Red State

Impressions before seeing it
Red State is Kevin Smith's first dramatic movie (though I consider Chasing Amy to be at least half drama), and that in itself is an interesting sell. A year or two ago, Smith mentioned in his blog that he had sent out the script for a movie called Red State, and that readers said it was terrifying and begged him to make the movie. He wisely neglected to say what it was actually about, and thus some hype began.

How was it?
Smith considers this to be a horror film, and it sort of is, just not in the traditional sense - i.e. no masked killer running around and no creepy monsters popping out. What makes Red State scary is that it brings forth the ugly truth in human belief systems. Granted, it does it in a way that may be extreme and hard to believe, but I think the intention is to play the devil's advocate and show audiences of the religious bigot variety how insane they look when exhibiting such hatred and discrimination.

Basically, it's about a religious cult that lures homosexuals and "sexual deviants" into traps so that they can lynch them in front of the daily congregation. Michael Parks plays the leader of the cult, and while he is very good in the role, I was expecting something with gravitas and didn't quite get that from the character. He wasn't scary, I just hated him for his ignorance, and the other church-goers even more so; one of the most effective parts, in my opinion, was the shots of them nodding their approval and beaming proudly as the "sinners" were tortured up front. There may only be a limited number of people who would pass judgment on someone and go so far as to lynch them in the name of God, but it is likely a much larger number who would gladly stand there and watch while others do it. That is what this movie is acknowledging, that part of humanity that is so blinded by belief and the illusion of righteousness that we use God as an excuse to do away with things we don't like. Sorry, you can claim all you want that God hates fags or whatever, but if there is a God I doubt he promotes hate.

Recommendation
Show this movie to any hardcore religious morons you might know who like to follow all those bigoted, contradictory bible rules. For everyone else, it's an interesting political action drama from a director who is known for dick and fart comedies, and that might be enough of a reason to blow your mind. Oddly enough it reminds me of Burn After Reading, only more serious and much more violent.