Seeing Green

Rating: Null/10 (28 May 2017)

Coming across a corpse backstage at their latest venue, a punk rock band are a locked in a small room by the white supremacists who own the venue in this independent thriller from 'Blue Ruin' director Jeremy Saulnier. As per 'Blue Ruin', this is a fairly good-looking film with bursts of memorably graphic (and yet never gratuitous) violence, however, the protagonists here are nowhere near as three dimensional as the main character in 'Blue Ruin' and it is sometimes hard to feel for their plight, especially as it was their choice to accept the Neo Nazi gig in the first place. Of course, this might be a deliberate theme: delve into the world of white supremacists and you are playing with fire, etc. The film gets most of its power though from the basic premise of being trapped deep inside a place and having to force one's way out, which becomes even more critical since the band (rather conveniently) play off the grid and have told no one about their latest gig, meaning that it is just up to the Neo Nazis to work out how to dispose of their corpses in non-suspicious ways. With Patrick Stewart well cast as the eerily soft-talking owner of the establishment, the film certainly scores some creepy segments and there is nary a boring moment to be had. Those expecting something as intense and emotionally devastating as 'Blue Ruin' may, however, be disappointed.