Here are some well-known faces from Sundance over the years, as they brought their early movies to the festival.
Related lists from IMDb users
Title: Red State (2011)
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| 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 | ... | Sheriff Wynan | |
| Cooper Thornton | ... | Plastic Wrap Man | |
| Betty Aberlin | ... | Abigail | |
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? Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Red State represents Kevin Smith's attempt to direct a horror movie / thriller, focusing on a Phelps-like family of violent religious fanatics. It follows three male college students entrapped by the religious fanatics via an internet relationship site. Although the film features some good characterization and acting by Michael Parks and Melissa Leo, dubious pacing, weak writing, and the lack of a good protagonist undermine it.
Red State suffers from an inability to retain a consistent tone, as it shifts from a buddy comedy to a disturbing horror film to an action movie, and then back to some rather lame laughs. Given that Smith's stated goal was to direct a horror movie, this is a serious flaw. There are only two scenes in the film that could truly qualify as frightening, and they are both undermined by lousy pacing, as too much time is spent watching the main villain talk.
Furthermore, we are never given a clear character to root for,as the film's attention shifts too frequently for anyone other than the villains to stand out. The film divides its attention between the three captives so evenly that none really becomes the lead. (It doesn't help that they are played by unexceptional actors.) The film then shifts to a federal agent played by John Goodman, yet the film can't seem to make up its mind whether he is supposed to be a protagonist or an antagonist.
In the end, only the two main villains played by Michael Parks and Melissa Leo really stand out as interesting characters. Parks gives the lead minister / fanatic a charismatic edge, making it clear why people would follow someone so obviously insane. Leo isn't given as much to work with, but still makes her character compelling. Their performances, along with a somewhat amusing plot twist near the end, are the only things keeping the film from a lower score.