Where does one begin when discussing Kevin Smith? A lot can be said about the usually comedic director, and a lot IS being said every time someone mentions his new film Red State. Invariably, at any point during a review of his new flick, a whole paragraph will be devoted to how this is a dramatic departure from his usual fair, as Red State is not a raunchy, dialogue heavy comedy but a raunchy, dialogue heavy horror movie. Then a whole separate paragraph is devoted to how Smith is foregoing the usual means of distribution and putting the film out himself via a national tour and blah blah blah... See how boring this gets? If you’ve come to this page because you’ve heard about Red State and want to know my thoughts, you’ve already gone through a paragraph and read next to nothing about the film itself. I thought I’d skip the detritus in discussing the man, the myth, the brand name that is Kevin Smith, and instead talk about the new film and leave it at that. So here goes.
Right off the bat, the film deserves major props. In our remake and sequel laden world, it is a breath of wonderfully fresh air to witness something that is wholly unique and not connected to any prior work. So already, points to Red State for going where no film has gone before and in such a dismal market to boot. In the film, which Smith has described often as a horror movie, although it is much more than that, three teenage dudes go looking for sex after answering an online ad and end up victims of a ruthless fundamentalist Christian cult that’s one part Texas Chainsaw family, one part Al Quaeda, and one part Pat Robertson. This, of course, is only the beginning.
Now, let’s discuss the writing. Writing, especially dialogue, has always been Smith’s major strong suit and he doesn’t disappoint here. Despite the movie being a heavy and darkly disturbing tale, hilarious lines are not held in check. In fact, they are used profusely and strategically, mostly in order to lend voice to the audience and a little bit of tension relief between the mind numbing horros. I can’t honestly recall a place where it didn’t work, especially since the lines were being delivered by some A-list actors that spent most of their screen time eating up scenery and pooping out Oscar worthy performances.
Michael Parks is the big baddie in the film, glimpsed in the beginning and later taking the protagonists, and the viewer, captive for some horrific rituals. He plays Abin Cooper, a Fred Phelps-esque pastor of a hate pandering Christian sect holed up in a private commune called Cooper’s Dell. If his performance in Red State is any indication, Parks and his alter ego will go down in history as one of the silver screen’s greatest and most disturbing villains, to rival the likes of Hannibal the Cannibal himself. But Parks is by no means alone in this. His chief rival as the film progresses is ATF Agent Keenan, played with a tough sincerity by the legendary John Goodman. Goodman and Parks begin a battle to see who’s going to steal the show, and it’s an utmost pleasure to see the two dropping science all over the screen just by their mere presence.
That’s not to say you should only be on the lookout for these two powerhouses, either. The supporting cast of relative unknowns also brings their A-game to the table. Michael Angarano, Kyle Gallner, and Nicholas Braun play the hapless and horny teens that get into this mess with a certain desperate loser-ish charm that you can’t help but like despite the fact that they have a pretty one track mind. One standout supporting performance is Kerry Bishe’s, who plays the oldest granddaughter of Abin Cooper and puts a sympathetic human face on an inhuman enemy. I believe she had the best scenes outside of the ones populate by Parks and Goodman.
Smith’s story never takes the popular route any usual “horror” movie would take. No score clues the audience in with the usual cheap notes, and just when you think you have the rest of the movie figured out there is some sort of gigantic, perhaps cosmic, twist to ratchet you off of your game. This is done well, and continues all the way to the final scene. It is a rarity that a film these days can keep me guessing, and this one had me scrambling around in the dark to the very end. Another thing to note, and something that’s been mentioned countless times before in the prior reviews of the film, is that this becomes less of a horror movie and more of a dramatic political thriller, or even an action movie about halfway in. The best analogy I can come up with when I’ve told people about the flick is that it’s somewhat like watching The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and halfway through switching it to Inglourious Basterds. That’s the delicious taste that was left in my mouth by the end of the film, along with a hint of Coen Brother’s directing sensibilities and a dash of Kevin Smith’s wit-pepper.
I hate just gushing about a film, and I struggled to find something to really complain about here in order to make my review a bit more even handed. The only thing I could come up with is that I wish it would have been longer. I know some stuff was cut out of the original Sundance edit, and I’m positively drooling at a chance to see a Director’s cut version on dvd because I couldn’t get enough of Red State. At the end of the day, when the only complaint you can fathom is that there wasn’t enough of such an awesome flick, I think it was a job well done.
After the screening I attended, Smith himself got onstage to discuss the film and one thing he said about the movie struck home. He said that the goal when he set out was to make a “Tarantino flick by way of the Coen brothers”. What can one say, but that the man at least has great taste? Well, I for one, can say that he accomplished this in spades and with his own little twist of creative lime juice on top.
The movie comes out in wide release on October 19th, and I know I’m going to be there.
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