A claustrophobic dramatic reconstruction of a 22-hour shooting spree in the sleepy coastal town of Aramoana, New Zealand, that left 13 people dead.
Comment
10/18/08
Out of the Blue (2007)
83
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:24
Fresh:20
Rotten:4
Average Rating:6.9/10
Theatrical Release:Oct 19, 2007 Limited
Synopsis: New Zealand director Robert Sarkies (CRIME 101) helms this film about a tragic massacre that left 13 people dead. In OUT OF THE BLUE, David Gray (Matthew Sunderland) goes on an inexplicable rampage... [More]
Starring: Karl Urban, Matthew Sunderland, Simon Ferry, Tandi Wright
Director: Michael Hoffman, Robert Sarkies
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Reviews for Out of the Blue
The usual dramatic affectations applied to such true-life material are largely absent; instead, Sarkies focuses on various quotidian elements that take on weight as the inevitable draws closer.
10/18/08
Brilliantly directed, thoroughly gripping thriller that is both deeply moving and genuinely terrifying -- this is one of the best films of the year.
10/18/08
This is not a feel-good movie by any stretch, but it gets amazing marks on almost every front and really needs to be seen.
06/24/08
Harrowing and heartbreaking, this is the film of the week by many a mile. Despite playing in just a handful of cinemas, I urge you to track it down.
03/14/08
A strong drama clearly dedicated to exploring its real life events, if not hugely memorable in its own right.
03/14/08
Scrupulously avoiding sensationalism, the film concentrates much less on the killer, than on the other locals engulfed in the tragedy.
03/14/08
The massacre still touches a raw nerve in New Zealand but, filming at a neighbouring town and informed by survivors’ accounts, Sarkies manages both a sensitive and excruciatingly taut docu-thriller that’s refreshing for the genuine weight of its tragedy.
03/14/08
In no way an easy watch, but as a meticulous record of a tragedy and the feats of bravery it inspired, this is an excellent movie.
03/14/08
A haunting, uplifting and never-exploitative portrayal of a terrifying real-life tragedy.
03/14/08
Compelling but flawed.
03/12/08
It's not to say that the filmmakers should have resorted to pulp dramatics, but in correctly straining to not exploit their subjects, they forgot to fill in the spaces left behind.
11/12/07
With his carefully controlled pacing and superb use of sound, Sarkies draws the viewer deep into the experience of a town caught completely off-guard by a kind of violence they could never have expected, and won't soon forget.
10/19/07
Sarkies avoids the genre's conventional trappings and prefers instead to concentrate on the ways in which the people of Aramoana deal with the unfolding event.
10/19/07
Top CriticRobert Sarkies' dramatization of that event is as sensitive to its subject as it is stark in its rendering.
10/19/07
Top CriticWithout such thematic resonance, it plays like a more elaborate version of one of the dramatic re-creations seen on any number of true-crime television programs.
10/19/07
Top CriticLike Steven Spielberg's historical epics, the film shows the nastiest incidents from a great distance, or cuts away before a bullet's impact to show an onlooker's shocked reaction. The director confronts horror without wallowing in it.
10/19/07
Top CriticThe persistent attack of the lone, merciless gunman is reason enough to keep your eyes glued to the screen.
10/18/07
There's some nifty soft-focus cinematography and fine performances, but otherwise, not much to resonate on this side of the pond.
10/16/07
Top CriticSuggests a Folgers Crystals commercial with a body count.
10/08/07
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