"Green Room" is a Unique and Horrifying Thriller

Green Room (2015)

Starring the late great Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, and Patrick Stewart, Green Room is a thriller which puts a unique spin on the genre and twists it into something which will surely keep audience members on the edge of their seats from beginning to end. The film is set around the premise of a punk rock band playing a show at a venue occupied by neo-Nazi skinheads where, after a cover of Dead Kennedy's "Nazi Punks F*** Off" as protest to their audience member's racist beliefs and the unintentional witness of something they weren't meant to see, the band finds themselves locked in the green room of the venue with a group of angry skinheads doing whatever they can to kill them - all with Patrick Stewart leading them.

Admittedly, as someone with a deep love for punk music and the subculture as a whole, I am a bit biased and probably being a bit too easy on this film. It is deeply flawed, it has instances where characters make decisions which will have you screaming angrily at the television begging them to do something smarter. However, these brief instances are greatly overshadowed by the phenomenal moments of absolute heart-pounding horror interspersed throughout. The violence is sparse, but when it takes place it is brutal, realistic, and admittedly it turns this film into something which isn't for the weak hearted. While characters fall into the trap of making stupid decisions, they also display instances of brilliance in which they do the absolute right thing and you'll find yourself thrilled and thinking that maybe there's hope for our protagonists after all.

As usual, Anton Yelchin gave a fantastic performance, one which will surely leave viewers disappointed that he is no longer around to give future wonderful performances. He masterfully portrays a somewhat awkward and introverted rocker surrounded by his more wild and loud friends as they tour and desperately search for venues while scavenging for loose change so that they can afford gas or bags of chips to share to keep hunger at bay. Admittedly, this is one of the more realistic perspectives of life in a band which I have seen. There is no glamour or fame and fortune for the majority of bands, particularly in the punk scene, and this film manages to show the band's poverty without rose colored glasses but while also displaying that their love and passion for music is what keeps them touring in the first place.

Of course, Patrick Stewart's performance is the best thing in the film. Admittedly, after years of seeing him portray heroes it was odd seeing him as the antagonist, but after seeing him play the unflinching and serious leader of a skinhead group it's impossible to not crave more roles for him of this nature. He's an absolute joy to watch, and throughout the course of the film you can tell that he's having a blast playing such a callous and intimidating figure who finds joy in tormenting a group of young people when he could simply just let them all flee.

Green Room is not for those with a weak stomach or faint heart, but if you have a fondness for horror and love movies which will keep you on the edge of your seat until the credits finally start to roll, this just may be the best film of recent years to seek out.