Kevin Smith, the lovable, round peddler of stoner humour has for many years occupied a quirky, warm nook in my heart -- somewhere near George Carlin and across the way from the duplex where Richard Prior and Woody Allen squat in blissful, if unconventional harmony. With 'Red State', however, Mr Smith has vaulted to a new and surprising stratum of admiration. Pay no mind to the doubters -- this is a wonderful film. Yes, it is horrifically violent. Yes, it portrays religious crazies as, well, crazies. Yes, the ATF are shown to be reckless goons. But here's where the story is: in a sense, we see that the crazies love their children, love their God, etc. Their flaw is not in their 'human' qualities, so to speak, but in the strength of their beliefs. And it's the same with the ATF and the powers that be: they fully believe they are doing the right thing. The conflict here lies not in the philosophies of the protagonists, but in the totality of their conviction. As far as I can tell, all the characters in this movie could have got along just fine, if only they didn't take their ideas quite so seriously. Oh, and when it arrives, the humour in this film comes dark and bleak -- just how I like it.
Utterly superb. 10/10.
Utterly superb. 10/10.