Red State

A lot has  been spoken about the way Kevin Smith is releasing his new film Red State. I want to step away from that aspect of the film and just focus on the movie itself. Does it work as a movie, not as a new way of releasing films. If I was to answer that question simply, the answer would be a resounding "Yes". The movie works amazingly well on its own.

However at the same time I would also respond to the question, "Is this a movie for most people?" with a tentative, "no". There are a lot of people who would be offended by the opening of the film where a group of teenagers discuss sexual matters that are perverse, but funny. This same audience would probably be offended as the film progressed at the portrayal of fundamentalist Christians being just as dangerous as religious fanatics of other faiths.

The movie is a very original film, it is different (very very far from anything Smith has ever done) and it is also a bit schizophrenic. It changes moods and styles frequently. The movie begins as a comedy. A comedy much like Smith’s earlier works only with a grittier more realistic feel. A trio of loser friends (Nicholas Braun, Michael Angarano, Kyle Gallner)  in a small town high school set out on a Friday night to meet a women from the internet who has promised a night of sexual exploration. Once they arrive they are drugged and the movie takes a swift turn into a very dark very, very intense horror film. If the intensity of this mid sequence had been maintained for the rest of the film I have to say it may have been too much for me to handle. It is during this section that we get to see the religious cult at the center of this film worshipping and going into action in their battle against homosexuals. It is painful yet incredibly well done.

However, keeping with the schizophrenic feel, the film switches moods again and turns into a scathing attack on the way the American government deals with religious groups. John Goodman steps into the spotlight portraying a conflicted ATF that has been tracking the “Church” and is forced into a very violent standoff due to the mistake of an inept sheriff portrayed by Stephen Root.

Feeling a lot like a mix of Tarentino and Coen Brothers, the film closes up in a denouement that is surprisingly funny. It felt to me like Smith bookended the film with two more comic sequences to let the audience ease into the beginning and relax in the end.

At the heart of the film is Michael Parks. He portrays the leader of the religious group Abin Cooper. He is loosely based on the real life preacher and spreader of hate Fred Phelps. Although watching this film Cooper (while killing many innocents) seems much more charismatic than the real life Phelps. His performance is funny, haunting and powerful. I had been impressed seeing him in multiple Tarentino and Robert Rodriguez films. Here he is given center stage and he knocks it out of the park. Besides Parks the cast is strong across the board. The three young men all go from being unsympathetic losers to realistic and flawed victims. Goodman is very strong as the weathered broken agent who wants to do good and is not sure how. Fresh off her Oscar win Melissa Leo is once again convincing as a horrible controlling mother (like she was in The Fighter) and loyal daughter to The cult leader.

I really hope that when this movie comes out in October it gets the audience and the respect it deserves. It is experimental and divisive in the best way. As a very big fan of Smith I have to say this is hands down his biggest risk, his most techinically proficient film and maybe his best film altogether.