Out Of The Blue Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
From the last place on earth comes a true story of courage and survival.
Ordinary people find extraordinary courage in the face of madness. On 13-14 November 1990 that madness came to Aramoana,a small New Zealand seaside village. It came in the form of a lone gunman with a high-powered automatic rifle. As he stalked his victims the terrified and confused residents were trapped in the village for 24 hours while a handful of under-resourced and underarmed local policeman risked their lives trying to find him and save the survivors. By dawn 13 people lay dead. This is a true story.
| Karl Urban | Nick Harvey |
| Matthew Sunderland | David Gray |
| Simon Ferry | Garry Holden |
| Paul Glover | Paul Knox |
| William Kircher | Stu Guthrie |
| Timothy Bartlett | Jimmy Dickson |
| Tony Bishop | Ross Percy |
| Baxter Cannell | Dion Percy |
| Murray Davidson | Bank Manager |
| Dave Dudfield | AOS/ATS Officer |
| Nick Duval-Smith | Brian Wilson |
| Richard Knowles | Rene Aarsen |
| Thomas Lee-Batley | Leo Wilson |
| Finn Liddell | Jordan Harvey |
| Stuart Mathieson | Vic Crimp |
7.60 out of 10 (912 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Chilling and should be sought out
posted on 04 Aug 2009New Zealand docudrama about the massacre that occurred in Aramoana when an angry gun nut opened fire on his neighbors and severely reduced the population.Slow to start, I thought that this was going to be a typical story of a shooting with its pleasant vistas and the get to know the participants set up scenes. However once things got going things spiral out in ways that they can only in real life. The violence, which we know is coming, is at first explosive and in its way out of left field. Then as the neighbors and soon to be targets attempt to figure out what the "fireworks" are things becoming darker as the random acts of violence begin to pick up. What do you do when a nut job begins to open fire? Here's the answer.Though far from perfect, its a tad too clinical for my tastes, this film really packs a punch, especially in the final scenes where there are a few decidedly haunting images that not only drive home whats happened but also turns so of what we've seen on their ear (The swat team in slo mo).I thought it was quite good. However I'm not particularly pleased with the Weinstein company who is its distributor. No ads for the film in New York. Sure you screened it for critics, but no add other than in the general ad for the IFC center where its playing. Clearly you don't want anyone to see it or know it existed.(I caught it on IFC on Demand cable service.) I only gave it a shot because I saw the title in the Time Out New York film reviews. Clearly they don't know what they are doing since here's a film they should promote but don't, yet other things like... Doogal...they promote like mad even thought it belongs in the bottom of a charnel house's fire pit.If you get a chance to see it do so, its too good not to be seen.
Should Be Seen By Any Thinking Adult
posted on 02 Aug 2009There are hundreds of movies out their about mass murderers in a range of pretty much unwatchable to excellent, edge-of-your-seat viewing. A large majority of these films are fiction and can be dismissed as just blood and gore thrillers no matter their quality. There are a few that are based upon terrorist acts that for most of the viewers, fortunately, can be dismissed as something so foreign to their everyday lives that a comfortable distance with reality can be kept. Out of the Blue doesn't fit into either of these categories, and that is what makes it even more horrifying.Probably in every neighborhood in the world, there lives the loner - the "You kids stay out of my yard," grouch who is probably more of an object of humor or exasperation rather than fear. Out of the Blue is the true story of one such man who lived in a small seaside village in New Zealand in 1990.David Gray lived in a small shack in Aramoana, New Zealand. He was a social outcast who often had disagreements with his closest neighbor over petty things - things that most neighbors would settle easily. As Gray lived his lonely life, he was slowly amassing a large collection of guns and supposed wrongs perpetrated against him by his neighbors and government officials. On November 13, 1990, one of his neighbor's daughters crossed into Gray's yard, and that set off a horrifying series of events which ended the next day with thirteen residents - men, women, and children - murdered.It is a bit ironic that earlier in the day before watching this DVD, I was discussing with a friend her nephew who suffers from mental instability. This man in his forties whom I have known since his late teens has manifested imaginary wrongs, many of which happened more than twenty years ago. He is unable to release himself from these feelings because he truly believes them even though most of them never really happened in the way that he has perceived them. Perhaps knowing this man has caused Out of the Blue to have a greater effect upon me, but I am willing to guess that most of the readers of this review know someone like my friend's nephew who teeters on the edge of stability daily. It certainly brought the film very close to home for me.The acting in Out of the Blue is excellent. Each and every actor on screen makes you believe in the character, but I think the thing that puts the film in the five star category is its brilliant direction. Robert Sarkies skillfully draws you into Aramoana and makes you a resident of the village way before the first shot is fired. He also helps you to understand David Gray as much as he can be understood. The viewer hates David Gray for what he did but still can summon up a bit of compassion for this sad, sad outsider.Out of the Blue is a great little film that should be seen by any thinking adult - especially any adult who knows a sad outsider.
must see
posted on 28 Oct 2008I'm a somewhat elderly American, resident in New Zealand, and this is one of the best movies I've ever seen. Everyone who appreciates truly fine movies should see this one. You needn't be a kiwi to get it. Photography, acting, composition, everything in this movie shines. As other viewers have suggested, this movie compares favorably to Hollywood and Hollywood-influenced movies (such as "Lord of the Rings", ahem) because it doesn't depend on special effects, mind-blowing battle scenes, guts or gore or gorgeous actresses to keep our attention. Regardless of what you do or do not compare it to, this one is riveting, a masterpiece.
Really gay
posted on 26 Oct 2008Started off really gay, with shots of children playing and families having a good old time in the neighborhood. Then there's this crazy guy. Another family moment, the girls follow their dad outside. Crazy guy goes off on little girl for being on his property. Dad says don't talk that way to my girl. Crazy guy, in a rage, goes back into his house and returns with a rifle. Shoots the dad. Okay I liked this part. It was shot in a very matter-of-fact way and thus the movie's gayness started to subside. But not for long. It becomes a gay action movie, then a gay horror movie, with a classic, is he behind the curtain?.....Nope. Then it gets even more dragged out, lots of sob moments for the ones shot, then some gay music at the end to wrap it all up.So overall very gay, I was honestly hoping that after the gay beginning it would start to redeem itself, and it did... but then it came back with heaps of gay that just plain ruined it.
Harrowing
posted on 25 May 2008SpoilerThis film is about a little remembered incident in the tiny township of Aramoana in New Zealand in 1990.End Spoiler There is not a great deal to say about this movies except that it is an extremely harrowing account of what happened over 2 days in this quiet and somewhat sleepy township.What makes this film so unnerving is the way in which it was shot. Not a great deal of dialogue, we were allowed to watch and see this terrible piece of history unfold in virtual real-time and were allowed get to know many of the victims and their families just prior to and during the events of those 2 days.This I feel made the film a cut above the normal type of movies of this kind and extremely well directed by Robert Sarkies.This is one film which will live in my memory for a long time to come and I thoroughly recommend it. Plutus
Astonishingly powerful
posted on 23 May 2008Released completely under the radar in the UK and only grossing a truly pitiful $728 in its one US engagement, Robert Sarkies' Out of the Blue is one of the most cruelly overlooked films of recent years. The material doesn't sound too promising – a true story about a eccentric loaner in the ramshackle New Zealand coastal town of Aramoana who went on a 22-hour shooting rampage and killed 13 people, including four children, in 1990. The crime was all the more shocking in a country with such a low crime rate: this was the sort of thing that happened in other countries. (Their previous worst mass murderer had been Stan Graham, who murdered seven people in 1942, the subject of 1991's excellent and similarly underseen Bad Blood).The potential for exploitation or cheap TV movie of the week dramatics was certainly there, yet the film is made with such understated sincerity, putting the focus firmly on the victims and the community – not just Karl Urban's smalltown cop completely out of his depth as he's unable to help people he knows and loves but also unlikely real-life heroine in 72-year old Helen Dickson, who dragged herself back and forth through a ditch to bring help and comfort to one of the victims. It's the sheer ordinariness of how they cope that is so devastating. The performances are all naturalistic and utterly convincing, only adding to the power in a quietly heartbreaking scene in the back of a police car where Karl Urban's cop whispers a bedtime story to a wounded child as his partner blankly holds a dead child in his arms.As a sidenote, it's interesting how much of the film works as a (presumably unintentional) critique of Paul Greengrass' cheapjack technique. There's an interesting use of sound design that occasionally briefly removes elements from the soundtrack to create a sense that something isn't quite right and an intelligent use of hand-held camera from Greig Fraser that doesn't equate slipping in and out of focus and constantly missing the action with veracity Paul Greengrass style but uses it much more subtly. While the townspeople and cops are shot with a hand-held camera as if it were mounted on a tripod or a dolly to give an understated slight vitality rather than advertise itself, the killer is mostly shot from a tripod in relatively static takes subtly setting him apart from the community he ultimately turns on. It's not about drawing attention to the technique (and by proxy the director) but putting you into the film, the style all but invisible and in the service of the story and the characters. Nor does Sarkies feel the need to demonise any of the victims (as Greengrass did in United 93 to a German passenger whose family chose not to co-operate with his film) to add some cheap fictional drama and conflict to make the film 'play' better: this isn't about producing a quick sugar rush at any cost, it's about ordinary, mundane human beings suddenly finding themselves thrown into a overwhelming situation they have no control over and its very real power comes from it's determination not to oversensationalize.
WOW! (mild spoiler, in the very last sentences)
posted on 11 Apr 2008It starts off a bit slow... I thought it would be the typical horror flick where some idiot decides to kill people and you basically go "eh, whatever" about halfway through and start rolling your eyes. Boy was I wrong. After the character buildup... yes, there is one in this movie... it progresses at a very quick pace. The horror in this film is more the realistic "wow, that actually occurs" rather than the blood, guts, and otherwise "classic horror movie" traits.While watching this movie (assuming you are like me, in the good ole USA and used to our general type of police force) keep in mind this is set in a small town in the 1990s in New Zealand. I had to continuously remind myself its not here, we don't know how they would have responded there.Overall, I would highly recommend it for someone that wants to watch a good movie, well acted, well made... with little blood, and a good story line. And yeah, apparently this actually happened. Thus the scary part. Be prepared to deal with some disturbing ideas... he doesn't care who he shoots. Keep that in mind when viewing this picture.
Good portrayal of a tragic event
posted on 16 Mar 2008It was refreshing to watch a movie that accurately depicted events without all of the Hollywood American-Pie. The acting and cinematography made this film feel as though it were a fly-on-the-wall documentary. I feel that the subject, and particularly David Gray, could have done with more of an introduction. The movie was 100 minutes long but I was so engrossed by the candid nature of the film, it felt much shorter. I didn't even finish my popcorn and drink! All-in-all, this is a hard-hitting movie about a tragic incident. It isn't glamourised at all and I came out of the movie feeling quite subdued. Worth a watch.
Well produced drama
posted on 01 Feb 2008It was inevitable that - like the Stan Graham saga of 1941 made into the movie "Bad Blood" - the Aramoana massacre of 1990 would eventually be turned into a feature film. To their credit, the cast and crew of this have done a good job of it and perhaps just as importantly, the script writers have attempted to provide a little insight into why it happened, although the full background is something that people will need to read the two books that were written about it to get. The film starts in the morning of the day it started (the events lasted into the next day) and continues - with only a couple of brief flashbacks on the part of Gray - till a conclusion just after Gray is shot dead by police. It manages to keep fairly true with the actual events (as described in the two books) although there are some departures of varying importance. The film works well as a drama and unlike a Hollywood movie doesn't portray anyone as a superhero, or thickly apply sentimentality. The cinematography is also superb.
Raising the bar in New Zealand cinema
posted on 12 Jan 2008I was lucky enough to attend a preview screening of Out of the Blue at the Embassy theater. As the final credits rolled and the curtains closed I realized I had finally found the meaning to the word 'masterpiece'. This is unquestionably one of the best films I have ever seen. Period. The portrayal of David Gray is haunting in every meaning of the word. Matthew Sutherland is an expert as his craft. I despised him throughout the film but at the same time felt pity; for what he was going through mentally was almost as scary as what he was causing the town to go through.Robert Sarkies has proved to us that he has a genuine eye for directing, and that he is loaded with talent. Although he has already worked on several other New Zealand films/series, I believe that this could be his calling card for getting into the big-budget pictures.The acting is incredible, and I really admire Karl Urban for returning to NZ and doing this low-budget film. Every single performance in this film is nothing short of spectacular. I have never felt as though I actually knew a bunch of people in a movie until now. It was genuinely the most scary thing I have seen when the town goes to hell.I wish that this movie could get a wide theatrical release, although I am almost certain it wont because its story wont really effect anyone outside of New Zealand. However, if you live in New Zealand you must see this film when it is locally released in cinemas. In fact no; everyone should go see this film. Everyone. Twice.10/10 This is what happens when you get a bunch of people together who love what they do to make a movie.
All was not well in Paradise
posted on 25 Nov 2007I remember very well the events unfolding in Aramoana as it was broadcast on the TV and radio. I was a Police Officer at the time and the death of a fellow officer was tough news to hear. Seeing the events recreated on screen for the first time brought the memories flooding back. Seeing how even in a relatively peaceful nation such as New Zealand, no-one is immune from random acts of violence was very sobering. I sat bolt upright the entire movie and didn't realise it. The theater was deathly quiet. This is a movie that pulls no punches and has not an inkling of Hollywood in it. It is a sad, dramatic, true to life retelling of the massacre. This type of film is one of the reasons I avoid many of the big budget Hollywood movies. There's no glorification here, no overly animated death scenes, this is movie making at it's best. The story is being told without embellishment and in a sadly beautiful way. A must see for New Zealander's, and for anyone else interested in seeing a powerful, compelling movie. New Zealand's movie of the year, without doubt.
Keep an eye on your neighbour's...
posted on 05 Aug 2007This is the kind of film that'll have you looking sideways at that single bloke in his thirties who lives across the road from you. With a complete absence of any kind of dramatic conceit, writer/director Robert Sarkies has managed to produce a powerful film marred only by a lull in proceedings around the 70-minute mark.Matthew Sutherland plays David Gray, a scruffy loner living in a sleepy village nestling in a picturesque bay. It's the kind of place where nothing really happens: dogs bark and a lone kid throws a ball against a wall for something to do. Gray used to get on with his neighbour, a middle-aged single father on the cusp of moving in with his new girlfriend but, as Gray has grown increasingly withdrawn their relationship has deteriorated to the point where a mundane domestic argument inexplicably escalates into a shocking massacre. The beginning of the carnage, when it eventually arrives – and Sarkies is very deliberate in slowly introducing us into the lives of a number of Aramoana's residents; We don't really get to know them that well, though, only as well as you might know your own neighbour in this day and age – is so understated that you almost find yourself disbelieving what you've seen. Gray rattles off a number of shots at near point-blank range. They sound like the report of a kid's popgun, and his victim stumbles backward and turns, taking five or six shots before eventually falling to the ground. Gray then embarks on a random murder spree, killing anyone who happens to cross his path, irrespective of their age.The reasons for Gray's sudden murderous outburst are described only in vague references – inappropriate levels of attention from the local police, his bank's decision to charge him for cashing a cheque – but the real Gray's reasons are probably just as enigmatic. While there are no heroes in the accepted cinematic term, as with all tragedies of this nature, individual acts of heroism performed by normal people take place, particularly by an old lady with new hips who crawls from the roadside to her house to raise help for a neighbour she barely knows who has been unlucky enough to catch a couple of Gray's bullets.While Sarkies effortlessly sidesteps any tendency towards sentimentality for the most part, there are a few weaknesses in the film, mainly in the way that the fates of a number of those who are stalked by Gray are never really clearly explained. But apart from this, and a noticeable drop in tension towards the climax, the film provides a near-flawless fly-on-the-wall style re-telling of one normal neighbourhood's devastating tragedy.
intense!
posted on 12 Jun 2007definitely one of the most powerful films i've ever seen and certainly one of the top 3 films of 2006, the others being V for Vendetta and Children of Men.. i'd highly recommend any New Zealander whether they still live in NZ or not to watch this at least once.. the cinematography is just awesome - the shots of the serenity of Aramoana village were captured perfectly..Out of the Blue doesn't try to be violent.. in fact all the shooting scenes were rather tame and looked p fake compared to e.g. History of Violence, Kill Bill or the usual American action fare.. rather it focuses on the decline of David Gray towards insanity and ultimately one of, if not the darkest moment in New Zealand's short history..it's good to see the New Zealand film industry riding a crest of a wave since the success of Lord of the Rings..not just Hollywood funded films like King Kong or the Last Samurai which were all filmed in NZ, but also local productions like In My Father's Den, World's Fastest Indian, Sione's Wedding and now Out of the Blue have had a big impact at film fests all over the world..go Aotearoa New Zealand! even if you're not a Kiwi you should still watch Out of the Blue.. it will leave ya stunned..
Sets the pulse racing!
posted on 02 Jun 2007I went to see this having read a couple of books on the subject several years ago, including the one on which the film is based.Wasn't sure what to expect as there's been a lot of hype & media publicity surrounding this film.I must say I certainly wasn't disappointed.This is an excellent film. I haven't seen director Sarkies' other film Scarfies but I was impressed with this. No doubt he's headed for bigger things if this film is any indication.Take a bow Mr Sarkies, you've already got the NZ Film Awards sewn up.This is the kind of film you don't see too often, shocking and extremely tense, but without relying on the graphic violence and bloodspatter far too prevalent in mainstream films these days. Add to that this is a true story and there's plenty of attention to detail.A few other 'bigger' directors could take note from this that the audience aren't all idiots. They can figure out what's happening without squibs going off left, right and centre and spent cartridges ejecting from the chamber in slow motion.As the cinema sat in silence, I swear I could hear my own heart pounding at times as my blood pressure went through the roof. A great movie going experience not felt too often.I wasn't sure if If I was watching a reenactment or remastered old news footage as the specialist Police moved in on the town. It looked very authentic.In spite of his dastardly deeds, one couldn't help but feel a tad of sympathy for the bad guy who is portrayed as a sad, lonely dysfunctional person who's mental health gradually deteriorates. More good work by the director and certainly different from the norm.It wasn't perfect though, the pacing of the film seemed a bit out of kilter in a few places, while I thought some of the acting in the film was brilliant at times, but not quite so at others.The up close gun fire as well probably fell a little bit short in the decibel department and could possibly use a touch up.That aside, on a global scale it's a small budget film so any shortcomings are excused.I give it an 8 because I'm a very tough marker, with a 10 being nearly impossible.Given the subject matter, I don't think I could call this entertaining, but it sure is an experience & somewhat unforgettable, enough to make a grown man cry.In short, see this film!
Absolutely superb
posted on 10 Mar 2007Chilling and real. This is a standout amongst some great NZ films. Shot superbly on location, letting the facts tell the story. Such a tragedy could not have been portrayed any better. No explanation given for the events, simply a true story well told. Karl Urban showing great talent once more as the local policeman. Fantastic cinematography, the interspersed shots of tranquil beaches juxtaposed with the outright horror of what was taking place. A simple human story well worth watching. NZ cinema is alive and well and kicking Hollywood's butt when it comes to telling real stories well. Understated presentation of the facts, see this film.
Awesome Film
posted on 08 Feb 2007I went to see this film on the day it was released. WOW what a awesome movie very powerful true and deeply moving. The way they have filmed it is good and its not as graphic as I thought it would be. Everyone in NEw Zealand should see this film but it is not one I recommended you watch alone as it is very sad. The actors in the movie play there parts great they all gave it 100% . One of the actors in the film is personally known to me and for the young age he is played his role very well considering what the film is about. I give this movie 10 out of ten for everything . Its a must see film .T M D
Out of the Blue
posted on 26 Dec 2006On November 13 1990, David Gray, an unemployed recluse, shot dead 13 people in the small coastal hamlet of Aramoana near Dunedin.There was much conjecture about whether it was a good idea for someone to make a film about this tragic incident but it has been made and, for the most part, it has been made well.Robert Sarkies, in a return to form after his well received first feature Scarfies, has created an amazing work of art. The opening shots of Aramoana are breath taking, and the cinematography throughout the film follows suit. The beauty of the scenery only serves to juxtapose the ugly events which take place over those 22 hours of terror.Using Bill O' Brien's book Aramoana, Sarkies and co-writer Graeme Tetley have crafted a screenplay which focuses on subtlety and nuance. Sarkies intelligently uses these subtleties in several scenes involving Gray. Blurred camera work when Gray is on screen not only show his blurred take on reality, but also reflects his reportedly poor eyesight.The cast is above average but two actors stand apart. It would have been inappropriate to have displayed Gray as anything but a monster, but Matthew Sunderland is able to give Gray a certain sense of pathos. His portrayal of the paranoid schizophrenic shows the killer to be a shell of a man, who has been overtaken by a terrible disease. We find him chilling and repugnant, yet one cannot help but sympathise with a person who has become so inhuman he appears more animal than man.The other standout performance comes from Karl Urban as policeman Nick Harvey - one of the first officers on the scene. His eyes display the mixture of fear, confusion and disbelief at what lay before him at Aramoana. Watching him cradle a young girl in his arms, desperately trying to comfort her after she has been shot, is perhaps one of the most touching scenes in a movie crammed full of profound moments.It is strange to have such a beautiful film made about such a terrible moment in New Zealand history. However, the sensitivity and emotion shown to the tragedy make the film an important commentary on the horrors of modern society. Even in a place like Aramoana, seemingly untainted by the rigours of modern life, can the harsh realities of the world be found and in these moments the human spirit is tested. The people of Aramoana and the emergency services sent to help them are testament to the fact that in the end love and compassion will prevail over the hate and disgust of sick individuals like David Malcolm Gray.
One horrific day in New Zealand.
posted on 14 Aug 2009This stark drama is based on the Aramoana Massacre in New Zealand in 1990. An out-of-work, down-on-his-luck gun collector David Gray(Matthew Sunderland), upset with the local where his family has banked forever, is at the end of his rope...he snaps. Gray turns a solemn peaceful small town into the site of a bloody nightmare. He goes on a rampage and starts shooting everyone that comes in the vicinity of his home. Lifelong friends become targets. He even shoots animals that get in the way. He end up killing 13 citizens of the community before being gunned down by the local police. Makes you think hard about your own neighbors. Others in the cast: Karl Urban, Lois Lawn, Simon Ferry and Tandi Wright.