Review Category: Movie

REVIEW: GODZILLA / CERT: 12A / DIRECTOR: GARETH EDWARDS / SCREENPLAY: MAX BORENSTEIN, DAVE CALLAHAM / STARRING: AARON TAYLOR-JOHNSON, ELIZABETH OLSEN, BRYAN CRANSTON, KEN WATANABE, SALLY HAWKINS, JULIETTE BINOCHE, DAVID STRATHAIRN / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

After making his well received 2010 debut Monsters guerrilla style, with a tiny crew and budget, a mostly improvised script, using real locations and whoever happened to be standing around as extras and doing all of the special effects work himself on his bedroom computer, director Gareth Edwards was handed the keys to the kingdom by Warner Bros, Legendary and Toho (home of the original Godzilla) and has he ever delivered!

Godzilla pulls off the enviable trick of reintroducing and reinventing the classic king of the monsters while essentially keeping him the same. The look and sound of Godzilla, his ties to nuclear weapons and habit of defending humanity (sometimes), are all present and correct but subtly shifted in unexpected but not unpleasant ways. For the first reel or two, however, he hardly shows up in his own movie, as the film focuses instead on the Brody family; father Joe (Cranston) tries to discover what really happened at his Japanese nuclear power plant in 1999, after a government cover-up hides the truth behind a horrible accident, dragging his navy explosives expert son, Ford (Taylor-Johnson), and his family into trouble with him, before Godzilla fully rises and all hell breaks loose.

It’s understandable that Ford needs to be in the military so that he has a reason to be in many of the action scenes, enabling the film to have some human interest to counterpoint the giant monster(s?) on screen, but it can at times make it feel as if he’s the unluckiest person alive. Other characters do wander in and out of the plot but the action is all kept decidedly grounded with no scenes of the president or UN debating the crisis, just soldiers and scientists.

Some might find the human angle a little wearying, as Edwards stages a few fake-outs where the movie cuts from the action to instead follow the human leads. However, fans will probably savour the tension building for the inevitable climax and Edwards does deliver striking visuals, action, and humour throughout. Needless to say, the effects look great and the film is littered with enjoyable surprises and homages to Godzilla’s past, none more so than the rousing finale of the film.

If you can get on board with the statement by Ken Watanabe’s almost perpetually shocked and staring Dr Serizawa, that “Nature has an order, there’s a power to restore balance, he is that balance” then you should be able to enjoy the film for what it is; a clever reinvention of Big G for the modern age that lovingly keeps the elements that made him popular in the first place. 

Expected Rating: 6 out of 10

Actual Rating:

REVIEW: BAD MILO / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR: JACOB VAUGHAN / SCREENPLAY: BENJAMIN HAYES, JACOB VAUGHAN / STARRING: KEN MARINO, GILLIAN JACOBS, PATRICK WARBURTON, PETER STORMARE / RELEASE DATE: TBA

Every now and then films come along that defy the established critical technique. These films merely work or not and this well-crafted, creature feature throwback thankfully does. Bad Milo’s concept is one to open your eyes and clench your cheeks at. This film sees stressed accountant Duncan (Marino), struggling with stomach pains, however what is thought to be stress turns out to be a literal pain in the arse, in the shape of stress demon Milo, who has grown and taken refuge in Duncan’s anus and emerges to attack anybody who contributes to his master’s anxiety. Yep, good or bad, this one was always going to be a must-see!

Bad Milo is actually a rather affectionate little film in its own demented way and while it doesn’t quite match up to its inspirations, it certainly pays them tribute. Vaughan’s film is full of gross-out humour and dirty gags (from penis biting to rats up the back passage) and while some of this is not always funny, it is undeniably different and perversely rewarding for fans of  ’80s creature features. Inspired by the likes of Gremlins, Basket Case and Critters, this is a real throwback to the bygone B-movie days of nasty little buggers causing a riot. The decision to minimise the CGI for practical effects and puppetry proves to be one of the film’s best decisions and Milo himself deftly balances between being butt ugly (sorry) and unfathomably cute.

The script doesn’t always have the meatiness of the genre’s best efforts and there is no doubting the lack of sophistication here. A little bit of gross-out humour goes a long way (Duncan’s mum and her active sex life grates). But if you’re the kind of person who’s willing to pay to see an arse demon run amok, you most likely won’t be disappointed, just don’t go expecting the rounded appeal of Joe Dante. Bad Milo has a lot of inexplicable charm to it (much like its bald little demon) and Vaughan’s film is the homage he’d like it to be, even if it is occasionally less funny than it thinks it is. The film is at times a wonderfully self-aware offering that sets the tone right out of the gate with a soundtrack from Ted Masur, which is reminiscent (in its purposefully grandiose nature) of Michael Wandmacher’s score for (the superior) Piranha 3D.

The cast are very involved in this barmy feature too, with Ken Marino excelling in the lead role as Duncan, offering an appealing lead character for the film to hang from. Patrick Warburton is also fun as the relentlessly ‘douchey’ boss Phil and Peter Stormare is clearly having a right laugh as mad psychiatrist Highsmith. Even if the plot goes a bit OTT come the central twist and Gillian Jacobs, as Duncan’s wife Sarah, is only really here to serve this preposterous finale, Bad Milo is still an enjoyably raucous offering. There is a lot to admire about Bad Milo, which is not rear of the year material but nor is it a bum note (we’ll stop now). It could have done more with its wicked premise but what you see is indeed what you get, and after viewing this you’ll never feel quite as relaxed over stomach cramps. And all you accountants out there take heed and just buy a stress ball!

Expected Rating: 8 out of 10

Actual Rating:

REVIEW: BUNKER 6 / CERT: TBA / DIRECTOR: GREG JACKSON / SCREENPLAY: GREG JACKSON / STARRING: ANDREA LEE NORWOOD, MOLLY DUNSWORTH, JIM FOWLER, GLEN MATTHEWS, SHELLEY THOMPSON, DANIEL LILLFORD, SOPHIE ELLIOTT, GLENN LEFCHAK, GENEVIÈVE STEELE / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

It’s 1962 and the USA has just been nuked by Russia. A military man takes his wife and daughter to a secret bunker to escape the fallout. A tragic accident separates the little girl from her parents, and she is trapped in Bunker 6 where a kind janitor looks after her. A decade passes and the girl, Grace (Norwood), longs for the day she and the few remaining survivors in the bunker with her can go outside again.

But that doesn’t seem to be happening any time soon with radiation levels still at a dangerous level. To make things worse, people are slowly going crazy. Or are they? There’s a murderer on the loose, Grace swears she’s heard a voice on the radio but no one believes her, and they’re running out of power.

Elements of the story lack originality but this low-budget sci-fi thriller is a slow burner which keeps you watching and wondering what will happen next. It’s enjoyable and tense, and the claustrophobic setting works well. The only drawback is you long for some gore or action – which happen all too briefly – and (much like the characters themselves) a glimpse of the outside post-nuclear world.

However, this is a well-made film with a good turn from star Norwood and it’s a promising debut from director/writer Greg Jackson.

Expected Rating: 7 out of 10

Actual Rating:

REVIEW: FRANK / CERT:15 / DIRECTOR: LENNY ABRAHAMSON / SCREENPLAY: JON RONSON, PETER STRAUGHAN / STARRING: DOMHNALL GLEESON, MICHAEL FASSBENDER, MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL, SCOOT MCNAIRY /RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

While there are no spaceships, fantasy islands, bloody carnage or weird worlds, Frank earns its place within the confines of STARBURST by virtue of its cult appeal; and the fact that it’s too damn good to ignore.

Frank is the fictionalised story of Jon (Gleeson), a wannabe songwriter/musician, working in a boring desk job, dreaming of leaving his seaside town that he calls home behind. He is thrown a lifeline when he steps in as keyboard player for a visiting band, Soronprfbs, when they lose theirs when he suffers a breakdown and attempts to drown himself. He’s told to turn up at showtime, and is rather perplexed when lead singer, Frank (Fassbender), makes his way to the stage. Wearing a large fibreglass head, the enigmatic singer warbles indecipherable lyrics at a bemused audience, until the equipment used by Clara (Gyllenhaal) explodes. The gig is over, and Jon is left to carry on his mundane life. Until, that is, he gets a call to do a gig with the band in Ireland. He jumps at the chance, and with stars in his eyes, he heads off (groan…) in the hope of fame and adoration. He’s naturally a little miffed when the ‘gig’ turns out to be the recording of an album, in a remote cabin. For however long it takes. He decides to post the progress of the band online, and Tweet his experience to his ever-increasing followers. This eventually leads to a shot at playing at the prestigious SXSW Festival, but this is also where his musical aspirations run the risk of derailing the group.

Despite the obvious visual reference and the ambition/delusion of the real Jon (Ronson, who wrote the books The Men Who Stare at Goats and The Psychopath Test), there is very little parallel to the story of much-loved Manchester musician/comedian Frank Sidebottom. He (and his creator, Chris Sievey) approved completely of Ronson’s decision to base the film Frank not on the actual man but a mixture of several ‘outsider’ artists; most recognisably, Captain Beefheart (who allegedly took his band under duress to a secluded house to record their famous album, Trout Mask Replica) and, perhaps more accurately, Daniel Johnston, whose struggle with schizophrenia and manic depression hampered his career (a cover of his song, Worried Shoes appears in the Spike Jonze film, Where The Wild Things Are).

It’s this association, and ultimate debunking of the idea that mental illness provides inspiration that gives the film with its heart, but also its tragedy. When he finds out from the bands manager, Don (McNairy), that both he and Frank had met in a mental institution (and his rather odd sexual preference) Jon, “wishes I had a mental illness“. While this subject is handled at times with great humour, it’s still never ridiculed or belittled. Indeed, the persona Frank has chosen for himself provides a unique outlet for his talent, even if he doesn’t quite know what to do with it.

The entire cast are superb, especially Gleeson (who can only go on to bigger things, especially since being announced for Star Wars Episode VII), the film is seen through his social media-savvy eyes, complete with humdrum postings and hashtags. Fassbender, his famous good looks almost always under-seen, plays Frank as the innocent, troubled genius he actually is. Like the real-life Frank, he makes up for the lack of facial expressions (save for the hilariously spoken ones) by using his body to convey emotion. His finger behaviour – a mixture of Sievey’s gestures and that of an autistic savant – are perfect, as is his over-exaggeration in his arm and body motions. He makes a character who should really be distant and opaque completely relatable, and likable. Which makes the climax even more heartbreakingly touching.

Director Abrahamson strikes the perfect balance between drama, comedy, and pathos; managing to ensure the it never panders to the hipster crowd by making these outsiders look cool or even ironic. This isn’t a rags to riches story, it’s about embracing who you are – no matter what foibles or hindrances you may have. As mentioned, it’s a cult film through and through – not just in appeal, but also in understanding and accepting that being different is perfectly fine.

Expected Rating:  8 out of 10

Actual Rating:

 

REVIEW: THE SACRAMENT / CERT: TBC / DIRECTOR: TI WEST / SCREENPLAY: TI WEST / STARRING: JOE SWANBERG, AJ BOWEN, AMY SEIMETZ, GENE JONES, KENTUCKER AUDLEY / RELEASE DATE: US (VOD NOW), UK (TBC)

Eagerly awaited, the latest from writer/director West builds up the tension and anxiety to lead up to the inevitable, but devastatingly tragic climax.

Sam (Bowen) and Jake (Swanberg) provide investigative content for the alternative news website, Vice. When they learn the sister of their friend, Patrick (Audley) has gone missing from her drug rehabilitation programme and taken abroad by a cult, the journalists decide to make an immersive documentary of their trip to the reclusive commune known as Eden Parish with the intention of rescuing Caroline (Seimetz). They are told it’s a peaceful, loving place but they get an uneasy feeling when they are met from their helicopter by security guards toting guns. Their pilot instructs them to be there before 9am the following day, or he will leave without them. However, when they get to the compound, Caroline makes it clear she does not want to leave. so they request to interview a few people, including the group’s leader, known as ‘Father’ (Jones). He obliges them, but takes their inquisitiveness as hostile, out-talking them the whole time, which only makes them even more suspicious of his true motives.

With its roots in several real-life cases, West’s (literal) cult movie is a terrifying study of extremism and brain-washing. Although the approach is fairly unbiased, allowing for some shocks and surprises along the way. Jones is brilliant as the smooth-talking, enigmatic, Southern gentleman in charge of the hyper-religious community. The scene in which ‘Father’ is interviewed by Sam is full of apprehension and knife-edge atmosphere. Yet, so charismatic is this leader that it’s hard to argue against his reasons for leaving ‘society’ behind. Faced with outsiders, possibly offering a way out, the cracks in the retreat’s beliefs begin to show, and the situation escalates at an alarming pace.

Using a pseudo-documentary approach (not found footage as some have commented, although the obligatory POV shots and shaky-cam shooting are all present), West manages to put us right in the middle of the drama. It also allows the impressive and affecting score by Tyler Bates (Sucker Punch) to work its magic and provide a constant feeling of dread and disquiet. Although it will no doubt be labelled ‘horror’ due to West’s previous output, and the prominence of Eli Roth’s production credit in the publicity, The Sacrament is more akin to horrific social commentary. Rewarding, compelling viewing for those prepared to give it a chance.

Expected Rating: 8 out of 10

Actual Rating:

REVIEW: TARZAN 3D / CERT: PG / DIRECTOR: REINHARD KLOOSS / SCREENPLAY: REINHARD KLOOSS, YONNI BRENNER, JESSICA POSTIGO / STARRING: KELLAN LUTZ, SPENCER LOCKE, JAIME RAY NEWMAN, ROBERT CAPRON, JOE CAPPELLETTI / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Edgar Rice Burroughs’ 1914 novel Tarzan of the Apes has left an everlasting legacy. Be it the pages of books, the airwaves of radio or (most notably) film, Tarzan (now quite sprightly for 100 years of age) has swung on many vines in his time. There have been over 60 films chronicling his adventures in the equatorial African jungle, from the early Elmer Lincoln silent films, to the Johnny Weissmuller movie series to Disney’s popular 1999 animated film Tarzan (which this new film will most likely be compared to). Sadly, this new motion-captured animated outing is one adaptation that mystifies more than it entertains.

When our loincloth-clad hero says, “Let’s start at the beginning”, he isn’t kidding. Say what you will but we’d wager nobody expected a Tarzan film to open with a meteor in space and a dinosaur-populated earth. It is from this early point that you realise you are in for a very different adaptation; sadly it is not a very good one. Although we still get the “me Tarzan, you Jane” bit, this strange, German-made, 3D version of the epic adventure owes more to Avatar than it does Burroughs and not in a good way. The film sees wild man Tarzan (Lutz) meet Jane (Locke) and the two must fend off the mercenary forces of greedy Greystoke industries CEO William Clayton (Cappelletti) in a story revolving around an unobtanium-like unlimited energy source.

Tarzan 3D is an odd attempt at modernising this classic story and while there are a few sterling battles, this is mostly a rather misguided affair. The animation occasionally hits the right visual notes (the jungle and creatures are appealingly vibrant) but the motion-capture is more Mars Needs Moms than Secret of the Unicorn. The characters’ faces rarely betray much feeling and when they do, they’re scarily rodent-like (young Tarzan especially). Burroughs once wrote, “smiles are the foundation of beauty”; here it seems that Tarzan and many other characters often have the emotional range of a potato, smiles or not. Tarzan 3D should be a thrill but the 3D is badly rendered and gives no real sense of depth and the actual animation itself is hugely flawed, much like the noble but utterly pointless attempts to update this story.

Tarzan and Jane’s chemistry is not as beautiful as it has been before and by going in with Disney’s fondly remembered version fresh in memory, you really are in for disappointment. The environmental message and jungle-swinging action may entertain some kids and at just over 90 minutes, Klooss’ film does not stay long enough to bore viewers completely rigid, but that’s not enough to compete in today’s competitive market. Tarzan 3D is a film that feels like an early experiment with some of its advanced computer technology and not like a 2014 animated picture. He bad Tarzan, it shame.

Expected Rating: 6 out of 10

Actual Rating:

 

REVIEW: THE QUIET ONES / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR: JOHN POGUE / SCREENPLAY: CRAIG ROSENBERG, JOHN POGUE, OREN MOVERMAN, TOM DE VILLE / STARRING: JARED HARRIS, SAM CLAFLIN, OLIVIA COOKE, ERIN RICHARDS / RELEASE DATE: TBC

The Quiet Ones is a movie that’s been highly anticipated by certain corners of the horror community. The central focus of the Hammer horror is Oxford professor Joseph Coupland (Harris) and his small group of students as they look to document parapsychological happenings within a lady by the name of Jane Harper (Cooke). The big question of the day is whether these crazed goings-on are actual parapsychological occurrences or simply something that is rooted in the mind of the troubled Jane.

Apparently based on true events, The Quiet Ones has a very strong opening and a lot of potential. As we get a closer look into the entity, dubbed Evie, that has an apparent hold over Jane, there’s good, dramatic tension and a rich, borderline-Gothic charm to Pogue’s movie. Sadly, though, the second half of The Quiet Ones doesn’t live up to the stellar groundwork laid down by the film’s early moments. What unravels before our eyes is a story that comes across as played out, clichéd and unappealing.

Whilst the film doesn’t live up to the underground buzz that it has received, there are still plenty of positives on show. Two particular positives are the performances of Harris and Cooke, a duo who seem to have a perfect handle on what their characters should be. The supporting cast are adequate and passable, but Harris and Cooke clearly outshine their cohorts here. Similarly, the film’s first half clearly outshines its latter. Despite the flaws of the second half, this British horror takes its time to craft a well-delivered first 40 minutes or so.

Unfortunately, The Quiet Ones, despite being far from awful, is hard to label as anything more than disappointing. Whether we expected more from this latest Hammer production or it’s just the case that we were let down by the film failing to maximise on the strong, promise-laced first half, The Quiet Ones paints a frustrating picture. For all its style, charm and appeal, it just feels like a massively missed opportunity to deliver a truly great British horror film that matches some of the classic tales of yesteryear.

A steady effort that threatens to do something stunning and unique, The Quiet Ones seems to lose its nerve halfway through and revert to the usual plot points and familiar happenings that we’ve seen far too often in horror films of the last decade. Still, some strong performances and a few choice scares will provide horror fans with enough entertainment to give The Quiet Ones a certain appeal. As we said, the film is far from a complete dud, it just comes across as a ballsy little number that decided to sit on the fence halfway through and revert back to the usual horror clichés we’ve become accustomed to over the years.

Expected Rating: 8 out of 10

Actual Rating:

REVIEW: PATEMA INVERTED / CERT: PG / DIRECTOR: YASUHIRO YOSHIURA / SCREENPLAY: YASUHIRO YOSHIURA / STARRING: YUKIYO FUJII, SHINYA FUKUMATSU / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Yasuhiro Yoshiura’s Patema Inverted is a beautifully realised and textured anime that, unlike others, demonstrates a restraint which, in such a crowded genre, is admirable. A deep melancholy and longing underpin the story, which is as expansive as the vast sky looming above. The plot is well-paced, the info dished out at a steady rate, though the film does feel drawn out in places.

The characters, though likeable, are nothing you haven’t seen in a hundred other animes, but they’re easy to warm to and it’s not long before you’re rooting for Patema and Age, floating and falling their way through the Escher-like setting, defying and defining gravity.

The animation is fluid and gorgeous, but it’s more about what’s going on in the background. The environments are exceptionally striking and expertly crafted with softer, more recognisable animation over the top, creating an effective depth, filled with subtle details. The underground settings are reminiscent of both Blade Runner and Zion in the latter parts of the Matrix trilogy and on more than one occasion it conjures Cowboy Bebop.

The standout moments are when the screen rotates, showing the world from a different perspective, and if there’s a message to be taken away from the film it’s one of two things – put yourself in other’s shoes and, as in Firefly, the sky can’t be taken away from you.

The film has a suitably evocative and inspiring score that twists and morphs, sometimes Trent Reznor, other times John Williams, but always a companion to the moving exchanges on screen.

Anime remains a bastion of daring, beautiful and barmy cinema. Could you imagine Hollywood touching a script about inverted people falling from one city into another? It’s at times a coming of age story, a touching and tragic love story and a commentary on totalitarianism. Romeo and Juliet is never far away – just imagine if the Capulets floated.

Expected Rating: 7 out of 10

Actual Rating:

REVIEW: THE DIRTIES / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: MATTHEW JOHNSON / SCREENPLAY: MATTHEW JOHNSON, EVAN MORGAN, JOSH BOLES, MATTHEW MILLER / STARRING: MATT JOHNSON, OWEN WILLIAMS, KRISTA MADISON, BRANDON WICKENS / RELEASE DATE: JUNE 6TH

It was fair to expect a great deal of social relevancy from Matt Johnson’s horror/dark comedy but this came as a bigger surprise than an arrow to the larynx. It is no wonder that Kevin Smith has wanted to promote this film to audiences. The Dirties sees two heavily bullied high school movie buffs fantasising about shooting their tormentors (whom they nickname The Dirties) for a school project; however, for one of them the filter between fantasy and reality begins to dissolve. There is no doubt that this masterful film will divide audiences, in fact it will likely get labelled as shameful exploitation. The recent string of American shootings makes this material highly controversial State side and universally contemporary worldwide. In this age of social media, bullying has been allowed to flourish and this unsettlingly palpable film will connect to many audiences’ (and victims’) emotions.

The scenes of bullying do not exaggerate – they are realistic, demeaning and nasty but it is the film’s accurate depiction of the onlooking school mates that chills most. Long before the inevitable climax, this is a pure horror, as these kids are persecuted merely for being themselves and their fellow classmates either join in or turn back to their mobiles. The Dirties is hardly the first film to tackle bullying; classics like Carrie and movies such as Chronicle, Tormented and The Final (among numerous others) have all focused on the subject. Yet this is one that does not use the subject to fuel a slasher plot or a bloodfest but to orchestrate a psychological thriller of sorts. Filmed and presented in found footage style (which ultimately is left bafflingly unresolved), the film has an uneasy closeness and the altering reality shifts create a rather disturbingly involving and delusional journey of dark wish fulfillment for the character of Matt Johnson (all the characters in the film are alternate versions of the actual actors).

Bullying can make good people into demented ones, a blunt but true statement and one that The Dirties typifies. This film is a wake-up call for the educational system and as grandiose as it is to say, for society. The tragedy is that the film’s social meaning may be lost amidst allegations of exploiting real-life tragedies and events. The Dirties is a very sharply written and devilishly clever genre hybrid (beneath mountains of Pulp Fiction-esque bravado) and deserves to be acknowledged as such. Thankfully, despite the doom and gloom of this review thus far, the film manages to work in some very funny dialogue and is littered with cinematic references that avid film fans will adore catching. The closing credits for instance are influenced by a vast array of cinema classics and are absolutely wonderfully worked in. It is hard to say that a film with such a potentially personal subject is enjoyable but it is, with Matt Johnson and Owen Williams creating an anchoring human core to the film.

Shot in a real school, with many classmates unaware of the shooting (pun intended), the ending is particularly authentic. This film has an intrinsic realism that is hard to shake. Never choosing to exploit the subject for splatter horror or a shootout thriller, this film focuses on the mindset of bullied individuals. Johnson’s film is enthused with feeling and is perhaps the most psychologically apt film about bullying ever made. The Dirties, while smart and well acted and written ,is a proclamation that says, until people stop demeaning and victimising others for being who they are, violence will only increase as will the amount of people swallowed by darkness. The Dirties is unexpectedly entertaining and even more unexpectedly urgent and compelling.

Expected Rating: 7 out of 10

Actual Rating:

 

REVIEW: BLUE RUIN / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: JEREMY SAULNIER / SCREENPLAY: JEREMY SAULNIER / STARRING: MACON BLAIR, DEVIN RATRAY, AMY HARGREAVES / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

With only his second full length feature, writer/director Saulnier has crafted a glorious, tragic, low-key and fascinating experience. Dwight (Blair) is living rough, sleeping in his Pontiac, dumpster-diving for food and breaking into houses to bathe. He dropped off the grid following the murder of his parents, but when a sympathetic police officer warns him that the offender is being released, he sets off on a mission to get retribution. It’s an act of violence that will change everything for him as he realises an eye for an eye isn’t always as straight forward as it seems.

While most revenge thrillers follow the path of high octane action, Saulnier takes a slower, more pensive route and is all the more powerful for it. Which isn’t to say there’s not plenty of brutality and bloodshed. Indeed, the tone of the film makes these scenes all the more shocking and disturbing. Dwight is a man whose life is ruined by the actions of others, but in trying to put right the injustice of releasing the man responsible, he opens up more danger for his estranged sister (Hargreaves) and her children. Inevitably, his road to vengeance can only end one way, a fate to which he is resigned to. Despite having very little clue as to the world his enemies live in – firearms are prevalent while he himself has no experience with them – he is driven to become an amateur assassin by the feelings that have been brooding in the years spent isolated from civilisation. Other than his end goal, he hasn’t thought the plan through; the whole time he seems in a constant state of bewilderment, thanks to Blair’s brilliantly subtle yet emotive performance.

Blue Ruin also includes some stunning cinematography (by Saulnier himself) which makes the most of the remote area of Kansas; offsetting the tranquil, rural life against the violence of the residents. Tonally, it’s in a similar vein to the Coen Brother’s 1984 classic, Blood Simple, complete with elements of black humour along the way. It’s bleak, dark, painful, and chock-full of tension; the perfect antidote to the gung-ho machismo revenge films normally display. This is a superb character study in which retribution is but a small element.

It’s not going to fill the multiplexes, but Blue Ruin is compelling viewing and will stay with you long after it’s finished.

EXPECTED RATING: 7 out of 10

ACTUAL RATING: