Red State….Smith’s fresh slate
It is becoming increasingly difficult to know where to stand on the topic of Kevin Smith. Once the superstar of indie film who brought us edgy, breakthrough movies like Clerks and Chasing Amy, now an endlessly outspoken director who often promises the world but rarely delivers.
Being a fan of his earlier work, I breathed a sigh of relief when Smith announced his next film would be a more serious, straightforward horror. Even his most devoted followers seemed to be growing tired of his dick-joke laden films (Zack and Miri make a Porno, Clerks II) and his misfired attempts at mainstream acceptance (Jersey Girl, Cop Out).
Walking into Red State felt a little like sitting down to dinner with the boy who cried wolf. Too often have I walked into a new Kevin Smith film with high expectations only to walk out disappointed. This time though, I knew better than to be swept up in the mans self-manufactured hype. I’d heard the controversy over the distribution of the film, and the now infamous Sundance screening, but really had no idea what to expect from the movie itself.
A million miles from his usual slacker comedies, Red State came as a complete surprise. The plot involves three teenagers getting trapped in a fundamentalist compound in middle America and explores themes of religion, bigotry and life in post 9/11 America. It could well be the best-looking Kevin Smith film yet. Less clunky and more skillfully shot than his previous films, Red State looks great. The script still contains elements of a Kevin Smith script, with touches of vulgarity and slacker humor scattered throughout, but there is more sophistication and a looseness here that we haven’t seen in his other films. The actors seem to have been given room to breath and perhaps to improvise.
What is most rewarding about Red State is its ability to surprise. There are some genuinely impressive plot turns throughout the film that offset its several lengthy, dialogue-driven scenes. The cast is solid, with Michael Parks given a showy, but breakout role as the religious leader, John Goodman once again flexing his dramatic chops, and another great performance by the always impressive Melissa Leo (who wins this months “Rose Byrne award” for seemingly appearing in every movie released these days).
Kevin Smith fan-boys will kneel at his alter no matter what film the guy chooses to make. Others who can step back and judge his work on its individual merit should be pleasantly surprised by Red State. It may not be a strong enough film for us to forgive him for his Jersey Girl/Cop Out/Clerks II deviations, but it looks and feels like a movie from a man with a new agenda. It would be a shame if his plans to quit directing after his next movie should come to fruition, because it is just when the guy is getting interesting again.
It’s true to say that Red State is essentially a B-movie, but as B-movies go, it is a deliciously entertaining ride from a film maker some of us almost gave up on.
