As a fan of Kevin Smith's I was looking forward to Red State. However, the film is a disappointment and I can not recommend it. What should be a simple story of a Waco-like siege on a group of religious extremists is borderline incoherent due to a number of tonal shifts. It almost feels like three different screenwriters, working independently of each other, wrote the beginning, middle, and end. While the acting is sublime, particularly the performances by Michael Parks and John Goodman, they are wasted on such an uneven script. Other fine characters, like Stephen Root's conflicted police chief, are introduced and then quickly cast aside. Much has been made of funny man Kevin Smith branching out and making a serious horror/thriller. While he succeeds in creating an arresting visual style, due to his direction and taut editing, he should have collaborated with another writer that understands the genre better.
Review of Red State
