Green Room Movie Review (Spoiler Free)

Soul of punk versus dark evil forces. When an unsuspecting band ends up in the wrong club, a battle for their life ensues. Can this movie show the raw danger of the situation?

Genre: Horror / Thriller

Director: Jeremy Saulnier

Cast: Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, Patrick Stewart, Alia Shawkat, Callum Turner, Joe Cole, Macon Blair, Mark Webber, Eric Edelstein & David Thompson.

Run Time: 95 min.

US Release: 13 May 2016

UK Release: 13 May 2016

German Release: 02 June 2016

A new month, a new horror review. Welcome back to my blog today. I will be talking about a special flick that flew under my radar: Green Room. Jeremy Saulnier’s production was never on my radar, but I am deeply grateful to a friend who insisted we go see it. The film completely caught me off guard with its sharp direction and gripping screenplay, while also introducing me to the director's phenomenal previous work, Blue Ruin.

When a struggling punk rock band takes an unexpected gig at a remote club in the Pacific Northwest that neo-Nazi skinheads run, they accidentally witness a brutal backstage murder. The band gets locked inside the green room and is forced to fight a bloody, desperate battle for survival against the club's ruthless owner and his followers.

The screenplay, also written by Saulnier, is one of my favourite aspects of the flick, brilliantly transforms a simple, confined narrative into a high-stakes cat-and-mouse game. It maintains a relentless, vicious wave of tension that grips viewers tightly throughout the entire runtime. I especially appreciated how the story respects the audience by refusing to spoon-feed exposition through needless dialogue, and smartly forces one to stay highly attentive to every unfolding plot detail.

That said, the film is not without its obvious flaws. Starting with a sluggish and slow-paced beginning, it takes nearly fifteen tedious minutes for the band to arrive at the venue; that stretch of runtime ultimately feels much longer than it actually is. Furthermore, the immersion is occasionally disrupted by some incredibly frustrating, dumb decision-making from the band members as they desperately try to survive.

The conversation between characters is probably among the best parts of this horror-thriller. Dialogues are grounded, sounding naturalistic. There is no over-explanation of the situation; it is all straightforward. It also makes use of some dry humour, which surprisingly fits the state of affairs.

The main characters are written as grounded, relatable young adults who are struggling with income and therefore take on this gig that lands them in a nightmare scenario. Unfortunately, nearly all of them are written as highly disposable, so that individual performances go nearly unnoticed or are downplayed as monotonous. A standout in this case is merely Anton Yelchin, as the main protagonist, who gives a deeply human depiction of the sensitive band member Pat, who is traumatised through this brutal experience. 

Patrick Stewart’s involvement in this project is both satisfying, as well as frustrating. The reason is that although he does give a calm, chilling, menacing performance as the neo-nazi leader Darcy. However, his character is first introduced halfway through the film, plus even after his debut, he is mostly sidelined even though he is the primary antagonist.

Imogen Poots gives another magnificent rendition. She plays her character Amber, who is a local, with cold pragmatism and precise, brutal survival instincts. 

The cinematography is highly effective, using rigid, static framing as a metaphor for the claustrophobic, trapped environment the characters are forced into. This gloomy sense is amplified by a distinct green-blue hue that mirrors the film's title, as well as perfectly capturing its isolated Pacific Northwest setting. However, the dark lighting is at times a bit too disorienting, though it doesn’t affect the enjoyment. The film has outstanding visual effects that rely heavily on practical, hyper-realistic props and make-up. Even though the violence is very graphic, the screenplay masterfully balances the bloody gore by knowing exactly when to hold back and leave the most disturbing details to the viewer's imagination.

The raw, authentic, underground punk sound by the fictional band “The Ain’t Rights” further grounds its members plus their struggling situation. The venue's acoustics, jarring feedback, just like instrumental sound dips the whole ambience in ultra-realism. 

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Verdict: In the end, Green Room is a gripping, high-octane thriller that completely caught me off guard with its raw brutality and tight direction. Unfortunately, the flick is not perfect, suffering from an incredibly slow opening act, interesting characters that got sidelined and some really frustrating choices. Its positives outweigh its flaws, however. The magnificent screenplay, claustrophobic cinematography, and outstanding practical effects deliver a never-ending wave of tension that keeps one in their seat. Anton Yelchin gives a phenomenal, human performance, while Patrick Stewart feels criminally underutilised. Green Room does make for a very satisfying and memorable experience. I’ll give it a 7.5 out of 10.

Have you seen this indie horror-thriller yet? If not, give it a go as long as it is playing in theatres. It is worth a watch! Thank you very much for reading & if you like it, don’t forget to give it a thumbs up and a share.