Out of the Blue (2006)

Director:

Robert Sarkies

Writers:

Bill O'Brien (book)
Robert Sarkies (writer)

Release Date:

12 October 2006 (New Zealand)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

From the last place on earth comes a true story of courage and survival.

Plot:

Based on the Aramoana Massacre that occurred on 13 November and 14 November 1990. Resident David Gray, an unemployed gun collector, went on a rampage in which 13 people were shot dead, before Gray himself was shot by police.

Awards:

6 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Karl Urban	...	Nick Harvey
Matthew Sunderland	...	David Gray
Lois Lawn	...	Helen Dickson
Simon Ferry	...	Garry Holden
Tandi Wright	...	Julie-Anne Bryson
Paul Glover	...	Paul Knox
William Kircher	...	Stu Guthrie
Georgia Fabish	...	Chiquita Holden
Fayth Rasmussen	...	Stacey Percy
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
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
Natalie Ellis	...	Dorothy Crimp
Fatu Ioane	...	Aleki Tali
Brenda Kendall	...	Garry Holden's Mother
Richard Knowles	...	Rene Aarsen
Thomas Lee-Batley	...	Leo Wilson
Finn Liddell	...	Jordan Harvey
Stuart Mathieson	...	Vic Crimp
Dra McKay	...	Heather Dickson
Steven Moore	...	Ron Braithwaite
Ryan O'Kane	...	Darren Buist
Patrick Paynter	...	Tim Jamieson
Bruce Phillips	...	Chris Cole
Vaughan Slinn	...	Russell Anderson
Phoebe Smith	...	Jenny Austin
Vanessa Stacey	...	Vanessa Percy
Claire Waldron	...	Fiona Harvey
Kerrie Waterworth	...	Bank Teller
Jacinta Wawatai	...	Rewa Bryson
Richard West	...	Warren Wilson
Michael Whalley	...	Darren Gibbs
Danaka Wheeler	...	Jasmine Holden
Ashley Wilson	...	Gunshop Owner

Also Known As:

Aramoana (New Zealand: English title) (working title)

Runtime:

103 min | Canada:100 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

New Zealand

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

New Zealand:R15 | Germany:16 | Australia:MA | Argentina:16

Filming Locations:

Otago, New Zealand

Company:

Condor Films

Goofs:

Anachronisms: As David Gray is seen walking through the main city centre, vehicles passing and parked on the side of the road are shown to have their rectangle shaped registration labels on the bottom left of the inside of the windscreen. This system was not implemented by Land Transport New Zealand until 1996. Before this, registration stickers were small and placed on the outside of the top middle of the windscreen.

All was not well in Paradise

I 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.