At its core essence it is similar to the classic slasher film or even the cabin in the woods horror tale in that a group of friends are dispatched one by one by an assailant in a single night of terror. The David Fincher film PANIC ROOM (2002) and the Bryan Bertino's THE STRANGERS (2008) feel the most akin to Jeremy Saulnier's GREEN ROOM. No monsters. Nothing supernatural. Merely a small group of individuals cut off from help, trapped, and a group of people outside trying to kill them. It's a simple set up with limited resources but an incredible challenge for writers and directors.
Green Room is an example of a claustrophobic thriller done right.
THE PLOT
A hardcore punk band traveling the pacific northwest unknowingly find themselves performing a gig at a Neo Nazi compound in the middle of nowhere. As the group gathers up their gear to leave one of them dashes back into the green room to retrieve their cellphone. In the room they see a dead body and a murder in progress. The whole band is forced back into the green room and are locked inside. Outside the Neo Nazis begin staging an accident and arm themselves to kill their captives. The band isn't going down without a fight however.
THE GOOD
Inventive. In films where an ensemble cast of characters are knocked off Agatha Christie style they can go two ways. 1: Characters make idiotic choices and death results. Or 2: Characters make smart choices and bring the fight to their would-be-killers and still end up dead. This movie falls into the latter. The characters feel fully formed for the most part and seeing any of them die is sad. They make smart choices for the most part and are quite resourceful. The characters demonstrate effective creativity in combating their captors and in moments becoming even more frightening and grizzly than their enemies.
Realistic. This movie is suspenseful and intense and never goes over the top with gore or unbelievable situations. The villains too are portrayed fairly believably. Patrick Stewart plays the central villain with calculated efficiency. You've never seen Patrick Stewart so dastardly. Even the protagonists each embody one sort of natural reaction or another. In addition to Patrick Stewart it is Anton Yelchin and Imogen Poots who really steal the show and put forth stellar performances. Imogen Poots has maybe the best scene in the movie.
THE BAD
Deflation. For as intense a movie as Green Room is there are a few moments were the action and suspense completely stops. For my personal preference I wish the movie would've strove to maintain the tension and continually build towards ever greater heights. As I was watching I kept comparing the film to the Evil Dead remake of 2013 or even the suspense of The Strangers from 2008. The way the film travels with its various stops and starts is in keeping with the realistic approach but for me personally those 'stops' prevented the film reaching truly noteworthy heights like Evil Dead or The Strangers. Even so, the movie as a whole was very well done.
THE VERDICT
Realistic brutal suspense, smart resourceful characters, and some frighteningly inventive sequences round out this fantastic film from director Jeremy Saulnier. The film drags a bit at first before taking off full steam. The characters keep their wits about them instead of merely existing for the sake of a body count and give us someone to cheer for to kill the badguys. There are few dead moments where the movie nearly stops outright before picking up again. But even so this film makes for a very tense and exciting watch.
Overall Ranking: 6 out of 10
(above average. worth the price)
Nude-O-Meter: 0 out of 10
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