Blue Ruin

“Anti-hero” has become a shorthand for acerbic dudes who wake in their clothes, drink whiskey for breakfast, have jaws likes shovels and smoke 17 cigarettes in an hour because they’re a goddamn MAN.

Jeremy Saulnier is not one for clichés. In revenge thriller Blue Ruin, anti-hero Dwight is exactly that: a mild-mannered individual with deep-rooted fears, a questionable goal and a short-sighted plan. Introduced to us as a vagrant breaking into houses to bathe and eat, Dwight (Macon Blair) only finds agency when he discovers his parents’ killer is to be released from jail. Alas Dwight soon discovers the best laid revenge plans don’t go quite like they do in the movies.

Saulnier’s writing and direction have echoes of Jeff Nichols’ Shotgun Stories. There’s lots of tension and violence but also an exploration of small-town strangeness.

He understands that revenge doesn’t end with catharsis and a sequel, but with complications, devastation and wounds far deeper than you expected.