Red State (2011)

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.

Director:

Kevin Smith

Writer:

Kevin Smith

Stars:

Michael Angarano, Melissa Leo, Michael Parks

3 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Angarano	...	Travis
Deborah Aquila	...	Mrs. Vasquez
Nicholas Braun	...	Billy-Ray
Ronnie Connell	...	Randy
Kaylee DeFer	...	Dana
Joey Figueroa	...	Route 9 Friend
Kyle Gallner	...	Jarod
Anna Gunn	...	Travis' Mother
Matt Jones	...	Deputy Pete
John Lacy	...	Travis' Father
Catherine McCord	...	News Reporter
Alexa Nikolas	...	Jesse
Stephen Root	...	Sherrif Wynan
Cooper Thornton	...	Plastic Wrap Man
Betty Aberlin	...	Abigail

Storyline

The teenager Jarod invites his best friends Travis and Billy-Ray to have a foursome with a thirty-eight year-old woman. While driving to meet the woman, Travis hit a car parked on the road. When they meet the woman, she gives spiked beer to them and they pass out. When the three friends wake up, they find that they are trapped in the fundamentalist Five Points Trinity Church of the infamous Pastor Abin Cooper and that they will be killed. Meanwhile the church is under siege by ATF agents led by Agent Joseph Keenan that have been ordered to destroy the terrorist cell. Will the teenagers be saved by the agents of the law enforcement agency?

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Plot Keywords:

church | atf agent | pastor | murder | deputy | 

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Taglines:

Love thy neighbor

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Genres:

Action | Horror | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence/disturbing content, some sexual content including brief nudity, and pervasive language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 September 2011 (Ireland)

Also Known As:

Untitled Kevin Smith Horror Project

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Harvey Boys, The, NVSH Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

After a screening of the film in Kansas City, Kevin Smith interviewed two life long Westboro Baptist Church members (Shirley Phelps niece and son) who had defected a few years prior. They both enjoyed the film and even complimented Smith on how realistic certain aspects of religious fanaticism are depicted.

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Goofs

(at around 1h 13 mins) At the end of Cooper's paraphrase of the opening of the seven seals, he throws his arms above his head. He then slowly lowers them- twice. First in an over-the-shoulder shot of actor John Goodman, and again in the next shot, a frontal shot of the good preacher.

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Quotes

Pastor Abin Cooper: [from trailer] I fear God. You better believe I fear God.

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Crazy Credits

The cast listing is divided in three parts labeled "Sex", "Religion" and "Politics", representing the respective characters' roles in the movie.

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Connections

References Jackass (2000)

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Soundtracks

"Old Rugged Cross"
Written by George Bennard

User Reviews

Best Kevin Smith Film to Date!

I had the honor of seeing a screening of Red State last night at Laser Pacific in Hollywood as part of the Red State of the Union film school program Kevin Smith held.

Prior to going in, I refused to read any of the Sundance screening reviews of the film because I wanted to avoid spoilers and go in with a fresh experience. I had high expectations and I was not disappointed.

The film begins with sort of the stereotypical horror movie formula, teenagers go out looking for sex and find themselves staring death in the face. However, what happens to them in Red State is a far departure from your standard Jason or Michael Myers flick. The film is hardly a stereotypical horror movie. In fact, Kevin Smith deliberately goes out of his way in this film to keep it far from the typical story arch and structure of most studio movies. Just when you think you know what is going to happen next, Smith hits you with another twist and surprise. This film is completely unpredictable and unforgiving of its characters.

I must congratulate Mr. Smith on the exceptional camera-work and editing in this picture. This is by far the best looking Kevin Smith movie to date. The constant use of hand held cameras and creative cutting, keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time. I think a fair comparison would be Rob Zombie's "The Devil's Rejects" or parts of the original "Texas Chainsaw Massacre". Also, the film has no musical underscore. It uses ambiance and sound effects in place which works beautifully for this film. Most films use music to enhance the mood and make you feel a certain way. In this film, you can tell Kevin Smith doesn't care how you feel and wants you to just sit there and take it.

The cast is also spectacular. Michael Parks steals the show. Also John Goodman delivers the goods and has a lot more screen time than the teaser trailer suggests.

All in all, I think this film is one of the best films I have seen in the last few years. With everything being computer generated these days, it refreshing to see a small practical film like this which still holds as much power as one of the big boy studio flicks. And for those of you worrying about the political or religious messages, there aren't any. This movie does not preach religious views to you nor does it take any kind of political side. Its plain and simple. This is just a horror movie about a family of psychos. The fact that they are religious just adds to the terror.

The movie also features one of the best endings ever.