"Fleischwolf"
By Desmond
Going into this film I had very
little expectations. Which is an odd feeling, in an age where we are constantly
barraged with overly descriptive trailers and promos. So much of cinema is
devoted to presold blockbuster sequels and prequels, whose garish spectacle is
only matched by the enormity of its marketing campaign. In many occasions, hype
seems to be embedded in the act of movie-watching. Green Room is unique in that
it revels in its relatively obscure status, crafting a tightly paced and unpredictable
thrill ride; one I could never have foreseen.
The basic premise of the film goes
like this: punk band, “the Ain’t Rights”, travelling in a van across the
pacific northwest, find themselves an opportunity to perform at a club on the
outskirts of Portland, Oregon. The catch? The place is owned and run by
neo-Nazis. After witnessing a murder, the band find themselves trapped and
surrounded by the club’s unhinged proprietor and henchmen, finding a note which
aptly names the area ‘fleischwolf’; ‘meat grinder’ in German.
The movie maintains a kind of
visceral and electric tone throughout, with slick pacing and editing. It manages
to stay consistently subversive, with shocking twists and turns which lead to a
high-octane conclusion. The cast here are all excellent, with the standouts
being the Anton Yelchin as the likeable, leader figure for the band, Pat, and
Patrick Stewart as the austere owner, Darcy.
Beyond that I will say no more. Don’t
read too much more into it, just pick it up, or watch it on Netflix, and go into it
blind. This is truly a film where the genius comes primarily from the unknown.
And what a refreshing thing that is.
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