I’ve always been impressed by Patrick Stewart’s range. I knew from watching Next Generation and the X-Men films that he knew how to be a heroic presence, and in things like Blunt Talk, the film “Jeffrey” and as Avery Bullock on American Dad he shows great comedic ability. Plus he’s pals with Ian McKellen, which is like the Nerd Megapowers.
So in Jeremy Saulnier’s punk horror story Green Room, he plays Darcy Banker, the leader of a pack of skinhead thugs, and instead of acting like a stereotypical hammy bad guy he conducts his affairs in a very businesslike manner, encouraging and advising his subordinates. It’s his (relative) realistic aura that makes him especially terrifying, and it adds to a tense and visually intriguing atmosphere in general.
Even if they weren’t neo-nazis, there’s very little chance the audience will want to pull for the villains here. My favorite scary film from last year was probably Unfriended, and part of what made it so enjoyable for me was seeing the obnoxious bully protagonists get their comeuppance from a vengeful ghost. Unlike many horror films lately, Saulnier takes the time to build a connection between the audience and Green Room’s leads, an aspiring garage band called the Ain’t Rights. Instead of acting like the stereotypical self-absorbed and promiscuous horror film teens, they pal around in their tour bus and fumble awkwardly through interviews. Just ordinary kids from the Northwest with a dream.
When a local DJ organizes a gig on the outskirts of Portland, they’re skeptical when he warns them about the “far right” clientele, but they still decide to make the most of it. This includes a snarky cover of the Dead Kennedys classic “Nazi Punks F*** Off”, so you can’t say that the Ain’t Rights aren’t willing to pay their dues for street cred. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they were prepared to accidentally witness a murder and become targets of the club’s ownership as a result.
As understandably terrified as Reece, Tiger, Sam (Alia Shawkat, arguably the most level-headed of the band) and Pat (Anton Yelchin, in what is sadly his final performance) are, that’s not enough to prevent them from forming plans to escape. One of Green Room’s biggest strengths is how it shows both sides strategizing to accomplish their goals, adding to the tension. But unfortunately for our heroes, the skinhead side is far more organized, as Darcy has strict regulations on the use of firearms and prefers machetes and attack dogs. The Ain’t Rights in comparison make key mistakes, trying not to crack under pressure.
Though Green Room is quite graphic, it gets most of its scares through the buildup and its atmosphere. The darkly lit and graffiti covered club gives the film a very claustrophobic feeling, and many scenes are dimly lit and shot so as to look more haunting than they do gross or exploitative. None of the action comes across as cheap, and in fact the various encounters begin to feel like games of chess as the band and their new friend Amber (Imogen Poots) try to outthink the more experienced Darcy and his crew- who often find themselves questioning their own actions.
Green Room doesn’t strive for deep meaning, but it’s still entertaining on more than one level – a survival horror film, a crime drama and an old school B-movie tribute. There’s enough dark humor to keep it from feeling too heavy-handed, and committed performances from Yelchin, Poots, Stewart and the rest of the cast keep things feeling believable, even as the situation escalates. If you’re in the mood for a quick paced and smartly written thriller, I can gladly recommend it.