Red State (2011)

Rated: R

Genre: Action/Horror/Thriller

Info: IMDb

Directed By: Kevin Smith

Starring: John Goodman, Melissa Leo, Michael Parks

Park City, Utah. Sundance 2011. Wonderboy Kevin Smith dupes dozens of studio executives into thinking they’re going to bid on the distribution rights to Red State, auction style, and then purchases the movie himself for $20 in order to self distribute. Crazy? Yes. Ingenious? In many ways, yes.

Red State is the story of three horny high school teens who answer an internet website ad for sex. What they find instead is a crazed religious zealot who roofies their beer. They awaken, one in a cage, and the others tied up in a cellar. They are now prisoners of Abin Cooper (Michael Parks) and his family of whackadoos, and are to be punished for their devilish sins. After a deputy is killed on the property, Agent Keenan (John Goodman) and his crew are sent in to exterminate the commune, leaving no one alive.

I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect going into this movie. For one, this is definitely a genre that Kevin Smith has yet to dip his feet into, until now. He was able to include his witty writing and dialogue and mix it with a dark political theme, in order to achieve an entertaining outcome. Red State has it’s flaws. It doesn’t have the strongest story, and there really is no lead character. But it makes up for it’s flaws with it’s entertainment value. John Goodman is a Godsend who takes the movie from being a visually impressive indie flick to a captivating action thriller. Kevin Smith shows that he could wipe the floor with Michael Bay, he just doesn’t want to.

3.5 out of 5 Knocks