Green Room - Film review

Hello again

Today will be my first review on this blog on the 2016 siege thriller Green Room directed by  Jeremy Salnier.

Jeremy Salnier first broke into the public consciousness in 2014 with his critically acclaimed thriller Blue Ruin. With his third film he goes back to his punk rock roots which sees a struggling punk band face of with a gang of neo Nazi skinheads. Although not an original concept, it is definitely entertaining. Sir Patrick Stewart gives a surprisingly menacing performance in the somewhat unlikely role as Darcy, the leader of the Nazi group. A quick warning though- if you do not like very nasty violence in cinema this movie probably is not for you.

The punk band who call them selves the Aint Rights are down on their luck playing in shithole venues often to about ten half interested people. The film starts with them nearly at the end of their tour which has not been going well for them. The four members which includes Anton Yelchin as bassist Pat are not in good spirits and are not  getting along,

As they are about to split up, an aspiring punk journalist enlists the help of his cousin to get them a gig at a venue located in the Oregon woods. When they get there they find that the place is a club for white supremacists who are naturally pissed off when the band decide to play a cover of he Dead Kennedy's "Nazi Punks Fuck Off." However, after this things start to look up for them as the crowd enjoys the rest of the bands set.

However, it is an understatement to say that their new found better luck is extremely short lived when they are about to leave and Pat goes to the titular Green Room to retrieve his lost mobile phone and stumbles across a murder. A female member of the group is laid dead on the floor as her friend Amber played by Imogen Poots is in hysterics. Now not allowed to leave for the Nazis fear of them informing the police, the punks find themselves barricaded inside the Green Room where they now have to fight for their lives.

From this point on the films becomes a complete death fest with people on both sides being taken out. The causes of death include stabbing by machete,  throats ripped out by dogs as well as some plain old shooting. The film is very effective, moving at a fast pace with genuinely shocking violence. The set design for the club is also done very well, with Salnier using his real life history as a punk as a very nice touch.

The main low point of the film is its somewhat done before story element, which can at times make it seem a little predictable.

The soundtrack which features from bands such as Napalm Death and Slayer will please people seeing this film for its alternative subculture aspect. Also their is a clever running joke in this film about the band members desert island band, where a couple reveal that theirs would in fact be artists  such as Madonna and Prince.


Broad Green Pictures, 95 minutes.