Jeremy Saulnier’s ‘GREEN ROOM’ (2015) – Retro Review

A Punk Rock Masterpiece

Jeremy Saulnier’s Green Room is a perfect description of being different. When I was 11, I found punk rock. I was immersed in it, and I still am today, just a lot older with a “dad bod.” The scene gave me the greatest refuge from being home. I have a lot of good memories and they all confide in punk rock. However; with good things, there has to be a downside, and in punk rock, it’s Nazis. They invaded the scene in the early 80’s and we grew up hating their logic and it started a lot of fights that I may or may not have been involved in.

This was just how it went. You protected your local scene from boneheaded racists.

Synopsis

Four friends – Pat (Anton Yelchin), Sam (Alia Shawkat), Reece (Joe Cole), and Tiger (Callum Turner) – wake up in their van. They’re part of the punk rock band The Ain’t Rights. The band is told about a show they were supposed to play getting cancelled. They are coaxed into straying to a secluded part of the Pacific Northwest. With promise of big pay from the owner of the venue Darcy (Patrick Stewart). However; they stumble onto a horrific act of violence. Because they are the only witnesses, they become the targets of a terrifying gang of skinheads who want to make sure all the evidence is eliminated.

The Rundown

Green Room comes from a time when A24 was a small company working its way up the chain. In my humble opinion, they should have stuck with what they were doing. It was a wilder time when they loved making punk rock thrillers. Films like Green Room had a place to fit into at the time. Punk rock hasn’t faded. However; it’s starting to very slowly become a thing of the past. The glory days are pretty much gone. Small shows at VFW halls and Church basements are long gone. Now everything has to be a big-name venue and you’re going to pay 60 bucks to see that one band from the 90’s.  I miss the old days, but I don’t miss skinheads. Even the ones against racial prejudice got violent out of boredom. Yep, there was a lot of fighting back then.

The movie’s setting makes this whole idea believable. You just had to be there to experience all this stuff. This is exactly how these shows went, built on violence and boneheads. You can feel the tension throughout the entire movie. It becomes pretty gory once the film starts to amp up. The fight for survival kicks in for both sides. Green Room involved someone who must have done their homework on the punk rock scene. I think the icing on the cake for me was Patrick Stewart’s performance; he plays an excellent villain.

In The End

Whether you are a punk, or someone just interested in the film, you won’t be let down. There are stabs at the skinheads which are comical if you notice them, although some are just blatantly in your face. Green Room isn’t a film to sit on, even my description can’t justify how fantastic it is. This will not be time wasted for you. Anyone can be on the edge of their seat throughout the film. The film works for anyone, even without knowledge of the scene.

Green Room is currently streaming on Amazon Prime. Go enjoy it!