Sunday, November 20, 2016

Quick Reviews: Red State (2011)

Far be it from me to talk about Politics here, but it is kind of hard not to say anything when you're talking about...
In a small Town, three Teens are lured to a stranger's RV for some random sex.  What could go wrong?
Right-Wing Christians!

Oh and they're also crazy, hate-mongering psychos that will kill you for being Gay...or whatever they don't like.
These crazies kidnap the Teens and some random guy to kill them.  They don't seem neighborly.
Can our Teens make it out alive and preferably with some of those hilariously-silly Jack Chick Pamphlets?
Can this group of crazies survive the inevitable siege by the ATF?  Will they ever meet a Black guy?
No matter what happens, it won't be pretty.  Since this is a Kevin Smith, it sure will be weird though.

To find out, watch the Film.  The End.
Deeper and more dramatic than you might think.  Kevin Smith is not known for his dark, serious Dramas.  Yes, he has dealt with some Drama in Films like Jersey Girl and Clerks 2.  In this case, he does so much more emphatically.  Red State is definitely not your usual Kevin Smith Film.  He has crazy Characters and bizarre situations, but it is always grounded in the dark reality of Religious Extremism.  Is it controversial to say that a bunch of people on a Compound that set-up, kidnap and kill Teenagers are a bunch of psychos?  I didn't think so.  To be fair, State actually gives both sides of the issues a chance to say their peace.  The crazy Preacher is still crazy, but parts of what he says are what people still say today.  The ATF Agent driven to kill them because of his orders is kind of bad here, but you can also see his point of view.  You also get some Viewpoint Characters for other facets of the Story- neat.   The Film doesn't completely-villainize either side, which is nice.  One side is a bunch of murderers, while the other is...the Cult?  Seeing how much more interesting this one was than I expected makes me sad to hear how bad Yoga Hosers apparently is.  I'll leave you with a glimpse of how your average Texan sees themselves on any given day...
Considering his strange, recent work, it is neat to see something like this from Kevin Smith.  It sure won't be for everyone, especially if you are easily-offended.

1 comment:

  1. I saw this a while back and liked it... but that seems to be the minority opinion.

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