Red State

Red State

Kevin Smith 

Kevin Smith is well known for his satirical comedies (Clerks, Mallrats, etc) and his mischievous roles as an actor (i.e. Silent Bob). However, his most recent endeavor has surprised fans and impressed critics. Red State, an independent action-horror film, follows three teenage boys’ quest for sex and their unfortunate kidnapping by a religious fundamentalist group. A series of startling and fast-paced events leaves most everyone dead, and the hero Officer Keenan (John Goodman), sitting in a small courtroom briefing with high-ranking government officials.

It is here that I truly admire the humor of Kevin Smith as a director. Despite the disobeying of direct orders to kill everyone within the religious group’s compound, Keenan is promoted. The government officials calmly explain that the prisoners taken will not be killed by the U.S government, then proceeds to turn the recording tapes off and laugh at Keenan’s surprise. One of them calmly states “Of course we’re going to kill them. With kindness. After all this isn’t September 10, 2001.” They go further to explain that since the U.S government has the ability to name and detain terrorists’ cells as they see fit, Abin Cooper, (Michael Parks) the leader of the group, will be stripped of his constitutional rights to due process and locked up without trial. The most sickening, but beautiful part of this scene is the amusement the men show at Abin’s expense, for his view of homosexuality as an abomination will be countered by rape from many of his fellow male inmates. The movie ends with Abin pacing his cell as he sing-songs a sermon to himself until another prisoner (Kevin Smith) yells “Shut the F**k up!”