MOVIE REVIEW: Green Room (2016)

Green Room (2016)

Crime, Horror, Thriller

Directed By: Jeremy Saulnier

When Blue Ruin was released back in 2013 I was immediately blown away by the film making that was presented to me. Writer/director Jeremy Saulnier crafted one of the best modern American revenge films I have seen so I knew I was going to be following his career closely going forward. When word got around that his newest picture, Green Room, was winning over every festival audience it played for, anticipation for it grew to be massive. I went in expecting a lot after hearing nothing but praise for months and still I left the theater wildly impressed by the talents of Mr. Saulnier.

Unlike most movies these days, Green Room managed to keep most of its plot a mystery before its release. All the trailers told us was that a small punk band runs into trouble after taking a gig at a sketchy venue run by skinheads. In truth, that's all you need to know and the less knowledge you have going into this film, the better. What matters is that when things go wrong, it gets wonderfully brutal. The movie is hardly non-stop violence but when it does get messy the flick makes the audience feel it and when you finally see where the story is heading it never fails to payoff. 

Due to his success with his first two movies, Jeremy was given a larger talent pool to pick from this time around but it didn't stop him from keeping his veteran actor Macon Blair in the picture, who has now appeared in a major role in all three of his films. In addition to that he has also brought in major talents like Anton Yelchin,Imogen Poots and Alia Shawkat who are all wonderful in their roles. The real treat though is in the films big baddie played by the one and only Sir Patrick Stewart, who shows a side of his acting we don't get to see too often. 

Watching this young directors films I find myself constantly impressed by how real of an atmosphere he creates. While many other filmmakers in this genre often try to stylize the action and world in which they take place, he succeeds by creating a film that feels totally real in both setting and characters. Instead of trying to make the movie come off as a piece of Hollywood magic he relishes in showing us it's cryptic reality, violence and all. 

The film doesn't waste any time getting started, we get a quick intro to the characters giving us a simple idea of who each of them are and before you know it they are playing the club that would set the scene for the rest of the story. Staying mainly in one location and featuring only a handful of relevant characters the movie is a self contained thriller that never lets up. Without any backstory or much of any set up at all he manages to flesh out who each character is and the setting around them so by the end of the movie you have a clear picture of why each person made the decisions they did. 

Green Room is further proof that there is still plenty of original content out there to be seen and supported. We are lucky enough to have been given a wide release for this insane film so make sure to get out and support it. Jeremy Saulnier's third movie has solidified the fact that he is a first class filmmaker with a wholly unique style that is unlike anything else we are seeing today. If it is playing in a theater near you be sure to get out to see it and if you haven't seen either of his previous films (Murder Party, Blue Ruin) be sure to check those out as well. 

As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!