Out of the Blue [2007] [DVD]

"Out of the blue" sums up neatly what happened when David Gray an embittered, angry and unsociable loner living in a small, very quiet coastal settlement in rural New Zealand convinces himself that the whole world, especially his neighbours, are all against him and as he cannot destroy the whole world he decides to destroy his neighbours by indiscriminately gunning down men, women and children. In the excellent features section of the DVD the makers of the film describe how they visited the settlement and talked to local people to get the background story and they have produced a very fine work that is sensitive, sober, tasteful, intelligent and bleak and there is no attempt to expolit the violence as would have probably happened if the film had been made by Hollywood where the violence would be graphically shown, probably in slow motion with music rising to a crescendo so that we could enjoy the gore at our leisure. In fact there is very little music in the film and the natural sounds in a peaceful, beautiful landscape add to the unsettling effect during the massacre. The film proceeds slowly as Gray relentlessly hunts down his neighbours and he always seems to be one step ahead of the police as they try to apprehend him whilst also tending to the wounded people they keep coming across as they trail him. I agree with reviewers that some of the dialogue is so quiet in this part of the film that it is difficult to hear what is being said by the policemen. Gray is eventually tracked down, smoked out of a house by tear gas and shot. He is bound with a leather strap and whilst he is writhing on the ground before he dies the policemen are standing nearby talking together and enjoying a quiet smoke after a job well done. Matthew Sunderland is very impressive as the smouldering menacing Gray and the whole cast is involved in making a film that is memorable, thought provoking and an object lesson in how to make a film of true horror without the need to make the screen awash with rivers of blood, graphic violence and hysteria.

In 1990 in a small town called Aramoana,New Zealand local eccentric David Gray(Matt Sunderland)picked up a rifle and killed 13 of his neighbours in a 22 hour rampage before being taken out by armed police. Sensitively handled by director Robert Sarkies,Out of the Blue should be the textbook on how to portray a real life tragedy on screen.Eschewing any type of obvious manipulative device(until the end)he uses sound very cleverly and stunning images of the local area to paint a picture of a fairly dormant and care worn town surrounded by an abundance of natural beauty which is destroyed in one day by one man's mania. Unbearably tense and shocking with pitch perfect performances aided by Annie Collins' superb edit, Out of the blue has an almost documentary feel to it which gives it such an authentic feel as to rule out any crass sentimentality or sensationalism that could have marred this film. A credit to all concerned and to you if you buy this film. Quite brilliant.

very watchable, well made film, of true story

Out Of The Blue is one of those puzzling films which fulfils just about every aspect of its brief, but leaves the viewer thinking 'yes? and?' at the end of it. The acting performances are superb and the direction is deft and clever. The naturalistic soundtrack enhances the stripped-down realism of the ghastly events. The location is stunningly beautiful and is filmed sympathetically, to make the tranquility and normality of the surroundings contrast all the more violently with the killer's rampage. The characters are developed over the first half hour to become credible representations of the actual people who endured (or died) in a small seaside town in New Zealand, back in 1990. The film is packed with neat touches which turn the characters into real people: the bickering about turning down a stereo (and turning it up instead); the senior policeman lumbering his junior with all the report writing; the couple who want to start living together but don't quite know how to tell their children... it all adds up to perfectly normal village life -- which is ripped apart when a man loses control, grabs his guns and starts shooting. The killing and stalking scenes which follow are utterly unlike any thriller / horror / action movie. The killer is not viewed in a sympathetic light, but he's not made into a monster either. Nor are his actions explained. We see some of the incidents which may have pushed him over the edge, but the film itself offers little in the way of resolution or explanation. The 'heroes' of Out of The Blue are the people who have to deal with sudden and deathly violence in their midst, from someone they all knew was a bit weird but had tolerated for his whole life. Maybe that's why the local police officers, at the crucial moment, find themselves unable to pull the trigger? Scattered throughout the film are small acts of personal bravery -- neighbours who bring a cover to a man who has been shot (and without it he'd have died of exposure). A little old lady with a broken hip who crawls to phone for help. An officer who puts himself at risk to comfort and protect a child. And so on. Some of the dialogue can be very hard to hear at time -- in the circumstances the actors are whispering, or out of breath, and their accents are hard to decipher at low volumes. But overall this is a polished and carefully considered film. It aims to relate what happened in a fatal group shooting, and makes very few judgements. Maybe that's why, in the end, I came away feeling somewhat disatisfied. I generally enjoy being left to think things out for myself, but in this instance I could've done with a conclusion or some interpretation. The director and producers deliberately tried not to colour this film with overt opinions -- and perhaps they made it too tightly-laced as a result. 7/10

This could have been a very good movie if they had stuck to the facts. LIE 1 That a police officer had David Gray in his cross-hairs early in the ordeal but chose not to shot. Untrue. LIE 2 That when the police found Gray’s hide-out they shot him as soon as he came out after tear-gas was throw in. In fact he came out shooting hitting one policeman in the ankle. LIE 3 After Gray was shot, police hog tied him and stood smoking as he died. Untrue. In fact police made every effort to keep him alive and he died in an ambulance on route to hospital.

Possibly one of the best films to come out of New Zealand.

Movie has been directed as close as possible to the true account of the tragedy but this hasn't made it turgid. The event was shocking enough so no Hollywood-ing was needed. The extras add a lot to the DVD and its well worth the price.

The DVD arrived on time. It has a very clear picture. A very realistic portrayal of what happened in New Zealand.

Very few films can tackle the horrors and details of such an event yet still address the sensitivities and desires to get it right. Describing the story in the film is not needed as it can be found in the book and online. The filmmakers painstakingly reproduced the events without much artistic license (like BHD and Bridge/Kwai) so I will review the R1 DVD version. Karl Urban performed in his best role to date. He was very believable and showed a sense of compassion and fear that made the film revolve around him in a powerful way. Seeing him in the likes of Doom, Bourne and Pathfinder makes this title even more important in taking these kinds of roles. The supporting cast was very respectful in their portrayals even down to the darkness and psychosis of the shooter. The DVD extras are outstanding in providing a lay person with the details and real footage of what happened that day. The producers and cast all poured their hearts into auditioning and making this movie, both elements of which are shown on the associated docus. The transfer was very clear and the menus easy to navigate. Once you see the footage of the crime scenes you realize they tried to get every detail remade down to the letter, including the way windows had shattered and bodies had come to rest. I had a couple customers already say they forwarded through the "slow" parts in the beginning, which do last for the first 31 1/2 minutes but it is a necessary monument to what those families went through that afternoon and evening. I highly recommend this film for those that want to see a respectful and well made portrayal of a horrendous event.

I got this movie because I am a fan of Karl Urban. I love his action movies but he is capable of so much depth and emotion that I actively look for the movies that he does in his native New Zealand. This is based on the true story of a man who opens fire on his neighbors one day, killing many, including children, before he is stopped. Karl plays a police officer who arrives on the scene and is just one of many people who acted with courage throughout the shooting which lasted for hours. It's a emotional journey through the lives of the people that were involved and a well done tribute to those that were lost that day.

Out of the Blue: A man just snaps one day and goes on a shooting spree, killing and hurting who comes near him in a small town. Now, I think just the fact that it really happened, should be something that a person has going through their minds when they watch this movie. think about how you would feel if you were the old lady, the child, or heck even the killer himself....and how the movie was set up and displayed the director wanted you to be in that perspective, to feel what they feel and so on. To me that gives more of a rating than the special effects, the photography, the audio and whatever else that some people degrade a movie and lower its worth just because of those reasons. Yes its a lower budget film but just because it is dont mean its not a good movie. My issue is that at the beginning I was like WTF is going on and when is something going to happen. It seemed to have taken forever to get to that point but than its bam bam and than i was paying attention and into the movie. I giggled when he went into the bedroom and went to bed, hey he had a long day he needed to sleep. I liked the movie and am content of spending the money on getting it heck i think i spent only 3 bucks on it so hey, who knows i may watch it a few more times in my lifetime...

the dvd is completely useless to me in New Zealand because it is for the American region. What is the point of even offering this item for sale in New Zealand. Multiregion dvd players are not common here. At the very least a warning should have been prominently displayed as region suitability. A completely pointless purchase.