Red State

We all know what a Kevin Smith movie involves, right? A smattering of dick and fart jokes, paired with his dynamic duo Jay and Silent Bob. Well not this movie, not even close.

‘Red State’ is a story that follows a small group of boys, who look for a sexual encounter from an online stranger, and get kidnapped by a religiously fanatic group, resembling the Westboro Baptist Church. After the kidnapping, the church is placed under siege by the ATF.

Doesn’t sound like your average Smith film, right? That’s because it’s not. Smith really swung for the fences with this movie, and not only did he succeed in his drive for this movie, but also redefined what a ‘Kevin Smith Movie’ could be, which is important with a TV miniseries about hockey on the horizon for projects he is working on.

The story on this movie was great. It was original, and at times, downright unsettling. I have seen this movie multiple times, and I have only one real problem with it, and it is one that Smith has heard a lot, enough to even address in his podcasts. There is a monologue that carries on for what I feel is too long. Now that being said, the monologue is incredibly well written and acted wonderfully by Michael Parks, so my only wish is that there was something to break it up a bit.

The acting all around is wonderful, but the show really belongs to Michael Parks and John Goodman.  Parks plays the leader of the Five Points Church, who really delivers a character that believes his every action as ordained and justified by the Almighty. Goodman also put out a character of a tired ATF agent who is scared to disobey an order he might find morally offensive.

The look of the movie? Dirty, gritty, and real. This really differs from Smith’s other movies. Almost all of Smith’s other movies have David Klein as the Director of Photography and it definitely shows that they went out of their comfort zone to try to really ground the emotion of the film.

Final Judgement:

This was a brave attempt at trying something new and delivers. The plot is original, the acting is great. I think this is a great movie for Netflix, and worth spending a few hours in front of the TV. If you are looking for an uplifting movie or a comedy, you may want to wait on this movie.

Score: ★★★★★★★★☆☆☆