Review of Red State (2011) by Allan C — 06 Jul 2012

There were a lot of things I liked about Red State, but there were unfortunately a lot of flaws and underdeveloped elements as well. The set-up of the religious cult, a la the Westboro Baptist Church, luring unsuspecting sinners to theory compound was a good horror set up.

The subplot of the closeted sheriff who the church blackmails so they can operate outside of the law was interesting. The ATF raid and internal politics that organization were also a good story element, as was the storyline of the ATF commander who was conflicted about his orders.

But the main problem with the film was it's seeming lack of focus. It started out as a horror movie along the lines of "Hostel" about the lured sinners needing to escape the cult compound, but then the film becomes the siege action film version of Waco, TX with more subplots than you can shake a stick at.

The subplots aren't bad, but they just seem underdeveloped. I know Smith went through many edits of the film, so maybe some of these subplots were more fully fleshed out in ear lie cuts of the film.

Still, there are many good thing about the film and Smith definitely shows growth as a writer and director. John Goodman is very good as the conflicted ATF officer as is Michael Parks as the Fred Phelps figure, but I'd have to say that Kerry Bishà (C) gives the best performance as the one cult member trying to save the children in the compound during the ATF raid.

Although a small part, she gave her role enough weight to make her subplot feel complete and meaningful. "Red State" was billed as a horror film and there are some horror elements, but it's not really a horror flick.

Overall, it's a good film with some standout performances and Smith definitely showed growth as a filmmaker. It's a mixed bag, but it's worth checking out.