Out of the Blue

New Zealand suffered one of its darkest days on November 13th 1990 when disturbed loner David Gray killed thirteen people in the small town of Aramoana. Tracing the events of that fateful day, Out Of The Blue is dignified in its approach, avoiding glamorising Gray’s actions and instead focusing on the intense waves of fear and shock that hit the community. Demonstrating the inspiring human capabilities of bravery in the face of extreme violence, the film makes for harrowing and compelling viewing that also shows an innate respect for the incident’s victims and survivors. Karl Urban is particularly effective as Nick Harvey, a local police officer forced to confront a previously unimaginable scene.

The aftermath of the tragedy is mostly left to the DVD extra features with the focus switched to documentary footage and original news clips. These features perfectly compliment the film, creating a harrowing and emotive documentation of a horrific experience.