Exceptional Thriller

Rating: Null/10 (17 July 2016)

Green Room (2015)
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
After a disastrous show, a broke punk rock group takes a job out in the woods where they will be playing for some "political" people. After the set one member of the group sees something he wasn't supposed to so the owner (Patrick Stewart) sets loose some goons to try and kill the band.
GREEN ROOM might not sound like it has the greatest story ever written but writer-director Jeremy Saulnier actually makes one of the more impressive thrillers in recent years. I'm sure many people will call this a horror movie, which is understandable due to the extremely gory violence but it also works perfectly as a tense thriller. What I enjoyed most is that the story itself is quite simple but the director does wonders with it and proves that as long as something is well-made anything is possible.
The film has become somewhat notorious due to its violence and I think it's going to turn a lot of people off but if you've got the stomach for it then you're going to be in for a treat. Unlike the SAW movies this one here isn't showing violence just for the shock factor but it uses it to keep the viewer off guard and not knowing where the next violent twist is going to come from. There are some pretty brutal deaths here but all of them happen for a reason.
The film's plot certainly keeps you off guard because you're introduced to this band and other supporting characters but you'll never be able to guess who the hero is, who is going to survive until the end and who will make it out alive. In most thrillers you know who will be walking away at the end here but that's not the case here. The level of surprise is a major plus and the director uses this to help build up additional suspense. The entire cast and especially Anton Yelchin, Joe Cole and Alia Shawkat are extremely good. Stewart is also very cold-blooded and sinister as the leader.
GREEN ROOM had a lot of hype as it was released to theaters and it certainly deserved ever bit of it. The film is certainly unpleasant at times but it's so well-made and intense that it really works wonders.