Jeremy Saulnier burst onto the scene in 2013 with his gritty small-scale revenge tale, Blue Ruin. Staying true to that tone and magnifying it ten-fold, his follow up Green Room is an innovative and shocking chronicle of a young punk rock band's unfortunate encounter with a gang of Neo-Nazi skinheads led by the menacing Darcy (Patrick Stewart). The “Ain’t Rights” agree to play a gig in a seedy backwoods venue when their previous show falls through. After a tense set, Pat (Anton Yelchin) inadvertently stumbles upon a gruesome scene in the green room and the entire band is held prisoner as witnesses. Realizing that the police are never coming and that the gang wants to wipe the slate clean, the band stages an escape in electrifying, blood soaked fashion.
When we are first introduced to the Ain’t Rights, they prove themselves to be no angels but resourceful nonetheless. Waking from a drunken stupor to discover they have crashed their touring van, Pat and Sam (Alia Shawkat) head off to a nearby lot to siphon gas off parked cars. When they reach town for an interview, the band reveals a stubborn and pompous attitude towards the success of other musicians, claiming they never want to achieve it. But once the skinheads enter the picture, it is crystal clear who the real demons are. These people are vile, merciless and will take any measure necessary to eradicate their foes. That includes guns, machetes and attack dogs.
One of the more refreshing aspects of Green Room is the intelligence of all the characters. The early negotiations in the green room are like a chess match with both parties trying to lure the other out of safety. A testament to the strong screenplay by Saulnier, the violence that follows isn’t structured by idiotic kids making horrible decisions. Instead, we see smart kids using their wits to stay alive as long as possible against a hyper intelligent and tactically experienced army and their death traps. The skinheads are incredibly methodical in their hunt for the band as they are gifted with real motivations and goals instead of the senseless killing that would exist in a lesser film.
Patrick Stewart is terrifying as the ringleader Darcy. Speaking to the band from behind the closed door of the green room, which is plastered with stickers that read "White Power!" and "Anti-Racist=Anti-White", he delivers his stern warnings with a spine tingling calmness. His vile nature is confirmed when he expresses his only concern for his gang is them smoking too much "nigger dope". Another highlight of the film is the incredible work of the film’s makeup effects artist Michael Marino. Multiple stomach churning scenes can be attributed to his grotesquely realistic blood and gore effects. Jeremy Saulnier’s Green Room is one of the most brutal horror thrillers in recent memory and a must-see not only for genre fans but any cinephile with a strong stomach.
