Red State - Blu-ray Review

Details: By Loron Hays; 23 October 2011

{2jtab: Movie Review}

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Maybe it took the wicked sting of Cop Out to bring writer/director Kevin Smith back into the world of low, low, super low budget independent film. Not since Clerks has his writing and his directing fired on all thrusters as mightily as with Red State, a shocking and poignant look at religion and violence in America. Sure, one could easily dismiss the film with how the continuously pissy Smith handled the distribution of the film, selling it to himself in a mock auction for a mere twenty bucks and then coupling it with the price of seeing him in person before securing a Direct TV deal and eventual Lionsgate DVD/Blu-ray distribution, but the film, for the honest reviewer not out to see the man harm for his comments against critics, says otherwise. Red State is powerful and perplexing; proof that Smith, the filmmaker, is growing into the inglorious bastard his debut promised.

Loosely based after the Westboro Baptist Church or any other “ministry” patterned after a sort of homosexual hating Fred Phelps-helmed organization, Red State adds an abundance of firearms to the post-9/11 argument of terrorism verses religion in America. The Five Points Church, led by Abin Cooper (Michael Parks), is back in the news. Their picketing has dusted up some local media controversy. While most dismiss Cooper as a lunatic, the ATF, represented here by the character of Joseph Keenan (John Goodman in a wonderfully solid performance) and a blink and you’ll miss it moment from Kevin Pollack, has had their eye on him and his followers for some time as a possible terrorist threat.

When three horny teenagers - Jared (Kyle Gallner), Travis (Michael Angarano), Billy Ray (Nicholas Braun) – answer an add for some backwoods trailer park sex they find themselves held captive Cooper and his heavily-armed followers. What follows is a mesh-up of Branch Dividian follies and one man’s conscience as he wrestles with what he ought to do and what he is told to do. Ultimately, the violence kicked up by two armed forces in the allegorical standoff that ensues shakes the spirit, revealing that Red State is, in the moment, and completely a matter of faith.

Smith expands his dialogue, for the most part, outside of his normal “ass” and “dick” shtick, and tackles some heavy issues that are pretty, for lack of a better term, loaded. You’ve got homophobia, the first and second amendments, government authority over individual rights, and religious extremism. All free from marijuana references, comic book zeal, and the all-too-familiar slacker attitude. For Smith and his burned out audience, Red State is a bloody breath of fresh air. Yet, the horror tagline it is being branded with is a bit of misnomer. This is drama, through and through, as Red State is filled with tension and not horror.

Writer/director Smith also explodes with some uncharacteristically fierce direction from behind the camera. Bullets zip and characters charge through the field of vision in some wicked ratcheting-up of action scenes and natural movements that make Cop Out’s action look more and more like the joke they were never meant to be. There’s a gritty look to Red State that is both expressive and energetic. Praise goes to Smith’s usual cinematographer Dave Klein for stretching himself a bit and not playing it safe with the look and feel of the project.

It seems Smith and the company he keeps really wanted to do something different this time. For the most part, they succeed. Red State isn’t perfect, but it is a surprise. The snafu’s kicked up by an overzealous script that reveals more and more of Smith’s hatred for organized religion is handled with careful skill from Goodman, Parks, and Melissa Leo who underplay and bring honest character to what easily could have been mistaken for an unintended sequel to Dogma. The critics are wailing against the film (currently at an underwhelming 48% on RT) because Smith is their current target. They’ve obviously wounded Smith. Don’t let their sharpened knives stab at you, too.

Smith says he’s quitting the business. He claims no critic loves him; says it is not fun anymore. Sad statements indeed as they say more about his lack of confidence than it does about his creativity. Red State shows what an artist can do when they step out of their self-imposed (and somewhat bitchy) worldview and do something…independent.

{2jtab: Film Details}

MPAA Rating: R for strong violence/disturbing content, some sexual content including brief nudity, and pervasive language.
Director: Kevin Smith
Writer: Kevin Smith
Cast: Michael Angarano; Ronnie Connell; Nicholas Braun; Anna Gunn; Matt L. Jones
Genre: Action | Horror | Thriller
Tagline: Love thy neighbor
Memorable Movie Quote: "You're already dead sinner. You destroyed your spirit in a waste of shame."
Distributor: Lionsgate
Official Site: http://coopersdell.com
Theatrical Release Date: March 5, 2011 (New York, New York)
DVD/Blu-ray/VOP Release Date: October 18, 2011

Synopsis: Set in Middle America, a group of teens receive an online invitation for sex, though they soon encounter fundamentalists with a much more sinister agenda.

{2jtab: Blu-ray Details}

Red State - Blu-ray Review

Component Grades
Movie		Blu-ray Disc


Blu-ray Experience

Blu-ray Details:

Available on Blu-ray - October 18, 2011
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Discs: 25GB Blu-ray Disc; Single disc (1 BD)

Shot on the radical freeing RED camera, Lionsgate’s encoded 1080p transfer (presented in an aspect ration of 1.85:1) is a digital revolution. Contrast is pushed to high levels and colors are super warm. Blood appears rusty brown and hair is muddied a bit. There is a genuine smooth quality to the film that comes about because of the RED mechanics, so lack of grain may be an issue for some. Detail is preserved, although - due to the contrast boost - some fine detail gets lost due to an abundance of natural light sources. The rich DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is a bold one. The machine gun fire is an audio orgasm for action fans. The bottom levels thump with heavy momentum and force attention to the on-screen fleeing and compound captivity.

Supplements:

Commentary:

None

Special Features:

Red State might be without a traditional commentary, but Smith’s presence is felt, heard, and seen throughout the supplemental material as he gives an introduction to each and every featurette. The supplementals are fairly loaded and present a two-part making of that is as interesting as the feature itself. The cast is interviewed in most and Smith includes a bunch of interesting and lengthy Q & A’s about the making of the film and its unconventional release. These Smodcast Commentaries are fairly exhaustive and, for those able to make it through, easily doubles times three, the length of the movie. The inclusion of the infamous Sundance Speech is of note to Smith’s fans and, like it or not, proves the move was a success.