I love being taken for a ride and not knowing what lies ahead, especially in a movie centered around deep, moody suspense. “Blue Ruin” took me for that ride, and I was completely invested until the very end.

Full Review | Original Score: 4.5/5 | Aug 19, 2022

Dark and devoid of excess plot, Blue Ruin tells a revenge tale filled with superbly tuned suspense and clean, efficient filmmaking.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Aug 5, 2022

Creates a level of paranoia by telling this tale primarily in close-ups and toying with focal depth.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Nov 13, 2021

A visceral film about the nasty business of revenge.

Full Review | Original Score: A- | Sep 9, 2021

Unexpected events occur with intensity and force, blood is spilled but never glamorized, and the most unlikely of heroes transforms into a formidable opponent.

Full Review | Original Score: 8/10 | Dec 4, 2020

Blue Ruin is not a truly organic story in terms of originality, but its brutal take on revenge and [Macon] Blair's mesmerising performance makes it one of the year's best films that no-one will have heard of.

Full Review | Original Score: 4.5/5 | Nov 26, 2019

For all its chilling realism, Blue Ruin collapses as it tries to fight against the inevitability of its genre and its inability to rise above that predestined path.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.2/5 | Nov 22, 2019

Rather than give away its sparse elements, I'd rather tell you it's beautifully paced, and filled with foreboding; Blue Ruin is a testament to the effectiveness of great acting and direction.

Full Review | Oct 24, 2019

Blue Ruin is a great low-budget thriller with an original voice and strong, realistic performances.

Full Review | Original Score: 8/10 | Jun 7, 2019

Despite a plot hole in the otherwise well-plotted and enticing thriller, it's an ace calling card for its director and lead actor.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 6, 2019

Saulnier has created a very brutal, raw image of the revenge thriller. He takes it out of the ridiculousness of Hollywood and how big budget films treat the sub-genre.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | May 7, 2019

It is a straightforward, stark, no-frills story, which Saulnier's script tells with no extraneous sub-plots or characters padding the narrative.

Full Review | Mar 5, 2019

A well-paced, well written, and surprisingly poignant film.

Full Review | Aug 21, 2018

It's a dark film, with a sicko sense of humor, that's not for all tastes. But the talented director knows how to keep things tense, taut and exciting.

Full Review | Original Score: B+ | Dec 24, 2015

Jeremy Saulnier's "Blue Ruin" is a small, quiet film brimming with smart directorial decisions.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Nov 8, 2015

Even though at some points it hints at dark humor in a Coen brothers kinda way, this movie is far from making you laugh. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Aug 17, 2015

Every shot in this film is carefully selected to bring the most out of this thrilling story. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 14, 2015

An umpredictable journey that manages to build up tension and interest the whole time. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 14, 2015

Brilliant stroke to have a nebbish carrying out a one-man vendetta against a gang of bad guys rather than a Charles Bronson retread.

Full Review | Feb 12, 2015

A lean piece of thriller filmmaking with a potent human core.

Full Review | Original Score: 8/10 | Jan 28, 2015