East Coast punk band the "Ain't Rights" - Pat, Sam, Reece, and Tiger - are touring the Pacific Northwest. They are low on funds, so when a planned gig is cancelled, they accept an impromptu offer to do a show in a rural venue.
Arriving at the location, they are discomforted to discover it is a neo-Nazi skinhead bar, but they go ahead with the show anyway. Their energetic performance actually goes over pretty well, though the band remain uncomfortable and plan to leave as soon as they can.
Of course, plans often go awry, and that's the case here: Pat accidentally walks in on the aftermath of a homicide. He successfully calls the police, but bar employees then intervene and and confine whole band in the bar's green room, along with a young woman named Amber, who is a friend of the victim.
The bar staff insist that they're just keeping the band and Amber safe and secure until the cops can arrive, but the Ain't Rights are sure that something ... well, ain't right. Trusting the staff and just sitting tight doesn't seem like a very safe option, but even if they can get out of the room, how will they leave the building? Reece is pretty handy in a fight, but there is an entire bar full of racist thugs out there.
One way or another, things are going to get messy ...
Green Room is an action-horror film. And a good one.
The on-screen talent certainly helps. Though made on a (for Hollywood) very lean budget of only $5 million, the film certainly punches above its weight when it comes to casting. We've got Joe Cole from Peaky Blinders, and Alia Shawkat from Arrested Development, plus Anton Yelchin and Imogen Poots, who had previously worked together on the 2011 remake of Fright Night. Yelchin, who died in a freak accident only a year after his movie came out, was probably best known for playing Chekhov in the modern Star Trek films. And he was not the only Trek alumni in the cast, as none other than Patrick Stewart - Captain Picard himself - plays the role of Darcy, the owner of the bar where the film takes place.
Of course, merely having a talented cast doesn't make a film automatically entertaining. Just look at Southland Tales. Or, for that matter, any of the Star Wars prequels. You need cogent direction and an engaging script, as well. I am pleased to say that writer-director Jeremy Saulnier delivers both.
On the directorial front, I was particularly impressed with his handling of the film's violence. It all feels very real and visceral, but the camera never dwells gratuitously on it, either in the actual moment it occurs, or in its aftermath. This may disappoint hardcore gore-hounds, but I appreciated the effort expended to make the violence feel shocking and confronting without indulging in sadism. There's also no violence just for violence's sake. Apart from the original murder that triggers the whole situation, every act of violence is purposeful: it has a clear motivation and goal.
The script itself is also pretty solid. It's fairly grounded stuff: there's no supernatural elements, no massive villainous conspiracy. The Ain't Rights simply happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Their antagonists are certainly awful human beings - they are neo-Nazis, after all - and ruthless in protecting themselves, but their evil is banal and prosaic. The initial murder is a the result of a blunder, and every other crime they commit is simply to cover up what's come before. Almost every action and reaction feels plausible in the context - and I only say 'almost' because there is one very late plot point I felt was a little under-developed: a character has a change of heart that seemed a bit abrupt.
Overall though, that's a minor blemish at most. If you're at all a fan of horror films or violent thrillers, Green Room is worth your time.
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