Red State: Review By Bryan Yentz

When Kevin Smith first stated that his next foray into cinema would be that of a horror film, my immediate response was that of disdain. While the man has had a noteworthy track record with such highlights as CLERKS and CLERKS: 2, not to mention CHASING AMY and MALLRATS, his recent departures in genre have been anything but savory. The chick-flick failure, JERSEY GIRL; the atrocious, eye-rolling affair that was the buddy-cop "comedy", COP OUT (rare that a film's title actually describes it perfectly, eh?). . . It's a commendable feat that a director take up projects outside their comfort zone, but when such pieces fail, it's all the more recognizable when it derived from such talented hands. With RED STATE, my dissatisfaction stemmed from the obnoxiously pompous methods Smith took to promoting his brutal endeavor. Hell, even the cover states, "An unlikely film from that Kevin Smith". We get it. You do comedies. Now you're doing a horror film. Good job. Having said that, I have to applaud Mr. Silent Bob as RED STATE performs just as a fear-inducing flick should. It's intense, entertaining and audacious to boot. While my predispositions were based on a whole 'lotta bark, I gotta say. . . At least it packs bite.

Opening innocently enough, RED STATE begins with three young boys on the verge of adulthood when they receive an opportunity lose their virginity to an older woman in the adjacent town of Cooper's Dell. However, upon meeting her, drinking her beer and undressing; the sex-driven trio discover themselves at the heart of something much darker--a fanatical church known as the "Five Points" who are led by the tyrannical rhetoric of its confident leader.

As many know, religious fanaticism is quite the hot topic right now, especially when it's pinpointed on our own home turf-on conservative beliefs. Initially, I believed that such a film would have an agenda; another one-sided commentary against Christianity and those who believe in it, rather than a visceral thriller that explores both sides of the fence. Thankfully, while some might find the content herein to be quite upsetting, I found Kevin Smith's approach to be anything but heavy-handed. Instead, the overall tone of the picture is actually rather apathetic. During the entirety of the bullet-laden ballet of beliefs, never does the story feel as though it's uplifting a certain stance. Vituperation is applied to both the disturbed fanatics and that of the FBI forced to deal with them. By the end of the gut-punch of an adventure, I felt disdain, frustration and understanding for both sides of the moral coin (some obviously more than others).

Now, with that out of the way, let's get down to the goods: the horror, the violence--the intensity.

Each of the aforementioned elements utterly deliver. Once the curtain is lifted and RED STATE shows what it's truly made of, the door isn't simply taken off its hinges, it's reduced to splinters. While the climactic shoot-out is one massively enjoyable bout of bloodshed, the road getting there is caked in sweat-dripping dread. From the color-drained cinematography and abrupt acts of cruelty to the complete lack of music (outside of Abin's haunting hymn), RED STATE easily melds from one genre to another all the while maintaining a consistent feeling of apprehension throughout.

As for the performances, Michael Parks delivers one of the most desp*cably well-voiced antagonists in recent memory. His gravel-throated voice is that of vocal perfection and assists in creating a very human monster, one who strikes fear in beating hearts through his acid-stained tongue rather than that of physical violence. With every word, argument and sermon, Parks had me in full attention. It's this sort of dedicated performance that display the Oscars for the sham they typically are, as I guarantee that he won't be acknowledged for such a display of on-screen talent. Even with the limited character development, I also found myself quite sympathetic to John Goodman's character as he's forced to deal with the entire situation of carnage. I loved the brief moments he shared with his wife, and his moral reluctance which develops later is palpable.

On the downside, a couple of issues stuck out. The first revolves around the miss-use of jump cuts. While they occasionally work in parts (during the weapon-grabbing scene in the church), they feel out of place and distracting at other points (the sheriff going on his suicide-drinking binge). Other than this, my largest gripe comes from how Kevin Smith ends the film. During the climax of the film something happens that's. . . Well. . . I won't spoil it here, but let's just say that if he reduced the door to splinters before--with this plot point--he repaired the door, put it back on its hinges, closed it--and then blew-up the entire house. When this 'lil aspect of the plot comes into play, the paths of potential are opened in every direction--almost making RED STATE into a completely different beast than previously thought. . . And then, this is all explained in a five minute long denouement. That's it. It's completely blown-over in favor of a bland scene of exposition which completely robs the climax of its eye-widening surrealism. It's unbelievable. It's cheap. It's disappointing.

Despite this unfulfilling finish, I nonetheless enjoyed RED STATE far more than I ever thought I would have. The dialogue is strong, the intensity even stronger and the action hard and heavy. While the recent additions to Kevin Smith's resume have been severely hit-or-miss, RED STATE proves that his talents for filmmaking are still alive and well.