Red State

Rating: 2/5

Oh how the mighty have fallen. As I write this review, I am drawn back to when I first discovered Kevin Smith. Clerks, Mallrats, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and Clerks II were my gods for years. Even now I'll pop in a DVD every now and then and have a good time. For a while, I thought Kevin SMith could do no wrong. Then I saw Jersey Girl, but that was ok because no director has a perfect track record. Then Zack and Miri came out, which I never saw but I hear is terrible. Then came Cop Out, which was excruciating to sit through. Now we have Red State, for which I have no words.

Ok, let me try to explain this craziness. Three dumb teenagers (Michael Angarano, Nicholas Braun, and Kyle Gallner) answer an internet ad posted by an older woman (Melissa Leo) who promises to deflower them. Of course, it's a trap and the three wake up imprisoned by nutjob preacher Abin Cooper (Michael Parks), a fanatic who's cult murders gay people regularly. Then out of nowhere, John Goodman shows up with the ATF and a firefight starts, beginning what is I guess supposed to be another Waco siege.

If you take anything from the above paragraph, I hope it's that this movie is a mess. There's no buildup or pacing, the camerawork is schizophrenic, nothing makes ANY damn sense, and it's just mediocre. The script, acting and story are all over the place and just not great. There's just no point to the whole thing, but boy does Red State think highly of itself. Seriously, I haven't seen a political opinion so bluntly bashed over my head since I tried reading The Fountainhead.

Ok, I am being a little mean to this movie. The atmosphere before the ATF shows up is well done and Michael Parks is amazing as pastor Cooper. And as a very liberal guy, I appreciate a film that takes such a hard left stance on the issue of the Westboro Baptist Church and hate speech. I just can't help comparing Red State to Machete, a similar but much better film. I think the main thing is that Red State tries to be a serious horror movie, but it isn't Red State is an exploitation movie, and a damn good one at that. If the ending wasn't such a, dare I say it, cop out, Red State could've been made by Bruno Mattei in the 70's.

It;s too bad that Red State is a Kevin Smith movie. I know (based on Clerks II) that he can do better, even though it isn't the 90's anymore. Especially since Smith claims to be retiring after his next movie, there's no reason not to bring Jay and Silent Bob back for one more adventure. Luckily, Red State proves that Smith can't do horror, but he can still hold my attention for 90 minutes. Come on Kevin, I know it's been a weird couple of years, but I believe in you. I know you can deliver a true curtain call. Come on man, do it for the fans. Go out on a high note.