Movie Review: Green Room

I watched this movie after it was recommended to me by a coworker, who spoke about it as a very tense movie that was not exactly a horror movie, but had certain things in common with horror. In particular, it is very tense. This is a movie that will keep you on edge from beginning to end, without a break.              

One of the other things that he said was that it never really stops or slows down. There is no chance to catch your breath, if you will. And once I watched this movie, it seems like I know what he means by that.              

Here’s the thing: it was not a fun movie to watch. This was an unusual movie, and it has a gritty feel from beginning to end. Without going into detail about exactly why this should be, or giving away any of the plot or anything like that, I just wanted to say that much. It is not exactly a pleasure to watch, even if it does the job and keep you on the edge for the hour and a half that you are watching it.              

Now, before I go into further details, this is the point where I traditionally give a warning about spoilers, because there will be spoilers ahead.              

***Spoiler Alert ***    

          

Okay, you have been warned. If you are still reading by this point, then I have to assume that either you have seen the movie or, for some reason or other, do not mind the spoilers that are coming.              

This movie is about a punk band that is down on it’s luck. They are on an ambitious tour, an East Coast band that is traveling across the West Coast, going from small venue to small venue, but enjoying modest success at best. They are arguing amongst themselves, and we see them seriously entertaining the possibility of simply putting an end to the tour.              

However, they find out about a date available to them in some very remote town, somewhere in Oregon, if memory serves correctly. And they go to play the gig, only to find out that it is a club frequented by Neo-Nazis. The band then makes the decision to play a cover of "Nazi Punks Fuck Off" by the Dead Kennedys, although this obviously does not go over well and adds to already existing tensions.

Later, as the band's set is over and they are preparing to depart, they witness an act of violence, and are then forced into a locked room and kept there under armed guard. They try to conspire to make their escape, but they know that it is a huge risk.

Meanwhile, the leader of the Neo-Nazis, played by Patrick Stewart, arrives. And we see the tensions mount still more, until it escalates, for all intents and purposes, into a battle for survival between the two sides. 

After that, it becomes almost a deadly game, where both sides try to outwit one another. And as I said before, there are some brutal scenes.

It is a suspenseful movie. That much is beyond any doubt.

That said, it is not exactly an enjoyable movie to watch. It is not a movie that I think that I will want to watch again anytime soon, if ever, frankly. However, it will keep you in suspense.