The second is that “Red State” marks a sudden change of pace in Smith’s career. Smith is widely known as a filmmaker who does crude comedy, most of his previous films being foul-mouthed, dirty, R-rated side-splitters. “Clerks,” “Dogma,” “Chasing Amy” and “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” are all scattered throughout his past filmography. Thus, “Red State” sticks out like a sore thumb in Smith’s body of work.
The film is a mishmash of drama, horror, thriller and action, mixed in with a smidgen of dark humour. It starts out like “American Pie,” turns into “Hostel,” switches to the shoot-out scene in “Heat” and ends similarly to “Burn After Reading.” To say it’s confused would be an understatement, but Smith makes it work, mostly.
We begin with three teenage protagonists. These are Jarod (Kyle Gallner, “A Nightmare on Elm Street”), Travis (Michael Angarano, “Gentlemen Broncos”) and Billy-Ray (Nicholas Braun, “Sky High”). They live in a town in which religious fundamentalists the Five Points Church, lead by local loony Pastor Abin Cooper (Michael Parks, “Grindhouse”), run rampant, shown in the opening scene protesting the funeral of a gay teenager.
One day, the three boys are invited via a dodgy website to have a threesome with a lady who lives nearby. They excitedly (and maybe stupidly) accept, but are soon regretting the quick decision when they find themselves captured by the Five Points Church for reasons of ridicule and murder. These three boys are sinners and must be killed for plaguing society, apparently.
“Red State” shows Smith doing what some may call “maturing.” As previously mentioned, he’s known for making obscene and indecent comedies that could easily be categorised as “immature.” Here, he’s made a movie that is intense, that is raw, that is penetrating and intimidating, given a tone that is mostly cold-blooded and a little bit grim.
Smith has continued his reputation for having an ear for character interactions; “Red State” is a very well-written film filled with very enjoyable dialogue. Its script contains many shocks and surprises that I for one did not see coming. Smith has also given the film a very distinctive look; the visuals are bleached and filmed in an effective shaky-cam method, both of which aid in giving the film a certain feel that is eerie and unsettling.
There are three stand-out acting performances in “Red State.” Stand-out acting performance number one is Michael Parks as Pastor Abin Cooper, the chief villain of the piece. In this role, Parks chews more scenery than a household termite; he plays this preaching leader of religious hicks with such charisma that one cannot take one’s eyes off him, especially as he delivers a ten-minute monologue in front of a congregation of his loyal followers.
Stand-out acting performance number two is recent Oscar-winner Melissa Leo (“The Fighter”) as Sarah Cooper, daughter of Abin Cooper. Sarah is shown to be every bit as delusional as her father, appearing to be in extreme pleasure whenever Abin preaches and talks about God. In one scene, she is reduced to tears by the mere mention of the word “homosexual.” Leo succeeds in making this woman incredibly detestable through the simple use of a certain look or smile, the kind that expresses dim-witted foolishness.
Stand-out acting performance number three is John Goodman (“The Big Lebowski”) as Special Agent Keenan, a married man who is contacted to help with a dangerous situation at the Five Points church. Goodman gives a convincing sense of humanity and purpose to this man who is forced by his superiors to make a tough decision once reaching the church; our fondness for him becomes more blurred as the film goes on.
It’s the first half of the film that truly shines; it’s frequently suspenseful and occasionally quite powerful. It’s by the second half, when all hell breaks loose via use of AK-47s, that the film becomes less intriguing, albeit still entertaining. The less action-oriented stuff works like a charm, while the machine gun-blasting works less so.
7/10
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