Blue Ruin (2013)

Blue Ruin is a spare, relentless revenge thriller about a quiet drifter whose return to his childhood home to settle an old score detonates into escalating violence and moral fallout. What begins as a seemingly simple act of vengeance quickly exposes him as an amateur — clumsy, determined, and dangerously out of his depth — and drags him into a brutal, improv-heavy conflict as he fights to protect the few people left in his life. Watching Blue Ruin is an immersive, often uncomfortable experience: slow-burning tension, bleak rural landscapes, and stripped-down visual storytelling build a sense of inevitability. The film favors realism over spectacle — sparse dialogue, moments of dark, grim humor, and raw, unglossed violence make each confrontation feel immediate and consequential. Themes of revenge, identity, and the high personal cost of violence run throughout, leaving viewers to wrestle with sympathy for the protagonist and the moral ambiguity of his choices. If you like character-driven thrillers with austere style, gritty atmosphere, and a story that emphasizes consequence over neat catharsis, Blue Ruin delivers a tense, haunting ride.

Actors: Macon Blair, Devin Ratray, Amy Hargreaves

Director: Jeremy Saulnier

Runtime: 90 min

Genres: Crime, Drama, Thriller

6.2 /10 78 /100 7.1 /10 7.0 /10