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.

This film was made in 2006, sixteen years ago, and yet it is advertised by Amazon as being made in 2021; just the latest in a tsunami of releases being falsely advertised as made in 2021 on the site. One of my favourite films, Scottish comedy classic Gregory's Girl, is listed as 2021 - it was made in 1982, it's FORTY years old !!! Amazon MUST stop this, it is fraudulent advertising. Maybe it's accidental ? But they need to stop it now. As for the film, it's quite realistic and gripping, not as good as it could've been but very watchable.

What do we give stars for? Is it a moment of how we feel? An impulse that a film gives us, or in this case a film that makes something feel so real. I could feel the fear of those police officers, and did you not feel the dread for that family with kids on the bikes? I was horrified, and it makes you think how real this is, and it was real for those people in NZ who suffered this tragedy. I even felt glad that the army guys put al lthose bullets in that killer and left him to writh in pain and die.THe big thing is it humbled me in the end nad made me feel meek and I sent money to the red cross for the Ukrainian tragedy. It really touched a nerved.

Slow, sluggish and dull - not helped by dreadful sound. no subtitles and FreeVee shoving in more ads than YouTube.

A shocking incident in New Zealand, portrayed with an honesty and compassion. It really was a very good film, and disturbing.

I came across this film completely by accident. It's an absolute gem of a movie! It deals with what could have been a very sensationalised topic, with care and dignity. The acting, writing and direction are excellent. The characters and the scene are well established as that of a sleepy town, with resources ill equipped with what befalls the town. I'm not going to lie: there are some harrowing moments, but they are dealt with respectfully.

A good film, sadly a true story of how evil can take hold of a person to turn them into a mass murderer. It shows why guns should be banned from falling into the hands of crazy people.

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.

Although Karl Urban is listed as the star, it is more of an ensemble piece. Based on a true event and it was filmed as reality more than trying to Hollywoodise it. Because of this, it becomes more haunting than "scary" movies.

Excellent, humane representation of a tragedy. Features displays of a different sort of heroism that standard action films don't often portray.

karl urban is wonderful in this movie. the movie is touching and scary that this really can happen anywhere. this is not an action movie like some of his other work so don't get this expecting that.

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