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Green Room (2016) - Jeremy Saulnier



When I was a teenager, I used to love going to cheap punk shows in Los Angeles with my friends. I saw all sorts of bands like Union 13, Tiger Army, The Unseen, Mustard Plug, H2O and even The Misfits* plus tons of other local shows. It was great. This movie played right into those nostalgic feelings. I had chosen this film to pay homage to an amazing actor that was taken far before his time. It also comes right off of the heels of me learning about this real-life presence of disturbing white supremacy in the Pacific Northwest on Discovery Channel.

A gutter punk band gets misleading information while finding a gig and ends up in an insane white supremacist compound. After their gig, they accidentally witness a murder leading to them being held captive by these degenerates. However, unlike other movies our heroes hold no quarrels about fighting back. Eventually, after a long standoff the group has it out with the neo-nazis and things get really nuts. The group has to survive skinheads and vicious dogs while trying to get to freedom. It's a bloody path.

Green Room goes places that you didn't expect in the first hour. It's full of suspense then all of a sudden it throws a good deal of gore at you. It's gripping and intriguing. Anton Yelchin is really good. He does well as a strong lead, something that his character evolves into later into the picture. Alia Shawkat, Callum Turner, Joe Cole and Imogen Poots all make for a great group with deep development. Patrick Stewart leads a small group of really vicious and scary neo-nazis and they are all terrifying. 

This movie had me on the edge of my seat and makes a fine kickoff point for the 31 Movies of Halloween marathon. It's really action-y so be ready for shootouts, but overall it's scary. It has a really dark and ominous tone right from the start that just doesn't shake. It's really well made and it has a phenomenal soundtrack. It's safe to say that this film 

*well, a version of the Misfits with Jerry Only, Dez Cadena, Robo and sometimes Marky Ramone. 


Director: Jeremy Saulnier
Producer: Neil Kopp, Victor Moyers and Anish Savjani
Starring: Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, Alia Shawkat, Joe Cole and Patrick Stewart
Studio: Broad Green Pictures and Film Science
Release Date: April 15, 2016
Country: United States


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