Review of Red State (2011) by Brian S — 29 Dec 2016

Starting with 1994s Clerks and ending with 2006s Clerks 2, writer/director Kevin Smith went full circle within his "View Askewniverse" establishing his voice as a filmmaker, creating a series of (loosely) connected films that centered on stoners, convenience stores, malls, platypuses, God and many other subjects all within a comedic blanket.

Smith has shown limitations from time to time (2004s Jersey Girl as a primary example) but you could argue that the director has always strived to try different things and push himself (1999s Dogma). Since leaving his established comfort zone, Smith went into a completely different direction with 2011s Red State, a horror film with some nice ideas but never quite finds its own groove.

Though this is a new genre for Smith, he shows an understanding of it-playing with tropes, expectations and archetypes-and manages to think up some very uncomfortable situations to watch. Thing is there is simply too much emptiness to it all (which is disappointing as the film is a measly 88 min).

The famous Smith quick witted dialogue is on display (performed by the great Michael Parks and John Goodman) but even that becomes stale when there is not much pushing things forward. Too much lingering, too many monologues and trying too much (or little).

It is when Smith does the unexpected where Red State truly stands out but even that turns out to be a letdown, very much like the rest of the picture.