Saw Blue Ruin (thanks, Basil!) It was a revenge thriller following a hobo's quest for vengeance against a whole family that was responsible for his (the hobo's) parents' death. The hobo has gentle, enormous eyes and a hesitant demeanor. He is a good man. We can tell. His quest for vengeance is portrayed as the wild-west-style necessary evil that will right the world once more. The film contrasts his grisly deeds and his mounting sense of panic and desperation with the gorgeous wilds of Virginia. Just before charging in guns blazing, he glances at the sky, at the contrail of an airplane through the boughs of the evergreens, traveling straight in one direction.
I really enjoyed the film. It seems to follow an innocent man (well, sort-of innocent. He is complicit in the following mayhem after all) into a shadowy netherworld of backwoods justice and amateur legal and medical knowledge. We focus on the protagonist's incompetence, on his wounds and pain. His enemies are super-competent and painless. We follow his quest although we know it can have no happy ending. The film is lovely. Lyrical and light, yet suspenseful without cheap jump-scares to spoil the mood.
It's not a slam-dunk of a movie. Back-woods folk, for example, are not shown in the most flattering light which is unfortunate since I think there's a lot of overlap between action/thriller fans and gun-owners who would probably begrudge the stereotypes. But none the less, the film moves along with tension and quiet fascination. The best part of the film is just the minutia of the confrontations. He left the car keys just here, he moves to a new hiding spot just so. His silent movement around the streets and around houses is the best part of this film. A great little thriller.
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