Green Room (2015) #439

'Although "Green Room) may not be a traditional horror film but it does have the intensity and thrilling moments of one. The movie neither failed or exceeded my expectations because I didn't really have any going in. All I really knew about "Green Room" was that it had Patrick Stewart ("Lifeforce") playing the leader of a white supremacist group that's trying to kill a punk band that played at his club, and that is exactly what it is. Stewart's performance is top notched as the character Darcy, a calm and collected leader who is trying to rid his bar of a little "problem". He's dangerous, respected, and he knows what he's doing. 

Anton Yelchin ("Fright Night") stars as the guitar player for the punk bank the Ain't Rights; he is easily believable as the terrified band member who was only trying to do the right thing by calling 911 when he walks in on a murder scene. And Anton's co-star and love interest from "Fright Night" Imogen Poots ("28 Weeks Later") rounds out the cast as Amber, another unfortunate witness of the gruesome murder that occurs in the club's green room. Alia Shwkat ("Arrested Development") is another recognizable face, playing Sam, the group's bass player. 

The action sequences and the violence involved are all rather intense and come across as realistic. One moment that really stands out for me is when someone gets shot in the face by a shotgun; you see enough of the damage done before the camera switches view. There is also a scene where Anton's character, Pat, gets his arm hacked up by machetes, leaving the limb bloody and almost useless. The most brutal act of violence might be inflected by the attack dogs that Darcy's men use on the band members. Again, very intense.

Overall, the movie is worth seeing just to watch Patrick Stewart's performance, a role that he considered to be very challenging. This film also marks Anton's final movie premier before his untimely death, R.I.P.