Green Room

Besides the notable cast, Jeremy Saulnier's Green Room is most likely closer to his 2007 horror comedy Murder Party than his sleeper 2014 thriller Blue Ruin. One of the most pleasant surprises of last year, it was very nice to see that Saulnier managed to gather up a follow-up in a relatively quick time – the gap from festival run to general release date notwithstanding. Green Room continues the vein of comically inept people in violent situations, but it's too crowded and lacks the subversiveness that made Blue Ruin so riveting. More characters means more bloodshed, but it uses that a crutch to get easy thrills rather than spending time getting us invested. Nevertheless, on concept alone it's destined for cult status, but lets hope Saulnier has a better idea up his sleeve next.

Set in a day or two on the frugal tour of a punk band – they appear to be entirely fueled on stealing gas from other cars – including Anton Yelchin, Alia Shawkat, Callum Turner and Joe Coe, they're very young, semi-talented, with a modest following but very little prospects. They're just in it for the thrill of the moment onstage. From a tip of a journalist after a gig is cancelled, they play a show at a neo-nazi venue just to get by. They tease the crowd with anti- white-supremacist lyrics, but they're in no real danger until one of the band members accidentally stumbles upon a murder in the bar's green room. They're held hostage, helped by a friend of the deceased played by Imogen Poots, until it becomes clear that the supremacist's only option – lead by Patrick Stewart – is to leave no witnesses and frame the band for everything. Cue a relentless bloodbath and a grudging cleanup.

While the first gore scene is certainly stomach churning, the film regrettably relies on a palpable sense of dread over taunt tension. Its ultimate payoffs just have shock value rather than anything more gratifying, thereby drowning out its small comic elements. This is a very familiar brand of storytelling, and Saulnier definitely raises it from feeling pedestrian but it doesn't go much further than that. For one, I really wish he had shot it himself. While Blue Ruin has much more patience, Saulnier's own photography in his hands boasted more cinematic shots than the most expensive and lavish blockbusters. It was vivid and atmospheric. Instead of atmosphere, we get noise in Green Room. He trades the camera to Sean Porter, who did an otherwise great job with this year's Kumiko the Treasure Hunter, but it lacks the contrasts and focus to make it as effective despite the abundance of opportunities.

The film makes a wise choice to give every character a hint of humanity, including the supremacists, as this could have otherwise been a very unsympathetic batch of characters to follow. However, muddy motivations make it difficult to latch onto anybody when a few odd decisions are made. Their mutual efforts to outwit aren't too witty. The dialogue needed a lot of work, since it wasn't interested in getting deep under the character's skin, or mostly shredded to give the actors more breathing room. It's still an engaging film at least. Blue Ruin's lead Macon Blair is an understated highlight, while Patrick Stewart clearly channels Heisenberg without forcing it. Anton Yelchin and Alia Shawkat are the least likely punk rockers, but the latter makes it work by being the entrepreneurial boss while Yelchin's vulnerability makes him a natural underdog. Imogen Poots is usually irritating, but is only mildly irritating here. Unfortunately, Green Room runs thin the further it goes along, and severely lacks the potency that made Blue Ruin a treat. It's an average thriller, but an above average horror film.

7/10

Don't let ANYONE spoil you ANYTHING about the film.

Don't see the trailer when it comes out.

Avoid clips and any promo materials they may release in the future.

Go in knowing as little as possible.

Just know that watching Green Room is like getting a shot of adrenaline that doesn't let up until the very end.

It's fantastic, tense, and entertaining.

Take my word for it.

But also...

Don't get too caught up in the hype.

See the film when it comes out.

You'll be glad you did.

P.S. Jeremy Saulnier is definitely someone to look out for.

How in the world does this have a 7? This was an hour and a half of drivel. Can't believe I stayed awake for the whole miserable thing.

I have seen some crazy violent films from cannibal holocaust to a Serbian film but no other film that comes to mind executes violence as un settling as this. For me I mean this in a positive way for others the violence could be the very thing to turn them off to it and possibly ruin the movie. May this be a forewarning for some and a recommendation for those who might be interested.

To start with the usual things to look at as far as acting and writing I would say this film does an excellent job. The acting from all is believable and extremely convincing. The writing is good with some humor and plenty of good dialogue. What the film masters completely is tension. Jeremy has truly shown his talent as a director with this one. The tension and situations that spawn violence are all very believable and realistic only adding to the tension and overall tone. Speaking of tone they set it incredibly well with one of the first acts of violence which will stick with me for a long long time.

Funny thing about this movie is that it's considered a thriller. What I mean by funny is that as a thriller (which it really is) it is more chilling and horrifying than most if not all the other horror movies I've seen recently. There are jump scares but they're done properly. This isn't a scary due to monsters and ghouls though, it's scary because of how realistic and effective the violence is to where it really sticks with you.

As you probably already know this is a film best going in knowing little to nothing to get the full experience, personally I went in knowing more than I should have, however, it didn't matter. I was on the edge of my seat with sweaty palms due to how tense and unpredictable it is. There is a lot to talk about with this film but a lot of it cant be discussed without spoilers so all I can say is see it yourself. If you can't handle violence then I am strongly telling you to avoid this film. On the other hand this is among the best films I've seen this year no doubt. As a display of well executed violence and tension this film will definitely make a name for itself. I hope this is useful thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the movie.

I admit when I read the description I passed on this movie more than once. But last night I figured I would give it a try. I am glad I did. This movie is not a horror by no means but it is a suspense. It will keep you trying to figure out the ending. When you watch as many movies as I have it is hard to come across one the is not predictable. This movie was a rare treat in that aspect. I guess the saying never judge a book by the cover is true.