A great cast and good production values are wasted on a messy plot and cartoonish characters, especially the Cooper family. Felt a bit indulgent yet it was somehow still watchable, probably due to the talented cast. I agree with moonkodi's review that it was a pity the tension and horror elements that gained some momentum in the first half were squandered on a pretty dumb and overly long shootout in the closing half.
"Even the Nazis think this guy is nuckin' futs."
If you liked the storytelling and style of Tusk, you might like this. I quite enjoyed it. Goes from a Jesus story to an out of control brawl and the ending was not what I expected to happen. Michael Parks is so creepy and convincing in this and am glad Kevin James cast him for the part.
Felt like it was longer than it actually was. The pastor's speech/sermon was way too long and unimportant for the most part. Anna Gunn's character shows up for 5 minutes at the start of the film and then she's completely forgotten. Direction and cinematography were nothing to write home about. The script needed to be trimmed down; even the ending scene was completely unnecessary.
Goodman was excellent, as he usually is. Parks, Leo, Bishe and Root were good as well.
What a piss poor film. Fails on about every level. Never have i wished more for a plane to crash on my house than during the sermon scene, much as I admire the actor involved. Many good actors wasted - Kevin Pollak being the luckiest... Indulgent mess.
Kevin Smith tries his hand at the horror genre with his passion project Red State. And if this is the best that Smith has left in him, than perhaps it’s best that he’s retiring from filmmaking. The film is vulgar, absurd, void of Smith’s trademark smart, witty dialog, and lacks compelling characters. In short, it’s garbage. Red State is neither entertaining nor chilling, it’s just Smith proselytizing his politics.
Michael Parks’ performance as the pastor was incredible.
After ten minutes I'd had enough of those young male characters. Annoying as hell and stupid. Then it gets a bit more interesting in a church but the scene goes on for way too long. It's like Kevin Smith got carried away with his own dialogue ramblings, and that's what we get to listen to for enjoyment. Not that the dialogue is bad. It's just self indulgent at times, when it needed to be more direct and speed along.
There are some nice touches like the expressions of the followers and the camera work. The story moves along just fast enough. There was some genuine unease and tension. But is the sheriff meant to be ridiculous? Goodman looked liked he didn't give a shit either.
After the two men get killed, why is the third just left to roam around? Especially knowing that the gun room had been accessed. It bugged me because the movie had a realism going for it until then.
Then it becomes a different movie, which kind of destroyed all the unease and tension built beforehand. If a movie could premature ejacualte then this is it. OK maybe that's stupid, but why waste all that creepy set up for a shoot off? It felt very unresolved in some ways. The part when the girls shoots her mother didn't work. It wasn't tragic. We didn't know these characters well enough. And why was the survival of the kids now a thing? Maybe Smith thought this would have an emotional effect? This movie just goes off in directions that don't entirely feel connected. Didn't like all that loose end tieing at the end. There was something good in the dialogue. It just needed to be condensed.
"Shut the fuck up".............. Credits
Poor movie. I dont see the horror at all.
Loved the film, especially the ending.
Such a good movie. Really impressive that this was made without a studio and on a 4 million dollar budget. 100 percent agree with what was said below about the score. Especially love the genre blending.
Very surprising and very unlike any of Kevin Smith's other work. Definitely worth a watch.
Smith's creativity and "view askew" really shone in this film. The rich tapestry of subplots intertwined perfectly with the incredible cross section of characters.
Smith's choice in keeping the film music free was admirable - trusting the audience to decide when to feel the raw emotion evoked throughout the film. I felt it added an appropriate eeriness to the film.
Parks was absolutely fantastic and even through his monologue, I felt captivated by his stage presence and characterisation of the Reverend (Priest, Pastor?).
An interesting and emotional ride, Red State is Smith's best film to date.
Underrated on IMDB, really great movie!
WoW... what a nice surprise... 7/10
Shout by Filipa GilBlockedParent2022-10-14T02:19:52Z
the most scary part of the movie is: this could be a real story and we don't even know