Review: Red State

In my mind, Kevin Smith has become little more than a meme to most critics, an easy target for people to poke fun at for his sense of humour, honesty and grasp of what the entertainment business is about. His twitter feed is largely devoted in engaging his fan base, calling out critics for the abhorrent things they say and, above all else, poking fun at himself. I’ve enjoyed almost every Kevin Smith movie because, deep down, I’ve accepted where they fit within the business of film making. Kevin Smith’s strength lie in his writing rather than his execution and, although I hold Clerks up as a treasure of Indie cinema and Dogma as one of the better religious films to date, I’m at a loss when asked to describe his style of film making through the years. He skirts a line between indie director and unsuccessful Hollywood star. That isn’t to say he hasn’t had impact, far from it, his input can be traced back to the rise of both Ben Affleck and Matt Damon and his openness with fans was, in my opinion, a major part in helping launch social networking to the stars.

Red State is Kevin Smith’s latest film. I went in knowing plenty from the film as Smith, once again, has been extremely open with the process on his site full of podcasts and has taken this new film on a tour rather than scrape for national release; choosing, much to the chagrin of critics, to take the film to his people – The ones he creates the films for – The fans. I never got to see the movie in such a fashion but have since caught it using Video on Demand.

Red State is set in middle America and follows the downfall of the Cooper family, a religious extremist group that sets picket lines at funerals and goes as far as kidnapping homosexuals to punish them for their sins. Three young boys, driving out to the middle of nowhere become tangled within the web of death and the film sets up it’s first act. The Cooper family lose control and swiftly the ATF are brought in to deal with the situation, taking it from the hands of the bumbling local sheriff.

Smith doesn’t rely upon the cliche tropes that many other film makers fall back on when creating a horror movie. There is no big, deformed monster and the twists feel genuine, unexpected and lace the films conservative 88 minute running time with some great singular moments. The story feels coherent and tight, and although it slows considerably towards the end of the first act – Almost to the point of complete stand still – it quickly picks up pace and flaunts an excellent third act that includes what threatened to be one of the biggest twists in cinema history. Although this twist was not utilised and is poorly explained away in the aftermath of the ending, I was left with my jaw on the floor as the films very purpose was called in to question.

The cast is brought together extremely well, fronted byMichael Parks, the Copper family feel strong and united in their goals, Parks’ charisma brightens the screen with every second and his dulcet tones drew me in deeper and deeper, selling me on his point even though I coudn’t object any harder to his views. This on screen presence brings the films second act to life and, while actress Melissa Leo,Ralph Garman and Jen Schwalbach can’t be faulted as three of the main Cooper family members, they pale in comparison to their fearless leader.

John Goodman stands out as the low man on the totem pole ATF agent who is called in to execute the warrant on the Cooper family. His performance, while not the best we have seen him, is an excellent mix of tortured man who wants to do the right thing with a man worried about his future. Although the cliche holds true, Goodman’s performance exemplifies the genre and is a shining example that even cliches can work if given the right amount of freedom and a good pen to write.

Red State isn’t without its problems, its heavy dose of social commentary makes the film a weighted watch and, although not directly referenced, you can see Smith alluding to the Waco massacre heavily during the third act, bringing up not-so-subtle questions of the entitlement of the US government paired with a scared bureaucracy willing to sacrifice the few to save the many. The different ways this movie will be taken will depend on the viewers experience and knowledge of previous events which, looking back, is an excellent way of presenting your film. A stand alone product that, if allowed, could mean so much more.

Red State is a film that shouldn’t be taken lightly and is definitely not a film for a first date but I do think it holds merit in the pantheon of great Thriller movies. It takes a very sensitive subject matter and treats it with respect. Where Smith could have taken the Cooper family to be insane, single minded people, we are instead treated with intelligent and thought provoking scenes of a family who think they’re doing right for their children. Red State feels like it holds true to Kevin Smith’s origin, keeping that brazen indie film attitude mixed with an experienced and skilled cast that excel at what they do. Not a perfect film but definitely one worth seeing.