Red State Review

Posted by Jeremy Thomas on 09.05.2011

Kevin Smith's controversial action-horror film has finally arrived! But does it show Smith ascending his filmmaking to a new level, or does the outspoken filmmaker put a new nail in the coffin of his credibility? 411's Jeremy Thomas checks in with his full review!


Directed by: Kevin Smith
Written by: Kevin Smith

Starring:
Michael Parks - Pastor Abin Cooper
John Goodman - ATF Special Agent Keenan
Melissa Leo - Sarah
Ralph Garman - Caleb
Kerry Bishé - Cheyenne
Kyle Gallner - Jared
Haley Ramm - Maggie
Michael Angarano - Travis
Nicholas Braun - Billy Ray
Stephen Root - Sheriff Wynan
James Parks - Mordechai
Kevin Pollak - ATF Special Agent Brooks
Matt L. Jones - Deputy Pete
Kevin Alejandro - Tactical Agent Harry
Anna Gunn - Irma
Betty Aberlin - Abigail
Marc Blucas - ATF Sniper
Elizabeth Tripp - Melanie
Jennifer Schwalbach Smith - Esther
Alexa Nikolas - Jesse
Hoc Sy - Butch



Running Time: 88 minutes
Rated R for strong violence/disturbing content, some sexual content including brief nudity, and pervasive language

Kevin Smith is a filmmaker who has suffered a severe fall from grace over the last several years. The New Jersey native was part of the revitalization of independent filmmaking that swept through the mid-to-late 1990s with his first film, Clerks, becoming a major success for indie label Miramax in 1994. For the next several years Smith's films garnered him an ever-increasing legion of fans, and while the "View Askewniverse films" as they became known never hit blockbuster status they positioned the director at the head of one of the more fanatical followings in Hollywood. However, following his departure from the Jay & Silent Bob-linked films such as Dogma and Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back it seemed as if Smith was unable to find his grounding. Fans had a lukewarm reaction to Jersey Girl and marketing problems surrounding Zack and Miri Make a Porno resulted in a disappointing gross considering that it starred hot commodities Seth Rogan and Elizabeth Banks. It seemed as if Smith was limited to his stoner films if he wanted to make well-received films that performed at or above their predicted success levels.

It was after Zack and Miri, however, that things seemed to unravel. Smith made Cop Out starring Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan, his first time directing a film he had not written. Critical reaction was savage and audiences didn't show up. Smith went on a Twitter rant about film critics, accusing them of trying to judge his film against all-time greats and suggesting that the bad reviews had to do with the lack of free screenings. It was in the midst of this that news of Red State broke. Described as a horror film centered around the Westboro Baptist Church, the film became infamous for Smith's antics around it, including his decision to auction it off at Sundance and then purchasing the distribution rights himself. One Hollywood columnist called it an implosion; Smith countered that the reporter has lost touch, much like the rest of Hollywood. With all the controversy a few months past, the film has made its debut on Video On Demand and streaming services through Lionsgate in order to supplement Smith's self-released distribution plan in the hopes of extending its reach to people who can't make the director's "Red State USA Tour."

The film stars Kyle Gallner, Michael Angarano and Nicholas Braun as Jared, Travis and Billy Ray, three teenagers in a small town that is also home to Five Points Church, a bigoted and hate-mongering religious group the soft-spoken but passionately conservative Albin Cooper (Parks). The church is looked down upon by everyone in the community and even the nation; it is noted than even neo-Nazis have distanced themselves from the vehemently homophobic, funeral-protesting ways of Cooper and his family. The three boys, though, are less concerned with the politics than they era with doing what any three teenagers in a small town want to do; have sex. When Jared makes contact with a potential hookup for group sex with the three in an even smaller town several miles away, they head out to have their date with destiny with the middle-aged Sarah (Leo).

It doesn't take long though before the boys learn that they've been lured out for something other than sex, and they end up in the clutches of Cooper and his family. They take their hateful agenda to a far more proactive level than most people suspect, and the trio of teens find themselves in deep trouble. Their abduction also alerts the ATF to their presence by way of the town's sheriff (Root), setting Special Agent Keenan (Goodman) on their trail. This sets things up for a showdown between the Coopers and the government, a battle which may just end up leaving no survivors.

Kevin Smith has called Red State his attempt at a horror film, and that assessment is partly accurate. Certainly there are several elements of a Devil's Reject-style film present, mostly in the first couple of acts. However, it is an oversimplification to call it a horror flick and the statement isn't entirely true. The film starts off more like a traditional Kevin Smith film, with the three teens delivering some Smith-esque dialogue about trying to get laid, the advantages of the internet and such. It quickly transitions into the horror elements and then with the advent of the third act, it switches gears once more to become more of an action thriller. What is surprising is the ease with which it transitions from one genre to the other. None of these genres are ones in which Smith has a ton of experience, with the exception of the opening minutes. However he handles these transitions well. The writing is reminiscent of Smith's work primarily in the length exchanges of dialogue, a hallmark of his scripts, but the tone is quite different and the look of the film is unlike anything the filmmaker has ever done. It looks more like Rob Zombie by way of Quentin Tarantino, and that strange meld makes for an interesting feel that works more than it fails.

One thing that is impossible to get around are the comparisons to Westboro Baptist Church. Smith has been nothing less than transparent about the fact that the Five Points Church is directly inspired by the infamous anti-gay church, and the correlation is clear to anyone with even a vague, passing familiarity with the church. The first time we see them in the film they are protesting the funeral of a gay man who was the victim of a hate crime in the town; their colorful signs with offensive language are immediate declarations of the group's inspiration. Obviously the church has been taken to an extreme; at least to the best of our knowledge, the Westboro Baptist Church hasn't taken to causing funerals, just protesting them. However, Smith's stated intent of satirizing the Fred Phelps-led group is certainly accomplished and he does so in very broad strokes. Just as broad is his depiction of the ATF, who Smith must still have some bitterness with over their much-hated handling of the Waco, Texas Branch Davidian church. With the exception of Goodman's more conscientious Special Agent, the ATF are more interested in public relations than the safety of the public and the agency are villains in the film the same way that the Coopers are. Smith's criticisms are sandblasted into the heart of the film and it is anything but subtle, but this isn't a film that requires subtlety. It's occasionally preachy, but Smith's intent is to entertain as much as it is to provide social commentary and the balance is surprisingly well-done, if not always successful.

One of the aspects of the film that makes the occasionally-uneven script work as well as it does is the acting. Smith has cast his film with a uniformly-excellent cast that deliver knockout performances throughout. The bulk of the praise will undoubtedly be heaped upon Michael Parks as Reverend Cooper, and rightly so. Parks plays his Fred Phelps-esque character not as a mimicry, but as his own character. Park's has an magnetic presence to him that allows him to command the attention of the camera every moment he's on the screen. He plays Cooper with a soft-spoken, almost gentle demeanor even as he spits out his hatred. At one point in the film he has what is essentially a twelve-minute monologue and he makes it avoid seeming overlong. It's a fantastic performance and truly anchors the film. As his daughter Sarah, Melissa Leo has more of the hysterical bent to her and while there is some scenery-chewing going on here, it is entirely accurate to the role and the tone of the film. John Goodman delivers a world-weary performance as Special Agent Keenan that helps make him as sympathetic as possible, while Gallner shows he's capable of more than he showed in A Nightmare on Elm Street as a teen in peril. The other major supporting role is Kerry Bishé, who plays Sarah's daughter Cheyenne. She doesn't have a lot to do in the second act but she's there as more of a set-up to unveil her true colors in the final act, and it's a very realistic performance that makes an otherwise bigoted character seem like one we care about the fate of.

This film is bound to have its haters, and that isn't surprising; Smith is a very divisive director especially after his public battles over the last couple years. Despite being a Kevin Smith fan, I was worried that he had lost his touch when he tried to push his boundaries into action/comedy with Cop Out, a dire failure of both genres. However, this is a Kevin Smith whose passion has returned. Some of the common criticisms that normally get applied to his work can still be; there are times where the characters simply talk too much and the story gets bogged down, such as a tense exchange between Jared and Cheyenne in the midst of the ATF raid. The denouement also goes on for far too long at a time when the audience is ready for the film to be over. These and the very overt slathering of social commentary will inspire some people to hate the film as a whole. However, in truth these are fairly minor flaws in the overall scope of the film and only detract from it as opposed to ruining it.

The thing that I took most out of Red State is how much Smith has changed as a filmmaker. With Cop Out it was clear that he didn't have the passion for it; you could even see it in the way he addressed complaints as he downplayed the film's importance. With Red State Smith has something to say and that gives him a level of confidence in his filming that hasn't been seen in a long time. He's unable to rely on the toilet humor that he's always been a auteur in, and without that crutch he seems freed and given a new sense of poise. The action-thriller third act is genuinely thrilling considering the budget that Smith was working with and the horror elements have the same sort of unease that Rob Zombie achieved with The Devil's Rejects. All the while his long-time director of photography Dave Klein shoots the story in a gritty, dirty and raw manner. Combined with a lack of score, it gives the film an uncomfortable level of realism that enhances the intended feel of the film. This is definitely Smith's most stylish film to date and for better or worse, his most ambitious and motivated in years. The end result is something quite satisfying once the dust has settled and one way or another, this film will stay with you long after it's over.

The 411: Red State is currently playing on many Video On Demand channels as well as streaming services like Amazon and YouTube's premium options, and is a film well worth checking out. The horror film-turned-action thriller is as subtle as a hand grenade in its social commentary but those hand grenades are potent nonetheless. Some occasional glitches in Smith's script are minimized by the strength of the acting, particular Michael Parks in a mesmerizing role as the villainous Abin Cooper and the supporting work of John Goodman, Melissa Leo, Kyle Gallner and Kerry Bishé. The film feels nothing like Smith's previous films and shows a new passion and maturity in the director. This film won't be for everyone but for those who are looking for a good unsettling film and who can go in without any preconceived notions, Red State is a fantastic and challenging movie-watching experience that will stay with you.

Final Score:  8.5   [ Very Good ]