Patrick Stewart may be front and centre on the promo graphic for the horror-thriller Green Room, but the former Starship Enterprise captain plays a supporting role as the ringleader of an Oregon-based neo-Nazi group.
The real stars of the movie are the members of a young punk rock ensemble, and an unlikely friend they meet along the way, who have to band together to try and escape a bloody nightmare.
Green Room is a follow-up by writer and director Jeremy Saulnier, high off the success of his previous 2013 thriller Blue Ruin. His latest film starts off at a slow boil and introduces the audience to the protagonists as a struggling nomadic musical act, called the Ain’t Rights, trying to get any gig to make a buck (literally — they play in a deserted restaurant and each member takes away $6).
The real suspense begins after they end up performing in what is described as a “right wing” bar in the Pacific Northwest.
Following their set, an unfortunate circumstance finds the crew trapped in what is essentially an escape room situation, and is also where they first meet a timid patron Amber (Imogen Poots) who turns out to have a lot more to offer than at first blush.
Making up the Ain’t Rights is a refreshing bunch of actors that includes Arrested Development’s Alia Shawkat (Sam) and another Star Trek alum, Anton Yelchin (Pat), the latter suffering, and surviving, one of the most graphic scenes in the 94-minute movie during a botched negotiation attempt.
By the time the second act gets going, the mood of piece shifts to full edge-of-your-seat mode as the characters start dropping like flies, facing death by machete, shotgun or killer dogs. Those afflicted with a weak stomach be warned: Saulnier pulls no punches when it comes to illustrating the various ways people meet their untimely demises.
To detract from the gore, there is plenty of well-timed witty banter, with a lot of gems exchanged between Pat and Sam, the surprise heroes of the story.
And just when you think you have this rollercoaster of a film figured out, you’re still left guessing how exactly things are going to end for both the good and bad guys that are still standing.
You can catch the final screening of Green Room on the last day of VIFF, Oct. 9, at SFU Woodwards. Visit www.viff.org for show times and tickets.