Red State

Yesterday we lost the terrific character actor Michael Parks. A rising star in the 60's, Parks fame would quickly fade after constant battles with studio heads. He would be rediscovered a couple of decades later when some notable filmmakers, David Lynch, Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, and Kevin Smith, to name a few, who were fans of his earlier work would reintroduce him to new and younger audiences by casting him in their projects. Smith would even give him in the lead in two projects, Tusk, which I covered in an earlier post, and 2011's Red State.

Smith took a break from his comedic films to attempt this unnerving horror drama. Parks plays Abin Cooper, the leader of the Five Points Trinity Church. His congregation is an incredibly racist group that wants to rid the world of homosexuals, African Americans, and anyone they deem to be a perversion of God. They have lured three young men, Michael Angrarano, Nicholas Braun, and Kyle Gallner, into a trap by having one of their flock, Melissa Leo, pretend to be an easy woman on a sex website that has agreed to meet them for a hook up. Cooper plans on sacrificing the three. When an ATF agent, John Goodman, gets a tip off about the churches nefarious plans, he tries to put a kibosh on it leading to a David Koresh, Waco style standoff.

This is far from a pleasant film, but it is a real showcase for Smith who show's that he can stretch his directing muscle. It's also a great showcase for Parks who is nothing short of amazing as the corrupt preacher.

After finding it a difficult sale to distributors, Smith earned the funds and marketed it himself. His strategy wasn't a big release, but taking it city to city. A move that probably didn't pay off too well in the long run.

Red State is not going to be to everyone's tastes, but even as unpleasant as it is, I think it's still a good film and a real feather in the caps of Smith and Parks.

It's available on dvd and blu ray.