Review of Red State (2011) by Andrew K — 19 Aug 2012

There's a lot wrong with this movie. A lot. The pacing is all over the place. It doesn't fit neatly into any genre. It drags in places. Unlike Smith's other films there's not really a hero or even anti-hero here, no character to connect with and empathize with at any point. In fact naratively it's completely different than any other Kevin Smith film out there, while at the same time the bad Smith traits, his directorial flaws resurface. After watching the film you can read through the negative reviews and nod your head. The critics are right on the surface. It's cobbled together, it's provocative nature never really culminates in anything special, some of the great acting is wasted, and despite it being tagged as a horror flick that seems a misnomer, and so the gore often feels a tad gratuitous.

The film also happens to be damned daring and very original. Smith is a household name, but if we ignore the man behind the camera and just look at this as a low budget Indie it's everything that Indie films should be. After the credits roll, whether you like it or hate it, it'll still be rolling around in your head weeks afterwards, and that's something most Hollywood fare, written by committee, often as not a remake of a remake, and screened and reshot to be as comfortable to audiences as possible, rarely does these days.

It's a movie I can't say I really liked, not that I disliked it, but more importantly it's a movie I won't soon forget.