Religious Destruction

I have always been a huge fan of Kevin Smith.  In an industry full of sequels, franchises and remakes, Kevin Smith always brings us something original.  Red State is a movie that is not only original, but it can be quite controversial as well.

Red State is the story of a group of teenagers who receive a party invitation, and then get thrust into the world of a fundamentalist group with an evil moral agenda.  I have to admit that the beginning of this movie made me feel very uneasy, and very offended.  This movie revolves around a group of religious extremists who have a very controversial moral agenda, and the beginning of the movie felt very preachy (literally and figuratively).  As I was watching “The Making of Red State” documentary, however, I realized that Kevin Smith’s point with this movie was to poke fun at these kind of people that exist in real life.  This explains why the performances are a little over the top at the start of the film, and honestly this makes me love the movie even more.

Michael Angarano and Kyle Gallner play Travis and Jarrod, respectively.  These boys are just a couple of teenagers who are looking to have a good time, and get caught up in the nightmare of the Five Points Trinity.  These two young actors effectively convey the shock and terror that they feel when they encounter this world, while at the same time acting like typical teenage boys.  You actually end up feeling a little bit of sympathy for them.

Michael Parks plays Pastor Abin Cooper, and Melissa Leo plays his daughter Sara.  These two are downright frightening as members of the Five Points Trinity.  Michael Parks in particular gives a very haunting performance, one that is easily compared to Anthony Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs.  Melissa Leo plays her character so convincingly that it is at times so annoying that you cannot wait to see her kick the bucket.

John Goodman plays Joseph Keenan, and in my opinion he steals the show.  I think Goodman is a very under-rated and under-appreciated actor.  He has turned in many stellar performances throughout his career.  He commands the screen like never before in this movie.  It is not your typical John Goodman character, and he flat-out crushes it.

There are still two Kevin Smith movies that I have not seen, but I truly believe that this is his best work.  There is an action sequence towards the end of the movie that is better than some full-length action movies I have seen.  Smith also uses the handheld camera very effectively because he really captures the horror of what is happening to these boys.  This is a movie that people will talk about, and rightfully so.  Bravo, Kevin Smith.