Green Room

Written and directed by Jeremy Saulnier

I wasn't sure what to expect before watching Green Room. I saw the trailer and was intrigued—a thriller combining touring bands playing raucous punk rock, and the evil kingpin being played by the illustrious Sir Patrick Stewart? You had me at thriller, you sealed the deal at Jean-Luc.

The movie starts off with the Ain't Rights, a punk band at the end of a dismal tour. Their luck changes when they get a decent guarantee to play a small club in rural Oregon. After playing a contentious set, the Ain't Rights pack up their gear and ready themselves to leave, when they unintentionally witness a brutal crime. Trapped backstage in the green room, the band goes head to head with crime boss Darcy Banker (Stewart) and his band of henchmen.

This film is filled with severe and sharp brutality. It is extremely graphic, it will make you flinch and grab at parts of your body in ghost-limb sympathy. There are a few instances when the storyline gets a little convoluted, but it moves passed these points fast enough to forget about them. There are some stand-out acting moments, and everything is pulled together nicely with some sweet editing ambience. All in all, it stands up to deliver an action-packed psychological thriller that is laced with music-culture references and a nice, very relatable, shout out to college radio.

Check it out in theatres May 6th!

 

--Julie hosts Beyond the Black Rainbow, every Monday at 4PM, only on CJLO 1690AM.