Is a good movie defined by its subject matter? I hope not, because “Green Room” is a grossly violent little thriller populated by losers and creepy neo-Nazis.
And man, is “Green Room” good. It’s the new film by writer-director Jeremy Saulnier, whose 2013 picture “Blue Ruin” was one of the liveliest surprises in recent American indies, and it leaves no doubt that this guy knows how to make movies.
“Green Room” clips along swiftly at the start. The members of a punk band scramble for money when a gig falls through, agreeing to play at a hardcore fest at a remote compound in the Oregon woods.
Things do not go well. After their set, they stop in the green room to clear their stuff out and accidentally witness something shocking.
The compound is run by racist skinheads who really don’t want the musicians to leave the premises. Like, ever. Thus begins a bloody cat-and-mouse game that relies on people actually doing logical things instead of acting stupid. (And even when they act stupid, it’s part of their character.)
From the very beginning, you can feel we’re in the hands of a confident storyteller. The information comes to us in a staccato way that keeps it interesting. We see just enough in each shot to keep up. Dialogue pops out in clever bits that often carry over from one scene to another. Everything connects.
Nice cast, too. Anton Yelchin (Chekov in the “Star Trek” reboot) and Alia Shawkat are the most resourceful of the band members (Callum Turner and Joe Cole play the others), and Imogen Poots creates an edgy kind of sympathy as a girl already stuck at the compound.
Patrick Stewart does grimly effective work as the compound’s head Nazi, with Macon Blair equally good as his lieutenant. Blair played the tormented lead in “Blue Ruin,” and he’s one of those actors who can express about five different things — all of them intriguing — without seeming to be acting.
I’m not sure why Saulnier wallows so explicitly in the film’s gorier moments, but they’re in there. So you’ve been warned.
There’s something satisfying about movies that are all about problem-solving. Although this film’s subject matter may be scruffy and disreputable, “Green Room” does engage ideas about trust and cooperation and improvisational thinking. All of which should put you near the edge of your seat as you watch this gripping thriller.
“Green Room” 3 1/2 stars
A gripping thriller from “Blue Ruin” director Jeremy Saulnier, about a punk band that discovers their gig at a skinhead compound in rural Oregon will be much more complicated than they thought. The movie’s gory in short bursts, but mostly it’s about solving problems in a scary situation. With Anton Yelchin, Patrick Stewart.
Rating: R, for violence, language, subject matter
Showing: Pacific Place
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