There are two things in this world I will
never really understand: punk music and skinheads. I mean, there are plenty of
other things I don’t understand, like wearing black on a hot summer day, or why
people get so worked up about Pokemon Go. It’s a game, so get over it you mouth
breathers. Who cares if you play it and who cares if you don’t? But, anyways,
the two former examples are worlds I have never ventured into, for obvious
reasons. Punk music because I’m a big hip hop (and Broadway) fan. And skinheads
for obvious reasons (I have fantastic hair). But what if they overlapped? What
if both carried the implications of an outcast lifestyle and misunderstood
ideologies? Those are at the heart of Green Room, Jeremy Saulnier’s latest
dark, pulpy grunge feature.
When Pat (Anton Yelchin), Reece (Joe Cole),
Sam (Alia Shawkat), Tiger (Callum Turner), and Tad (David W. Thompson) drive
many miles to play a defunct punk show in an empty scene, they are given a make
up show at a small venue out of the way. Pay is good, decent stage time, but
the catch is that it’s for a crowd full of skinheads and Nazi sympathizers.
Once their set is over, they want to make a quick exit, but being in the wrong
place at the wrong time means they see the dead body of a young associated with
the headlining act, leading to a stand off with the head of the skinheads, a
calculated coldblooded man named Darcy (Patrick Stewart). It’s the cult of
personality versus the cult of fascism in the showdown we’ve all been waiting
for.
The whole cast of this film is pretty
excellent, but special notice has to be given to Anton Yelchin, Patrick Stewart
and Macon Blair, who was the lead in Saulnier’s previous film Blue Ruin. The
three actors give excellent performances and are able to convey a lot in seemingly
few gestures. Similarly, the rest of the cast, with the likes of Imogen Poots
and Mark Webber, who you may remember from Scott Pilgrim Versus The World, are
also able to add to the suspense, drama and carnage that unfolds.
Majority of the credit has to go to writer
and direct Jeremy Saulnier, however, as he crafts a brutal and gritty film that
really puts a boot to your throat and dares you to try and breathe. A wonderful
tension is created that continues to heighten as the film progresses, making you
wonder how close to reality this film world really is. A special shout out has
to go to the effects department, because the level of gore and violence is
deafening and brutal without ever becoming over the top or cartoonish, more
akin to Steven Soderbergh and less Quentin Tarantino.
Ultimately, what makes Green Room work is
the ability to craft a tension heightening story, with elements of extremism,
while still managing to stay grounded within the reality of the real world.
This is a movie you should seek out if you enjoy movies that make your butthole
super tense. Yes, that is the best way I can describe it to you.
Grade: A
