No label punk band living out of a van while on the road for shoestring tour wind up in a very bad situation. After the last gig is a bust and short gas money to get back home they get a line on a walk-in that will net them the cash to return home. The off the beaten path country bar for old school skins turns out to be run by an organized 4th Reich gang. The set finished they are on the way out the door when a forgotten phone leads to the night that kills the band.
I initially passed on seeing this based on blurbs that made the movie sound like yet another Hollyweird screed on how inbred racist white hillbillies are killing the world's love with their hate. You have to be pretty thick if that is what you take from this film.
This is a lean and solid thriller about coming afoul of criminal enterprise by happenstance. Characters are fleshed out just enough to set the table, the meal comes in the form of hyper realism of wound FX, believable violence, and an interplay between antagonist and protagonist that is refreshingly smart and gritty. Aside from sticking your arm out the door and splitting up the typical dumbassery that tend to sneak into movies of this type is refreshingly absent. No preaching, no virtue signalling. An organized concealed criminal enterprise with experience staying off the radar vs some fairly streetwise and tactical not going to be your victim targets.
And while the movie is absolutely worth seeing based on merit alone the inclusion of Patrick Stewart as leader of the gang is just the cherry on top not to be missed. If you are a fan of the genre don't let this gem slip by you.
Review of Green Room
