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Special Features
• "The Making of RED STATE" Documentary
• "RED STATE of the Union" SModcasts
• The Sundance Speech with Introduction by Kevin Smith
• A Conversation with Michael Parks with Introduction by Kevin Smith
• Deleted Scenes with Introductions by Kevin Smith
• Trailers with Introduction by Kevin Smith
• Poster Gallery with Introduction by Kevin Smith
• "RED STATE of the Union" SModcasts
• The Sundance Speech with Introduction by Kevin Smith
• A Conversation with Michael Parks with Introduction by Kevin Smith
• Deleted Scenes with Introductions by Kevin Smith
• Trailers with Introduction by Kevin Smith
• Poster Gallery with Introduction by Kevin Smith
Editorial Reviews
Three teenaged boys are lured to the town of Cooper’s Dell with the promise of a party. But instead of enjoying the night of their dreams, the teens are plunged into the nightmarish world of Pastor Abin Cooper and the Five Points Trinity, a fundamentalist group with a stockpile of weaponry and a deadly moral agenda. When word of the teens’ disappearance reaches the authorities, a military task force is mobiliz ed. With Cooper’s Dell teetering between salvation and damnation, the ATF braces for a furious gun battle with Cooper and his heavily armed followers in this fever-pitched action thriller from writer-director Kevin Smith.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 20 people found the following review helpful
By DanD
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Blu-ray
Kevin Smith loves to make movies that alienate people; it's just his thing. His horror/thriller RED STATE isn't quite as potentially-infuriating as DOGMA, perhaps, but it's certainly right up there. The premise is simple: three teens seek sex from a woman who turns out to be the daughter of a Christian fanatic who has taken his religion to extremes. His family cult kills homosexuals, and even though the three teens don't fit the profile, they're close enough for government work. Speaking of which, the A.T.F shows up, and a Wacco-esque standoff ensues. Add in an epilogue worthy of the Coen Brothers, and some wise-cracking that is decidedly Smith's own, and you have an entertaining thriller.
The thing is, religion isn't Smith's target. Yes, Abin Cooper (a superb Michael Parks) and his daughter (Melissa Leo, not quite getting to shine) are religious in the extreme; but the three teens (among whom Michael Angarano stands out) aren't exactly likable either, driven more by their hormones than anything else. On the A.T.F.'s side, we have a morally-confused agent in the form of John Goodman, following orders but not entirely happy about it. None of these characters is entirely likeable (Goodman remains the most sympathetic), but they aren't supposed to be. Smith is exploring humanity's desire for blind belief: in God, in sex, in politics, and every combination thereof. He even divides his cast, in the end credits, into those categories. He condemns, bloodily so, but that doesn't mean he's happy about it.
Parks and Goodman are phenomenal; whatever your political/social views, watch the film for their performances. The supporting cast is solid; look for a great Stephen Root as the local sheriff, and Kevin Pollak as another A.T.F. agent. The dialogue flows smoothly, and the action is actually pretty cool; Smith knows how to show someone getting shot. The film is admittedly a bit didactic, but that's part of its charm: it's nice to see a filmmaker not hedging his bets, and instead giving us exactly what's on his mind. Make no mistake about RED STATE: Kevin Smith isn't setting his sights merely on religious fanatics. He has all of us, to some extent or other, in his cross hairs.
The thing is, religion isn't Smith's target. Yes, Abin Cooper (a superb Michael Parks) and his daughter (Melissa Leo, not quite getting to shine) are religious in the extreme; but the three teens (among whom Michael Angarano stands out) aren't exactly likable either, driven more by their hormones than anything else. On the A.T.F.'s side, we have a morally-confused agent in the form of John Goodman, following orders but not entirely happy about it. None of these characters is entirely likeable (Goodman remains the most sympathetic), but they aren't supposed to be. Smith is exploring humanity's desire for blind belief: in God, in sex, in politics, and every combination thereof. He even divides his cast, in the end credits, into those categories. He condemns, bloodily so, but that doesn't mean he's happy about it.
Parks and Goodman are phenomenal; whatever your political/social views, watch the film for their performances. The supporting cast is solid; look for a great Stephen Root as the local sheriff, and Kevin Pollak as another A.T.F. agent. The dialogue flows smoothly, and the action is actually pretty cool; Smith knows how to show someone getting shot. The film is admittedly a bit didactic, but that's part of its charm: it's nice to see a filmmaker not hedging his bets, and instead giving us exactly what's on his mind. Make no mistake about RED STATE: Kevin Smith isn't setting his sights merely on religious fanatics. He has all of us, to some extent or other, in his cross hairs.
63 of 80 people found the following review helpful
By ryad
Format:Blu-ray
I had the pleasure of seeing this movie on the Red State tour when it made its way to Seattle. John Goodman gives a stunning performance and this tale of morality and the choices we make is a brilliant story. Critics of Smith's visual style will be surprised to see a movie as visually interesting as the story is gripping and the characters well developed and intriguing.
I love the shades of gray within the story. Everyone has their motives for their actions good and bad and much like real life, there are no clear cut good guys and bad guys. It's not that kind of story.
I am really looking forward to seeing it again and sharing it with all my friends who did not have a chance to see it while it was on tour.
I love the shades of gray within the story. Everyone has their motives for their actions good and bad and much like real life, there are no clear cut good guys and bad guys. It's not that kind of story.
I am really looking forward to seeing it again and sharing it with all my friends who did not have a chance to see it while it was on tour.
30 of 37 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
More of an Exploitation Film Than a Horror Film; A Welcome Surprise from Kevin Smith
September 14, 2011
Format:Blu-ray
Red State has received more attention for the way director Kevin Smith controversially auctioned the film to himself at Sundance and then chose to distribute it, rather than the real novelty of the film; the fact that it's a horror film directed by Kevin Smith. At least, it's billed that way. Truth is, Red State may have elements of a horror film, but it also has the elements of an action film and the elements of a Kevin Smith film which makes it hard to confine it to one genre. This becomes a problem since the film never settles comfortably for a singular vision and all these elements don't mesh together well. It's imperfections as a film must be noted right away, but it remains a refreshing change of pace for Smith and shows that he does possess the capability to surprise people.
En route to his local high school, Travis (Michael Angarano) spots members of the Five Points Trinity Church protesting the funeral of a recently murdered, homosexual teenager. At school, even the teacher talks about the church and how the most ultra of the ultra-Conservatives have distanced themselves from the politics of Five Points Church. Travis and his friends Jared (Kyle Gallner) and Billy Ray (Nicholas Braun) have other things on their mind though. Jared has set up a meeting online with an older woman for all three of them. When they go to meet the woman, they are ambushed by Sarah Cooper (Melissa Leo) and the rest of the churchgoers. Brought to the church, the head pastor Abin Cooper (Michael Parks) takes center stage and reveals that the church is much more sinister than anybody believed.
The film begins like a typical modern horror movie. Teenagers, their heads full of the potential for sex, find themselves in a dangerous situation. Red State abruptly changes gears once its three principal characters are kidnapped and the remainder of the film is basically a standoff between the church compound and ATF Agents, unaware of the kidnapped teenagers inside. There are other familiar faces in the cast, including John Goodman and Kevin Pollak as two ATF agents and Stephen Root as the closeted local sheriff.
Smith's film is inspired by the Westboro Baptist Church and their leader Fred Phelps, the group that the Ku-Klux-Klan dismissed as too extreme in their intolerance. Smith has constructed the Five Points Church and its members from the WBC, but the Five Points Church is a cinematic hybrid of the WBC, the Branch Davidians, and the Manson Family. In watching Michael Parks play Abin Cooper, I'm quite sure he looked to the respective leaders of these groups/cults as there are visible aspects of Phelps, David Koresh, and Charles Manson in the performance. Phelps is the most obvious, but Parks is much more charismatic than that. Smith reveals his presence behind the camera when Abin Cooper enters the film and, with Jared trapped in a nearby cage, preaches to his congregation for nearly fifteen minutes about his extremist views. His dialogue isn't satirical either and besides the kidnapped teenagers on stage him with him, Cooper's preaching is actually less extreme than that of Fred Phelps' clan. I must emphasize again that Cooper preaches for nearly fifteen minutes. Red State is only 80 minutes. From his first scene to his final scene, Parks chews the scenery like gum without ever going over-the-top. A character actor, best known for playing a recurring police officer in several Quentin Tarantino films, he's able to really make an impression here. With his commanding performance at the center, he brings instant prestige to the film. Red State has been putting itself in place for Academy Award consideration. Say what you will about the film itself and Kevin Smith as a writer and director; Parks may have a real chance. It's a bravura performance, flamboyant and brilliant enough to consider Oscar-worthy. These are the best performances that Kevin Smith has ever seen to fruition. No one gives a weak performance and don't let the horror tag fool you; this is a film driven by performances. Melissa Leo, an actress of unbridled talent, is extreme here but great as usual. John Goodman meanwhile is given a really meaty role, bringing unexpected depth to a film that doesn't require it.
There's not a frame of Red State that even remotely resembles anything that Smith has done before, but it's clearly his work. Billed as a horror film, the film is heavy on blood but light on both gore and actual horror. Unheard and unseen of in horror films of late, there's also a strong emphasis on character and dialogue. Red State is much closer in spirit to an exploitation film, as its subject matter is built on the foundation of the exploitation genre; taking a topical subject and exploiting it to extreme lengths. The latter half of the film is a large-scale stand-off sequence, complete with shoot-outs, moral dilemmas, and several onscreen deaths. Smith's forte is character and dialogue, but he's quite good with shoot-outs too. The laziness that marred the action sequences of Cop Out, his previous film, isn't present here. There was obviously more passion behind the camera as well as in the editing room.
Smith has publicly noted that he considers himself more of a writer than a director, yet ironically the biggest imperfections in Red State stem from the writing, with Smith never settling on a particular direction for his film. Smith has a gift for dialogue and it suits the film well here, but the dialogue between the teenaged characters in earlier scenes is heavy-handed; like it's trying to be vulgar, rather than letting vulgarity illustrate the mind-set of these characters. Smith has said that this would be a straight-forward horror film, with no comedy. Well, there is some comedy; there's just no toilet humor. The epilogue especially veers into comedy (of a satirical nature), but doesn't betray what came before it. Since he never settles specifically into the horror genre, the comedy keeps things interesting. One of the best moments in the film is also one of the funniest, with Smith delivering the film's final line off-screen. It's hilarious, but the symbolic nature of him delivering the line works on a much deeper level than just a director cameo pining for laughs.
There's a lack of direction, as Smith's horror film never allows itself to be categorized. It's not horrific enough to be horror, nor is there enough action for it to be an action film. Smith could have made an indictment of religious extremism in America, but chose not to. Perhaps Smith believed that showing the group, who don't do anything in the film that hasn't been perpetrated by real fundamentalists in the name of religion, speaks volumes by itself. While there are no profound statements made here about religion or anything else, Red State is not a failure and is an enjoyable film. It's well directed, with great performances and great dialogue; entertaining and much better than most of the crap that passes for horror/exploitation nowadays.
I admit that it's not the horror film that Smith promised, but it is better than most of the "horror" films audiences have been treated to in recent years. It also proves that Smith isn't the one-note director he's been accused of being. Red State is not a great film, it's not perfect, and I could make suggestions on what could have been improved, but Smith needs to be given credit for making a dark, fun movie. It lacks a profound or even profoundly satirical look at the fundamentalists he's going after, but Smith's final line sums everything up perfectly. When it comes to dealing with religious extremists of this sort, it's really the only thing you can say.
GRADE: B
En route to his local high school, Travis (Michael Angarano) spots members of the Five Points Trinity Church protesting the funeral of a recently murdered, homosexual teenager. At school, even the teacher talks about the church and how the most ultra of the ultra-Conservatives have distanced themselves from the politics of Five Points Church. Travis and his friends Jared (Kyle Gallner) and Billy Ray (Nicholas Braun) have other things on their mind though. Jared has set up a meeting online with an older woman for all three of them. When they go to meet the woman, they are ambushed by Sarah Cooper (Melissa Leo) and the rest of the churchgoers. Brought to the church, the head pastor Abin Cooper (Michael Parks) takes center stage and reveals that the church is much more sinister than anybody believed.
The film begins like a typical modern horror movie. Teenagers, their heads full of the potential for sex, find themselves in a dangerous situation. Red State abruptly changes gears once its three principal characters are kidnapped and the remainder of the film is basically a standoff between the church compound and ATF Agents, unaware of the kidnapped teenagers inside. There are other familiar faces in the cast, including John Goodman and Kevin Pollak as two ATF agents and Stephen Root as the closeted local sheriff.
Smith's film is inspired by the Westboro Baptist Church and their leader Fred Phelps, the group that the Ku-Klux-Klan dismissed as too extreme in their intolerance. Smith has constructed the Five Points Church and its members from the WBC, but the Five Points Church is a cinematic hybrid of the WBC, the Branch Davidians, and the Manson Family. In watching Michael Parks play Abin Cooper, I'm quite sure he looked to the respective leaders of these groups/cults as there are visible aspects of Phelps, David Koresh, and Charles Manson in the performance. Phelps is the most obvious, but Parks is much more charismatic than that. Smith reveals his presence behind the camera when Abin Cooper enters the film and, with Jared trapped in a nearby cage, preaches to his congregation for nearly fifteen minutes about his extremist views. His dialogue isn't satirical either and besides the kidnapped teenagers on stage him with him, Cooper's preaching is actually less extreme than that of Fred Phelps' clan. I must emphasize again that Cooper preaches for nearly fifteen minutes. Red State is only 80 minutes. From his first scene to his final scene, Parks chews the scenery like gum without ever going over-the-top. A character actor, best known for playing a recurring police officer in several Quentin Tarantino films, he's able to really make an impression here. With his commanding performance at the center, he brings instant prestige to the film. Red State has been putting itself in place for Academy Award consideration. Say what you will about the film itself and Kevin Smith as a writer and director; Parks may have a real chance. It's a bravura performance, flamboyant and brilliant enough to consider Oscar-worthy. These are the best performances that Kevin Smith has ever seen to fruition. No one gives a weak performance and don't let the horror tag fool you; this is a film driven by performances. Melissa Leo, an actress of unbridled talent, is extreme here but great as usual. John Goodman meanwhile is given a really meaty role, bringing unexpected depth to a film that doesn't require it.
There's not a frame of Red State that even remotely resembles anything that Smith has done before, but it's clearly his work. Billed as a horror film, the film is heavy on blood but light on both gore and actual horror. Unheard and unseen of in horror films of late, there's also a strong emphasis on character and dialogue. Red State is much closer in spirit to an exploitation film, as its subject matter is built on the foundation of the exploitation genre; taking a topical subject and exploiting it to extreme lengths. The latter half of the film is a large-scale stand-off sequence, complete with shoot-outs, moral dilemmas, and several onscreen deaths. Smith's forte is character and dialogue, but he's quite good with shoot-outs too. The laziness that marred the action sequences of Cop Out, his previous film, isn't present here. There was obviously more passion behind the camera as well as in the editing room.
Smith has publicly noted that he considers himself more of a writer than a director, yet ironically the biggest imperfections in Red State stem from the writing, with Smith never settling on a particular direction for his film. Smith has a gift for dialogue and it suits the film well here, but the dialogue between the teenaged characters in earlier scenes is heavy-handed; like it's trying to be vulgar, rather than letting vulgarity illustrate the mind-set of these characters. Smith has said that this would be a straight-forward horror film, with no comedy. Well, there is some comedy; there's just no toilet humor. The epilogue especially veers into comedy (of a satirical nature), but doesn't betray what came before it. Since he never settles specifically into the horror genre, the comedy keeps things interesting. One of the best moments in the film is also one of the funniest, with Smith delivering the film's final line off-screen. It's hilarious, but the symbolic nature of him delivering the line works on a much deeper level than just a director cameo pining for laughs.
There's a lack of direction, as Smith's horror film never allows itself to be categorized. It's not horrific enough to be horror, nor is there enough action for it to be an action film. Smith could have made an indictment of religious extremism in America, but chose not to. Perhaps Smith believed that showing the group, who don't do anything in the film that hasn't been perpetrated by real fundamentalists in the name of religion, speaks volumes by itself. While there are no profound statements made here about religion or anything else, Red State is not a failure and is an enjoyable film. It's well directed, with great performances and great dialogue; entertaining and much better than most of the crap that passes for horror/exploitation nowadays.
I admit that it's not the horror film that Smith promised, but it is better than most of the "horror" films audiences have been treated to in recent years. It also proves that Smith isn't the one-note director he's been accused of being. Red State is not a great film, it's not perfect, and I could make suggestions on what could have been improved, but Smith needs to be given credit for making a dark, fun movie. It lacks a profound or even profoundly satirical look at the fundamentalists he's going after, but Smith's final line sums everything up perfectly. When it comes to dealing with religious extremists of this sort, it's really the only thing you can say.
GRADE: B
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
REally unpleasant
Red State is a relentlessly unpleasant experience, with one jaded cynical take on humanity piled on top of another. Tarantino liked it, apparently.
Published 8 days ago by Fal Shaw
2.0 out of 5 stars
A rediculous mess!
Well all in all this film was a strange tale. On one hand it was totally rediculous, and on the other hand it did have some redeaming qualities. Read more
Published 14 days ago by Natja Kristy
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good Movie, Not What I Expected
I like Kevin Smith movies, but this one is trying to be a real movie. It was brurtal and serious with very little humor. Read more
Published 14 days ago by William D. Colburn
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good flick
GOOD Movie.. Not your typical Kevin Smith film.. But certainly good.. I look forward to his possible high budget ending to the flick if he ever decides to make it.. Read more
Published 19 days ago by Gregory L. Bodine
5.0 out of 5 stars
Kevin Smiths Magnum Opus
This is a very unconditional Kevin Smith movie. Every time you think you know what's coming the movie does the exact opposite. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Roberto
4.0 out of 5 stars
Red state= wow
Although this film is obviously low-budget, it grabs you almost immediately and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Bbrown5237
2.0 out of 5 stars
I tried so hard to like this
But it's really not a good movie. Violent and cruel for no reason, lacking in plot and over acted. I am a Kevin Smith fan and a supporter of doing these kinds of films... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Pamela
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Movie!
Absolutely great movie! Not at all a typical kevin Smith Movie, but one of his best! Great story and characters!
Published 1 month ago by Pete Rhoads
3.0 out of 5 stars
Undercutting the message
The essential message would have come through more clearly if they hadn't made the mistake of making the Government likewise evil. Strategic error. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Stephen Van Eck
4.0 out of 5 stars
ILHM Reviews: Red State
Three teens become the unsuspecting hostages of an extremist religious cult after accepting an online invitation for sex in the explosive thriller, RED STATE. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Carl Manes
