Everything begins in “Red State” as in one of the uninspired teen outfits that clogged not only the box office, but also the home theater market due to the runaway success of “American Pie” at the turn of the century. Three teenagers Travis (Michael Angarano), Billy Ray (Nicholas Braun) and Jared (Kyle Gallner) want to have group sex with a woman they found on a website. And it soon becomes clear that we are not wearing teenage clothes.
Because before the boys can even get a shot in, they fall to the ground in a daze and soon find themselves in the clutches of the Five Points Trinity Church, an arch-reactionary cult led by charismatic pastor Albin Cooper (Michael Parks, “From Dusk Till Dawn “) attributes all that is evil, evil and corrupt in the world to homosexuality. But this is far from the last genre change in “Red State”…
Inspired by true events
The fact that ‘Red State’ is a special film is evident from the name of the director: Kevin Smith. In the mid-nineties, he was, along with a certain Quentin Tarantino, one of the most exciting and influential indie directors ever. Unlike the ‘Pulp Fiction’ creator, Smith didn’t stay true to his style throughout (although he did return to it again and again), but instead tried his hand at different segments.
After the slightly different RomCom “Zack And Miri Make A Porno” and the buddy action comedy “Cop Out” starring Bruce Willis, “Red State” should becomes an incredibly grim horror actioner that simultaneously offers a glimpse into a deeply disturbed America. The whole thing is based on the world-famous 51-day Waco siege in 1993, in which the FBI stormed the ranch of the Branch Davidians sect and caused a terrible massacre.
You haven’t seen “Red State” yet, but now you’re really interested in what Kevin Smith has done here? You can rent the film from Amazon via Prime Video for an additional fee:
No one is safe in this movie
After being introduced to the interior of Five Points Trinity Church and witnessing the brutality the cult uses to follow its extremely twisted ideology, “Red State” really explodes. Because two of the teens, who were originally just looking for a quickie, manage to free themselves and end up straight in the cult’s armory. What follows is a leaden, bitterly evil bloodbath (the FSK-18 rating is no coincidence) in which no one is truly safe.
After the first shots are fired, ATF Special Agent Joseph Keenan (John Goodman, “The Big Lebowski”) is assigned the task of carrying out a very violent, raid-style attack on the cult’s territory, ultimately killing no one survives. If you look at the real events surrounding Waco (for example in the three-part Netflix documentary ‘Waco: American Apocalypse’), the battering ram approach of the authorities in the film is not that far removed from the real events.
With ‘Red State’ you have to be prepared to be treated to an incredibly sensational genre film that of course does not refer to facts, but only uses Waco as a source of inspiration. His socio-political criticism is above all a grim polemic, even though the film hits home again and again in its unpredictable ruthlessness. And the ending, the last minute of the film, is simply fantastic.
Author: Pascal Reis
Source : Film Starts
I am Dawid Malan, a news reporter for 24 Instant News. I specialize in celebrity and entertainment news, writing stories that capture the attention of readers from all walks of life. My work has been featured in some of the world’s leading publications and I am passionate about delivering quality content to my readers.
