Red State - red band trailer review Directed by: Kevin Smith Starring: Kyle Gallner, John Goodman, Melissa Leo Rating: R Release Date: October 19, 2011
TRAILER SCORE: 9/10
Thoughts by TSR: It's been a long time coming for me when it comes to Red State. I've been excited about this movie since its inception, a little nervous about its distribution, but I can safely say that this trailer quells just about all my fears.
I'll admit, I've stuck through it all for Kevin Smith. Yes, that includes Jersey Girl. But there's no denying that Kevin Smith is pretty much at his best when it comes to blasphemy. Red State is no exception. The trailer starts out simply enough with the crue humor that we've come to expect from the outspoken filmmaker. It's funny in all the right places, which is a great way to start.
Because when Red State shifts from its comedic tone, in the same vein as the teen sex comedy, to a torture porn fest about the dangers of blind faith, there's no going back. It gets dark and it gets more tense than I could have imagined. Without giving away too much, Red State manages to establish a solid setting for the film, while providing some honest to God scares.
Still, the trailer is perhaps at its best when the scares and the laughs meet halfway. It's difficult to make the two work without selling one short, but Red State has all the action, tension, and humor that I could ask for. Imagine if Dogma and Die Hard had a crack baby and you've got a pretty good idea of what Red State seems to be all about. October can't come soon enough.