Green Room (2015)
5/10
The worst kind of disappointing movies are those with rave reviews—when you watch a film that critics adored and your reaction is “Meh.” Green Room is one of those movies. Written and directed by Jeremy Saulnier, the film appeared on many critics’ lists as one of the best films of 2016, having debuted the previous year at the Toronto International Film Festival. I can’t agree with that level of praise. There’s plenty of potential in the story, which involves a D.C. punk band called the Ain’t Rights that witnesses a murder at a neo-Nazi club in a remote area of the Pacific Northwest and ends up trapped in a standoff against armed skinheads. Sadly, the execution doesn’t fulfill that potential.
The film has its moments. There are some exciting scenes, such as when the band tries to overpower armed bouncer Big Justin (Eric Edelstein), or their repeated attempts to escape. Depictions of gore are shocking but not gratuitous. The late Anton Yelchin gives a typically good performance as Ain’t Rights bassist Pat, our main protagonist. In a great surprise, however, one of the bigger disappointments is Patrick Stewart as the neo-Nazi leader Darcy.
Stewart is of course a legend, yet oddly underwhelming as Darcy. His American accent is adequate at best, if that is the accent he was going for. He plays the role quietly for the most part, which might seem like a counterintuitive approach. But Darcy just isn’t as intimidating as he should be.
Stewart is still more interesting than most of the cast. The characters are dull, but the actors aren’t helped by a script that is often more confusing than it needs to be, given how simple the plot is. It’s not altogether clear why the initial victim is murdered in the first place, or why Darcy orders Big Justin to hand over his gun to the band at one point. On more than one occasion, a neo-Nazi seems to take the side of the protagonists for reasons that are not well-explained. There are also multiple scenes whose inclusion seems pointless, such as during the climax when we see a shot of Tad (David W. Thompson), the punk radio host and promoter who booked the show, vacuuming his apartment. Why? What’s the point of that scene?
Saulnier shoots the film well, but in the end Green Room is merely passable. It delivers the basic story promised, but could and should have been much better.