A murderously intense thriller

Rating: 8/10 (2 June 2016)

Green Room sees a punk rock band trapped in a nightclub after witnessing a murder. A group of violent skinheads, led by Patrick Stewart, do all in their power to prevent them getting out alive. GR is a pleasingly small-scale thriller. The budget is small, we don't find out that much about the characters, it's mostly in one location and there's virtually no humour. And that's a very good thing. All of these things add to the film, making it a nightmarishly tense and sadistically hard-hitting thriller that never pauses for breath. Thanks to the claustrophobic direction and deft acting, this really is an intense ride. It is not for the faint of heart features many shocking death scenes. It was pretty upsetting for me seeing Maeby from Arrested Development dying violently. It's not a perfect movie, just like every other film out there has its flaws. It's confusing at times and Patrick Stewart's villain isn't particularly developed, as a result feeling like a wasted character. There is an occasionally repetitive sense to the storyline as well. Overall though, if you like viscerally terrifying and brutal thrillers, this is without a doubt the film for you. A sharp, scary movie overall, which is definitely worth seeing in the cinema.
8/10