Movie review of Out of the Blue

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Horrorphile - June 2007

Out of the Blue

June 15th 2007 00:21

On November 13 1990, in the small seaside village community of Aramoana, south of Duendin, New Zealand, a crazed gunman murdered 13 people in cold paranoid blood. He was eventually shot dead by police early the next morning, and thus the innocence of The Land of the Long White Cloud was forever stained with the same deadly menace that has plagued the rest of the world for decades.

Out of the Blue (2006) is based on the true crime book Aramoana by Bill O’Brien, and directed by Robert Sarkies. The movie was originally to be named after the village, but survivors protested. I remember the events quite well, I am a Kiwi myself, watching the news as Paul Holmes, the newscaster, described the scene; police helicopters flying over the settlement witnessing the aftermath of the carnage.

Window to a very dark soul

David Gray, an unemployed gun collector, went berserk. After losing his temper at the local bank earlier in the day, he went home and fumed. An argument broke out with his neighbour over kids walking through his property. Gray grabbed his AK-47 assault rifle and shot dead his neighbour and two of his kids (wounding a third), then set fire to his neighbour’s house. He then proceeded to take pot shots at whoever came close to the property.

Hearing gunshots curious locals approached, only to be shot dead. Gray applied black shoe polish to his face, dressed in camouflage garb, and set out on a shooting rampage. The New Zealand Armed Defenders Squad (later to be renamed the Anti-Terrorist Squad) was eventually called in after the village had been closed off so no one could enter or leave the settlement. The combat officers surrounded Gray in another house. They tear-gassed the premises, driving Gray out, shooting wildly. He was shot numerous times, including in the head, yet, apparently, he kept thrashing and screaming and had to be subdued by police, before finally collapsing dead.

Officers get into position

Aramoana is New Zealand’s Port Arthur, albeit on a slightly smaller scale. The tragedy is burned into the nation’s conscience. It’s taken sixteen years for the survivors and the rest of the country to feel okay about a feature film dramatization of the events. Thankfully director Sarkies has done a relatively sensitive job. It’s a good film, but not a brilliant film, I have trouble with the way he handled the end.

Karl Urban as Deputy Nick Harvey

The movie is by no means a Hollywood-style “glamour gangster” movie, where the emphasis is on the violence and the extension of jeopardy. Out of the Blue is more about the village as a whole, the friendly, yet ordinary existence of the locals, the beauty of the landscape, and the tranquility of the rural homestead. Suddenly, out of the blue, chaos and destruction explodes, right from the very core: one of Aramoana’s own.

Reflection of a cold-blooded killer

Sarkies shows restraint in depicting the graphic horror of the tragedy, but lingers on the futile efforts of the innocent trying to escape. He also focuses considerably on Gray himself, which is dubious, as no one knows what he was doing during those dark nocturnal hours. There are snatches of comedy and irony, but these are early on in the film as we are introduced to the quaint locals and their daily routines.

Orders are to shoot to kill

With these factors in mind, at film’s end I had trouble watching Gray’s writhing body while five or six armed defenders stood round, their teargas masks hanging around their necks, casually glancing at Gray’s twitching body, while they all lit up cigarettes, like they’d just had sex. Then director Sarkies has the camera slowly pan up over the bullet ridden body resting at his grimaced face with massive head wound.

The real David Gray

This might sound odd coming from me, but I found those last images unnecessary; one appeared to be a moment of ill-conceived humour, and the other, in context with the rest of the film, seemed gratuitous. Perhaps I’m still too "close" to the events? I don’t think so. It’s just one of those cinema moments when a director’s decision misses the mark. Still, Out of the Blue has many very good elements. The performances are uniformly very good, especially Matt Sunderland as David Gray (the movie must have been cast in my hometown of Wellington, as I knew many of the actors), and the cinematography and score are hauntingly beautiful.

Out of the Blue screens as part of the 54th Sydney Film Festival tonight - Friday June 15th - 9:15pm, at Dendy Opera Quays cinema. An Australian theatrical release is more than likely.

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Posted By: Bryn - Category: movie reviews

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Comments

9 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by charliesgirl_992000

June 15th 2007 00:27

Histeries, Mysteries and what not
Lifes little slices
Mystical Creativity

"It's realy sad how often this is happening in our world!!"

Comment by Damo

June 15th 2007 01:27

For the Sake of Argument
My Apologetics

This is a tragic tale and perhaps it does deserve to be classed as a modern horror story. Something akin to the man scratch by a werewolf but I guess that is where fiction and reality part.

The film sound fascinating, as do all stories of crazed gunmen, because we often want to know why it happens. Also how can anyone be so cold-blooded? Beats me.

Jack Thomson played a similar true story about a New Zealand gunman in WW2. (Forgotten the name)

I can understand why some director take the 'simpathy for the devil option' from time to time. They avoid accusations of demonizing the gunman.

Sad story but it is something that I would like to see.

Comment by Nickoftime's Sanity Corner

June 15th 2007 01:43

Bryn,

I can so relate to where your review is coming from...the small town I lived in, sounds very much like the one you described...

In 52 years there had never had a murder or a rape or anything...then in 1982, two guys blew through from out of nowhere, and in one crazed five hour spree, they shot and killed the owner of a small local gas station for a grand total of $35, held hostage and repeatedly raped a young mother of three in front of her children for three hours, and then shot and killed the Iowa state trooper who had been chasing them....

I knew every one of the victims...maybe not personally, but they were people I saw at least once or twice a week and knew by first name...

It was awful...and I don't think Winterset was ever quite the same after that...sounds like Wellington wasn't either...The senselessness and horror that's left behind after something like this never truly goes away...

I've seen the trailers for Out Of The Blue, and they brought back a lot of memories...I'd heard about Gray some time ago and had read Aramoana, as I am a true crime fanatic...I wanted to go see the movie too, but didn't know if I could actually sit through it until the end...

This was a great review, touching, yet open and frank, infused with your own emotions and memories of the events...

Very well done indeed....

Take care,

Nick

Comment by KylieW

June 15th 2007 06:39

Celebrity Obsession

Great review Bryn.

This does look like a worthwhile fiilm. I'm always a little hesitant when you hear that stories like these are being made into film. Always have to wonder how they'll treat the subject matter....demonise the killer, or humanise him? Go for all out violence and shock tactics or do you show the human stories?

Sounds like they've taken a lot of care with this film. Might have to check it out

Comment by Bryn

June 16th 2007 05:30

Horrorphile

Thanks for the great comments everyone!
Damo, the movie you're referring to was called Bad Blood, and a great movie too.

Comment by JohnDoe

June 17th 2007 10:17

Film & TV on DVD

Well written review Bryn,
I already had this on my list, but now it goes up a few notches...I envy your advanced screenings.

Comment by Bryn

June 18th 2007 05:18

Horrorphile

JD, cheers mate! I wanna get the book it was based on ... Aromoana by Bill O'Brien ...

Comment by Ant

December 28th 2007 21:47

They hHAVE taken a lot of care for this film. The final scripts were reviewed by two memebers of the community (a large percentage of the residents) and went through various stages of rewriting as was seen fit by these two people. That is why the film is so raw in what it shows. It's not about portaying people in any way other than they were. Rather, it's about retelling experiences and actual events as seen and lived by those involved.

And by the way, it's Armed OFFENDERS Squad, not defenders or anti terrorist. The AOS man! I'm surprised you didn't know that as a kiwi! Wiki it bro.

Comment by Bryn

December 29th 2007 07:43

Horrorphile

Ant,
My apologies for the defenders/offenders mixup ... I'm sure it's a mistake any (ex-pat) Kiwi could make.
In what seems like a defence of the script, you don't explain why there was such a deliberate point of view taken from the killer's perspective: "Rather it's about retelling experiences and actual events as seen and lived by those involved" ... fair enough, for those that lived to tell their stories, but no one knows what David Gray was actually doing when he was alone ... and the film spends quite a bit of time with him when he was alone.

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