Kevin Smith channels his buddies Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez for this action/thriller about horny guys kidnapped by a whacked-out extreme right wing church. The fact that the movie upset the Westboro Baptist Church (whose members protested at the film's premier) is proof in the pudding - the events depicted, while extreme, are in line with the radical churches and their viewpoints.
Smith even got one of QT's favorite actors, the late Michael Parks, to play the juicy lead role as the demented leader of the church/cult. And John Goodman plays an ATF agent who may be just as nutso as Parks' preacher.
The movie is a full tilt "Hostel"-like version of what went down in Waco and in the end, is not very successful, despite Smith's enthusiastic direction. In the end, there are really no good guys to root for.
A better examination of this idea can be found in the 2018 mini-series "Waco," which featured believable performances from Taylor Kitsch (as Koresh) and Michael Shannon (as the main negotiator).
Smith even got one of QT's favorite actors, the late Michael Parks, to play the juicy lead role as the demented leader of the church/cult. And John Goodman plays an ATF agent who may be just as nutso as Parks' preacher.
The movie is a full tilt "Hostel"-like version of what went down in Waco and in the end, is not very successful, despite Smith's enthusiastic direction. In the end, there are really no good guys to root for.
A better examination of this idea can be found in the 2018 mini-series "Waco," which featured believable performances from Taylor Kitsch (as Koresh) and Michael Shannon (as the main negotiator).