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Underground punk band The Ain't Rights -- comprised of Pat (Anton Yelchin), Sam (Alia Shawkat), Reese (Joe Cole) and Tiger (Callum Turner), respectively -- book a show at a backwoods neo-Nazi club outside Portland, Oregon after a previous gig leaves them egregiously underpaid and stranded in the Pacific Northwest. Their performance goes off without a hitch, even with the impromptu audience troll in the form of Dead Kennedys cover "Nazi Punks Fuck Off." But when one of the members stumbles upon a backstage stabbing, the band-turned-witnesses must barricade themselves in the venue's green room and face off against a militia of well-provisioned skinheads, led by Darcy (Patrick Stewart), bent on some lethal damage control. Green Room is the latest from writer-director Jeremy Saulnier, helmer of the breakout 2013 revenge thriller Blue Ruin.
Green Room continues in the vein of Saulnier's previous films, both parables of violence perpetrated by the utterly incompetent and hopelessly ill-prepared. The slow burn and brooding atmosphere of Blue Ruin set the tone, while the more stripped-down, B-movie sensibilities of Murder Party, especially its deranged third act, make a return. Nevertheless, Green Room marks a progression for Saulnier and features its own world, both figuratively and literally, the literal world being that of underground punk, hardcore and metal.
As a longtime metalhead myself, I found Green Room to be the most accurate cinematic portrayal of extreme music culture, while still inhabiting only the merest microcosm of the culture's endlessly rich and diverse universe. The world feels authentic and lived-in, in part because Saulnier doesn't flaunt it or pander to the uninitiated. While the film does feature its share of name drops, fashion, and iconography, it's the characters who drive the world home with their passion, commitment, and DIY attitude, evidenced in each and every mundane detail of their life on the road. In the first fifteen minutes, we see them wake up at a crack off dawn and syphon gas at a skating rink 12 miles away to get their van moving to the next gig after its driver fell asleep at the wheel and left the engine running all night. By the time we see them provide a short interview and perform at a diner in the subsequent scenes, we have a perfect sense of who they are, what drives them, and how they work together when the chips are down... and boy, do their chips get down.
The villains are similarly well-drawn, which is refreshing, considering the status of Nazis in film as essentially prepackaged bad guys. Stewart's Darcy is a consummate pragmatist looking to take care of his own and resolve things with as little incident as possible, and while he's prepared to do whatever it takes, he doesn't seem to take any pleasure in the carnage that ensues in the film's second half. Similarly, Macon Blair's (Blue Ruin) show promoter Gabe seems adept at dealing with outsiders from the moment the Ain't Rights show up in the venue's dirt parking lot, yet seems all too aware of what said outsiders mixing unfavorably with the regulars could mean, and carries with him a mix of trepidation and focus to get this band in and out as quickly and efficiently as possible (Stewart's got the gravitas, but for my money, Blair's was the standout performance).
The pathos provided to characters on both sides is what I think drives the wonderfully tense first act. Within minutes of Pat witnessing the murder victim's body, the Ain't Rights (along with the victim's friend, Amber, played by Imogen Poots) are forced into the green room by the staff and made to wait patiently while Gabe contacts Darcy and the powers that be discuss next steps. All the while, the Ain't Rights are kept in the dark, and fear of the worst sets in. However, there's a strong sense that the last thing either side wants is for the situation to devolve. It's with the most incremental and carefully timed/worded actions that the opposing sides parley, which instills an anxiety in the audience that a nonviolent resolution is so close yet ever so far.
One unregistered handgun and savagely mutilated arm later, the floodgates (or should I say blood gates?) are open. The second half of Green Room is one part siege and one part slasher, where the violence is quick, grisly, and messy and it's quickly apparent that no characters are safe. The Nazis boast quite the formidable arsenal as well (shotguns, machetes and attack dogs are prominently featured), while the other side is left with whatever's lying around. I preferred the tension and word sparring of the first half to the exploitation sensibilities of the second, as Saulnier employs something of a wash/rinse/repeat approach to the action, where only the weapons change. That said, there's never a moment where you aren't behind the characters, and Saulnier's complete disregard for formulaic hero/villain roles puts everyone on the chopping block, keeping the stakes high to the end.
All in all, a true rock n' roll picture. Intense, emotional, and visceral, but taking the time to do it right, with intriguing characters (for whom their creator holds a genuine affinity) acting as the glue which holds it all together. Highly recommended.
Trying to get back into writing reviews, as much as I can anyway; been applying to some jobs which require writing samples and looking to beef up my prose. Feel free to comment on my writing and critiquing skills as well as the film. Took about an hour or so to crank this out. Apologies for any typos I may have missed.
Saw Green Room last year at a festival, loved it and it went down well really with the horror audience who were lucky enough to see it.
In terms of your review... the two elements I think you could draw out more is the shocking brutality of some of the violence, which seemed very authentic, and the fact that the Nazis had a hidden reason for why they needed to cover up the crime and dispose of the witnesses.
Other than that (and that imho of course), I think it's a good review.
I'm not a punk rock guy but I am a Saulnier guy. This didn't let me down for one moment. A fun little genre piece distinguished by top-notch directing, characterization, and world-building. The kind of indie film we need more of.
Solid review James. Pretty much agree with everything you've said.
Simply put, Green Room is one of the most intense movies I've ever seen. Now the intensity wears off a bit at the end, but that's probably a good thing considering one's heart can only take so much. If I had any complaints, I'd say the one character switches sides a bit too quickly and they really don't explain the Darcy's backstory. Plus the "climax" isn't nearly as violent or gritty as the rest of the film.
Speaking of which, it's been a long time since I've writhed in the theaters. The gore is top notch and almost too realistic.
But yeah, bad ass movie that wrestles with some larger themes. Lots of cool twists and will probably be in my top 10 of 2016.
Not sure if this will make my top 10 for the sheer number of my favorite directors releasing films this year. Any other year though, a shoo-in. The first half, I was pretty sure it'd be my number one this year thus far. For now, The VVitch still holds that title.
In terms of your review... the two elements I think you could draw out more is the shocking brutality of some of the violence, which seemed very authentic, and the fact that the Nazis had a hidden reason for why they needed to cover up the crime and dispose of the witnesses.
Other than that (and that imho of course), I think it's a good review.
Thanks, man. The violence was definitely savage. The reason for the cover-up didn't occur to me to include. It did offer some additional clarity to the events but didn't feel like a twist or anything, nor did it change the course of events. For reviewing purposes, I don't think it's *not* worth mentioning, but could just as easily be left to the audience to experience.
Appreciate the feedback though. Gonna see if I can't crank out a few more of these. In the past, my reviews have been a lot more stream-of-consciousness, with some that go on for way too long. Trying to hit a sweet spot of detail and brevity.
Damn, I wish I could be as positive as the others here, but i honestly just can't. It's not that I disliked Green Room, but I didn't really like it all that much, either.
I went in, in a way I shouldn't have...fully expecting to love it, based on reviews here, as well as RT. I expected a bloody, violent thrill ride, and although the violence was well done, it was a little underplayed, IMO, and our Protags were done in too quickly, and "easily"...as in, things just moved too quickly as peeps started dying. In fact, I had to do a quick count and figure out who just bit it and who was still left.
One thing I want to bring up has to do with a point James very cleverly and astutely brought up - the matter of factness and everyday way the Antags were made to be. Yes, all too often, our Antags are so over the top and "evil" it plays unrealistically, but here, they were so downplayed (IMO), that they didn't seem all that menacing, and for me, that was a turnoff, as I didn't feel all that much tension.
Maybe, the flick was just a bit too contained once things got going, that escape and survival seemed repetitive and...impossible, really.
Don't get me wrong...everything here is pretty top notch, realistic, downright scary and played for keeps. I was just expecting/hoping for a little more in terms of "entertainment", and yeah, I find such movies to be entertaining, especially when there are more thrills and chills interspersed with somewhat "down time" - you know..the old roller coaster, I often allude to when discussing the proper flow of a horror or thriller script/movie.
I'm glad I saw it in the theater and I enjoyed my time, but it left me with little to really ponder or remember in a positive way.
Skimmed the script. Impressive. Excellent balance of brevity, formality, and style. I tend not to see such balance in most pro script I happen across. Horns to Saulnier.
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