Review of Red State (2011) by Claudius C — 01 Jan 2012

Let me preface this that by saying that I am, ultimately, somewhat too close to this film to cover it objectively yet. Having followed the production, subsequent release, and the controversy surrounding it - mostly from director's Kevin Smith's point of view - I had strong expectations for the movie, both in terms of quality, and the content of the film. In the end, I am only certain of one thing - the movie definitely did not fall in line with the expectations of content.

What the film was marketed as was, ultimately, typical B-movie fare, spiced somewhat with the promise of touching in some interesting issues in true 70s fashion. This was not the case, as it turns out, as the movie sidesteps the horror line with killing off some of the main characters rather promptly, leaving little possible expectation of eventual escape. As the second half neared, John Goodman's character got involved, and my attention was turned to him - hear, I thought, was the righteous revenge I, as an audience member, long for. In a shocking turn, however, I found no solace in the intervention of the government, as self-interest quickly took over concern for justice.

All this, however, was executed with the competence not seen in a Kevin Smith movie since perhaps Dogma. The camerawork is, as is so rarely the case with these HD, hand-held films, stunning and visual, as opposed to grimy and amateurish. The dialogue and pacing are air-tight, not a single line wasted or off-mark. Any levity in this film is all too brief, and as we witness the events on screen taking lives of extremely competently acted characters one by one, we are propelled towards the shocking climax, which could not be anticipated. And yet, once it was over, it became quite clear that, completely unbelievable though it may have been, the deus ex machina ending pulls the ending off as mercifully as possible, at the same time pulling no punches as to the terrifying reality of the film-world.

If nothing else, the film is worth seeing as a competent example of quality independent film taking itself beyond the dialogue-heavy comedy which Kevin Smith cemented as the bread and butter of indie some 17 years ago.