and shoots Dwight before he shoots her dead. A despondent William drops his gun on route to Dwight's car, while Dwight dies on the floor, mumbling that the keys are in the car. The next day a postcard from Sam to Dwight appears through his sister's doormail, revealing she's now living with her family in Virginia.

Cast

Production

Writer and director Jeremy Saulnier (R) and star Macon Blair (L) at the film's 2013 Fantastic Fest premiere Q& A, "Blue Ruin" Fantastic Fest with Writer-Director Jeremy Saulnier and lead actor Macon Blair (10620655425) (cropped).jpg
Writer and director Jeremy Saulnier (R) and star Macon Blair (L) at the film's 2013 Fantastic Fest premiere

Blair and Saulnier made movies together growing up and hoped to make a living out of it; however, as they both became older with families, they realized that that might not happen. [5] After the disappointing reception of their horror comedy Murder Party , the two wanted to make one last film together. Saulnier said, "We embraced the fact that we had to wrap up this childhood arc—this insane fantasy of wanting to be filmmakers—and just make a film that was right and true." [5] The concept of a revenge story appealed to Saulnier, who said that it "was just about grounding the film in a very mundane scenario that needed so little exposition." [6] The film's plot also serves as a critique for Saulnier of films that he enjoyed growing up. In particular, several violent crimes in the early years of the 2010s "made [him] miserable", and he said he "couldn't do a film that was akin to those awesome genre spectacles of my youth" in said climate. [5]

The film was financed with help from a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2012 asking for $35,000 [1] and money from Saulnier's own savings. [7] Saulnier initially did not want to use the crowd funding platform, as he felt conflicted about asking for help, specifically that donors could not invest in the back end through the site. However, he eventually realized that the positive outweighed the negative. [7] Saulnier said that when making the pitch video for the campaign "I faced my worst nightmare" as he was camera shy. [7]

Reception

Box office

Blue Ruin, which received a limited theatrical release, grossed $258,384 in the United States and Canada, and $734,929 in other territories, for a worldwide total of $993,313, [8] against a budget of $420,000. [9]

The film then was given a home video release on July 22, 2014. [10]

Critical reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 96% of 145 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.1/10.The website's consensus reads: "Smart, stripped-down, and thrillingly grim, Blue Ruin proves that a well-told revenge story can still leave its audience on the edge of their seat." [11] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 78 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. [12]

Top ten lists

Blue Ruin was listed on many critics' top ten lists for 2014. [13]

Related Research Articles

<i>Fargo</i> (1996 film) 1996 film by the Coen Brothers

Fargo is a 1996 black comedy crime film written, directed, produced and edited by Joel and Ethan Coen. Frances McDormand stars as Marge Gunderson, a pregnant Minnesota police chief investigating a triple homicide that takes place after a desperate car salesman hires two criminals to kidnap his wife in order to extort a hefty ransom from her wealthy father. The film was an American and British co-production.

<i>The Limey</i> 1999 American film

The Limey is a 1999 American crime film directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Lem Dobbs. The film features Terence Stamp, Lesley Ann Warren, Luis Guzmán, Barry Newman, Nicky Katt, and Peter Fonda. The plot concerns an English career criminal (Stamp) who travels to the United States to investigate the recent suspicious death of his daughter. It was filmed on location in Los Angeles and Big Sur.

<i>Murder by Numbers</i> 2002 film by Barbet Schroeder

Murder by Numbers is a 2002 American psychological thriller film produced and directed by Barbet Schroeder and starring Sandra Bullock in the main role alongside Ben Chaplin, Ryan Gosling, and Michael Pitt. It is loosely based on the Leopold and Loeb case. The film was screened at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival, but was not entered in competition.

<i>Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid</i> 2004 American adventure horror film by Dwight H. Little

Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid is a 2004 American adventure horror film directed by Dwight H. Little. It is a stand-alone sequel to the film Anaconda (1997) and the second installment of the Anaconda film series. The film follows a team of researchers set for an expedition into the Southeast Asian tropical island of Borneo, to search for a sacred flower which they believe will bring humans to a longer and healthier life. They soon become stalked and hunted by the deadly giant anacondas inhabiting the island.

<i>Lone Star</i> (1996 film) 1996 film

Lone Star is a 1996 American neo-Western mystery film written, edited, and directed by John Sayles and set in a small town in South Texas. The ensemble cast features Chris Cooper, Kris Kristofferson, Elizabeth Peña and Matthew McConaughey and deals with a sheriff's investigation into the murder of one of his predecessors. Filmed on location along the Rio Grande in southern and southwestern Texas, the film received critical acclaim, with critics regarding it as a high point of 1990s independent cinema as well as one of Sayles' best films. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, and also appeared on the ballot for the AFI's 10 Top 10 in the Western category.

<i>Intermission</i> (film) 2003 film by John Crowley

Intermission is a 2003 Irish black comedy crime film directed by John Crowley and written by Mark O'Rowe. The film, set in Dublin, Ireland, contains many interconnected storylines, and is shot in a documentary-like style, with some sections presented as excerpts from television programs that exist within the show.

<i>Sin City</i> (film) 2005 American crime thriller film

Sin City is a 2005 American neo-noir action crime anthology film directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller based on Miller's comic book series of the same name. The film stars an ensemble cast led by Jessica Alba, Benicio del Toro, Brittany Murphy, Clive Owen, Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis, and Elijah Wood, and featuring Alexis Bledel, Powers Boothe, Michael Clarke Duncan, Rosario Dawson, Devon Aoki, Carla Gugino, Rutger Hauer, Jaime King, Michael Madsen, Nick Stahl, and Makenzie Vega among others.

<i>Kansas City</i> (film) 1996 American crime film by Robert Altman

Kansas City is a 1996 American crime film directed by Robert Altman, and starring Jennifer Jason Leigh, Miranda Richardson, Harry Belafonte, Michael Murphy and Steve Buscemi. The musical score of Kansas City is integrated into the film, with modern-day musicians recreating the Kansas City jazz of 1930s.

<i>The FBI Story</i> 1959 film

The FBI Story is a 1959 American crime drama film starring James Stewart, and produced and directed by Mervyn LeRoy. The screenplay by Richard L. Breen and John Twist is based on a book by Don Whitehead.

<i>Absolute Power</i> (film) 1997 American film directed by Clint Eastwood

Absolute Power is a 1997 American political action thriller film produced by, directed by, and starring Clint Eastwood as a master jewel thief who witnesses the killing of a woman by Secret Service agents. The screenplay by William Goldman is based on the 1996 novel Absolute Power by David Baldacci. Screened at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival, the film also stars Gene Hackman, Ed Harris, Laura Linney, Judy Davis, Scott Glenn, Dennis Haysbert, and Richard Jenkins. It was also the last screen appearance of E. G. Marshall. The scenes in the museum were filmed in the Walters Art Museum, where Whitney is copying a painting of El Greco, "Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata"

<i>The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada</i> 2005 film

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada is a 2005 neo-Western film directed by and starring Tommy Lee Jones and written by Guillermo Arriaga. It also stars Barry Pepper, Julio Cedillo, Dwight Yoakam, and January Jones.

<i>The Saint Takes Over</i> 1940 American film

The Saint Takes Over, released in 1940 by RKO Pictures, was the fifth of eight films in RKO's film series about Simon Templar, also known as "The Saint", the Robin Hood-inspired crimefighter created by Leslie Charteris. George Sanders played Templar for the fourth time. Sanders made one more Saint picture the following year. Wendy Barrie played his latest romantic interest, in her second of three appearances in the Saint film series.

<i>Kansas</i> (film) 1988 film by David Stevens

Kansas is a 1988 American crime drama film starring Matt Dillon and Andrew McCarthy.

<i>Joe</i> (2013 film) 2013 American film

Joe is a 2013 American independent Southern Gothic crime drama film directed and co-produced by David Gordon Green, co-produced by Lisa Muskat, Derrick Tseng and Christopher Woodrow and written by Gary Hawkins, based on Larry Brown's 1991 novel of the same name. It stars Nicolas Cage and Tye Sheridan, revolving around a tormented man who hires a 15-year-old boy and protects him from his abusive father.

<i>The Captive</i> (2014 film) 2014 Canadian thriller film by Atom Egoyan

The Captive is a 2014 Canadian thriller film directed by Atom Egoyan with a script he co-wrote with David Fraser. The film stars Ryan Reynolds, Bruce Greenwood, Scott Speedman, Rosario Dawson, Mireille Enos, Kevin Durand, and Alexia Fast. It was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or in the main competition section at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. The film was released in select theaters and on-demand on December 12, 2014.

<i>Blood Father</i> 2016 French film

Blood Father is a 2016 English-language French action crime thriller film directed by Jean-François Richet, written by Peter Craig based on his novel of the same name, and starring Mel Gibson, Erin Moriarty, Diego Luna, Michael Parks, and William H. Macy. The film had its world premiere at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival on 21 May 2016 and was released on 12 August 2016 by Lionsgate Premiere.

<i>Green Room</i> (film) 2015 film by Jeremy Saulnier

Green Room is a 2015 American horror-thriller film written and directed by Jeremy Saulnier, and produced by Neil Kopp, Victor Moyers and Anish Savjani. Starring Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, Alia Shawkat, Joe Cole, Callum Turner and Patrick Stewart, the film focuses on a punk band who find themselves attacked by neo-Nazi skinheads after witnessing a murder at a remote club in the Pacific Northwest. The film came from Saulnier's desire to direct a thriller set in a green room.

<i>Extraction</i> (2015 film) 2015 film by Steven C. Miller

Extraction is a 2015 American action thriller film directed by Steven C. Miller and written by Umair Aleem. The film stars Kellan Lutz, Bruce Willis, Gina Carano, D. B. Sweeney, Dan Bilzerian and Steve Coulter. The film was released on December 18, 2015, in a limited release, and through video on demand by Lionsgate Premiere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeremy Saulnier</span> American filmmaker (born 1976)

Jeremy Saulnier is an American film director, cinematographer and screenwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macon Blair</span> American filmmaker, writer and actor

Macon Blair is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, comic book writer and actor known for his roles in the films Blue Ruin (2013) and Green Room (2015), as well as his directorial debut I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore (2017).

References

  1. 1 2 Sullivan, Kevin P. "'Veronica Mars' Is Great, But 'Blue Ruin' Is Why Kickstarter Matters". MTV . Archived from the original on April 24, 2014. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
  2. ↑ "List of films in Cannes Directors' Fortnight". Cannes. May 24, 2013. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Cannes: 'The Missing Picture' Wins Un Certain Regard Prize". The Hollywood Reporter . May 26, 2013. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Nominations: John Cassavetes Award". Film Independent Spirit Awards. Archived from the original on December 31, 2015. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 Grierson, Tim. "Revenge, Success and 'Blue Ruin'". Rollling Stone. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  6. ↑ Schmidlin, Charlie. "Interview: 'Blue Ruin' Director Jeremy Saulnier Talks Grounding The Revenge Film, Facial Hair & Embracing Limitations". Indiewire. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  7. 1 2 3 Tobias, Scott. "Blue Ruin director Jeremy Saulnier on going to extremes". The Dissolve. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Blue Ruin". Box Office Mojo . IMDb . Retrieved July 24, 2023. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  9. ↑ "Blue Ruin". Screen Daily . Retrieved January 25, 2015.
  10. ↑ Barton, Steve (May 30, 2014). "Blue Ruin Gets Revenge on Home Video". Dread Central . Retrieved August 30, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Blue Ruin". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved July 24, 2023. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  12. ↑ "Blue Ruin". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Film Critic Top 10 Lists - Best Movies of 2014". Metacritic. Archived from the original on July 10, 2019. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.