Jeremy Saulnier (Blue Ruin) directs an unlikely siege movie starring Patrick Stewart as a neo-Nazi. Here’s Jordan Farley’s reaction…
Almost every year a film screening out of competition in the Director’s Fortnight at Cannes becomes the talking point of the festival, with whispered hyperbole (or justified praise) spreading along the Croisette like wildfire. Last year it was Whiplash, which topped many films of the festival lists. The sleeper hit this year? Punks vs neo-Nazi siege movie Green Room.
But the violence never feels gratuitous because Green Room is a surprisingly grounded siege. Only one door gets kicked down and not a single window is smashed in the whole film. Rather than resort to cinematic excess it plays the situation very straight, the characters responding in ways you believably think they might. The neo-Nazis are cold and calculating under the guidance of Stewart’s chilling Darcy while the bandmates are prone to panicking, as anyone staring death in the face would be. The result is a film that lacks the frenetic energy you might expect from one with Green Room’s eye-catching premise – Ain’t Rights’ punk performances (including a spectacularly ill-judged cover of the Dead Kennedy’s 'Nazi Punks Fuck Off') are as head-banging as the film gets – relying instead on a slower, more methodical horror.
The spectacularly grim atmosphere, sinister soundtrack and, of course, the siege set-up give the film an Assault On Precinct 13 vibe. And Saulnier continues to impress as a film-maker, with a particular knack for building tension and pulling the rug from under your feet in classic horror movie fashion. But - also in classic horror movie fashion - the characters are also incredibly slight (you'll peg the ones destined to be dog food 30 seconds in), the cast making the most of a largely forgettable line-up. Only Stewart and Poots leave much of an impression - Poots pulling Ripley duty as the victim who turns the tables, while Stewart shows a largely untapped talent for playing assertive villains.
Perhaps inevitably Green Room doesn’t quite live up to the hype it’s already generated at Cannes. The lack of edgy/violent films playing in or out of competition is partly to blame - Green Room is fabulous counter-programming to the worthy human dramas that make up the vast majority of this year’s festival entries. But regardless of expectations Green Room is a thrilling ride and a huge amount of (flawed) fun.
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