Review of Green Room (2016) by Spangle — 12 Nov 2016

The third feature film from Jeremy Saulnier, Green Room cements his status as one of the bright young talents in cinema. His second feature, and most notable until now, Blue Ruin was a tremendously brutal and suspenseful thriller. Green Room is pretty much the same deal, just shrouded in green and far more of a contained thriller than his previous effort. Starring Anton Yelchin, Imogen Potts, and Patrick Stewart, Green Room is a thriller about a punk band that witnesses a brutal murder while after performing for a group of neo-nazis. Now, they must escape while every neo-nazi in sight tries to keep them trapped.

In one of his final films released before his death (if not the final), Anton Yelchin is magnetic as Pat, the bassist of the band. As Amber, a girl who witnesses the murder, Imogen Potts is equally terrific. However, both pale in comparison to the performance of Patrick Stewart as Darcy, the leader of the neo-nazis. Ruthless, brutal, and quite sadistic, his Darcy is a fear-inducing character written with real menace by Saulnier. Stewart's performance is so captivating, he instills the viewer with fear even when he is off-screen.

In terms of his direction, Saulnier's Green Room is incredibly tight and focused. The film introduces very little in the way of subplots and even when it does, it reduces them to ash immediately. It is incredibly focused on the survival element at play here and every effort is poured into that area. In this area, Saulnier creates tension at every turn. Though the film is quite short, Saulnier is not afraid to take his time to create atmosphere and elicit tension through repeated sequences of uncertainty and attempted escapes. Unlike many thrillers/horror films, Green Room has no cheap thrills. Instead, they are well-earned.

Green Room is an incredibly violent picture with an unabashed love for boxcutters that has been unseen since 2014's Gone Girl. Ideally, Rosamund Pike and Imogen Potts are ushering in a new trend: blonde women with boxcutters. Just as in Blue Ruin, Saulnier is not afraid to get graphic, but he uses this violence well. It is not just violence for the sake of itself. Rather, it is violence that leaves the viewer in shock, regardless of whether it was expected or not.

However, one area in which the film can be improved is character development. Though incredibly tense, the film does very little to develop any of its characters, which kind of deprives the emotional impact of each individual's death to a degree. Plus, there are so many players in this film, it can be hard to keep track, especially when it comes to the neo-nazis. Additionally, though the film introduces neo-nazi characters, Saulnier never really uses it for any political symbolism. Sure, the punk band sings an anti-nazi song and makes a few comments about them, but it is hardly a major focus. While the film is an incredible thriller, it could have a more nuanced film with some kind of subtle statement about neo-nazis in modern day America, but that is just personal preference, I guess, so not really a criticism or a reason as to why this one is rated as it is.

As a whole, Green Room is a terrifically entertaining and intense thriller that is not shy about showing the audience casually brutal violence. Saulnier is one heck of a talent and his next work will be yet another must watch.