★ 6 / 10
Berserker – Berserker. Kevin Smith breaks away from
John Chard
Berserker – Berserker. Kevin Smith breaks away from his comedic roots to direct and write this religious/political/bigot baiter that lurches from Hostel type…
Berserker – Berserker.
Kevin Smith breaks away from his comedic roots to direct and write this religious/political/bigot baiter that lurches from Hostel type madness into a siege of the damned. Starring Melissa Leo, Michael Parks, John Goodman, Michael Angarano, Kerry Bishe and Nicholas Braun, story finds Parks heading up a Christian cult that lures horny youngsters to their place of worship on the promise of sex with an older woman. Of course once the lads get there it’s not long before the truth of the lure is revealed and we are treated to hate spiel by sermon and some unpleasantness from the production code edition of the torture porn play book.
Red State is an infuriating movie in many ways, but it is never dull and it always remains challenging, even if some of Smith’s sermonising agendas lack cohesion entering the final third of the piece. In fact there are three tonal shifts that don’t make an altogether appetising whole, Smith straining to bridge the gap between satire and horror – cum – thriller. And sadly the climax to all the damaged threads is very anti-climatic. On the major plus side is a cast doing fine work, headed by Goodman, Leo and Parks, the latter getting to play lead dog for a change. It’s impressively shot by Dave Klein and Smith shows flickers of there being a good director in the mix.
Poor box office and bad reviews upon release inevitably got it tarnished as a bad film. In truth it’s a fascinating failure, but it has merits enough to warrant time spent with it. From Westboro to Waco, stopping briefly for a night in a Hostel, Red State is not easily forgotten once sampled. For better or worse. 6/10
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★ 7 / 10
A bad start, a great second act, a Kevin Smith hit
eagandersongil
"Deadly sect" is a movie of surprises, we are inserted into a cliche horror movie, with young people, sex and blood, all of this is really present in Kevin…
"Deadly sect" is a movie of surprises, we are inserted into a cliche horror movie, with young people, sex and blood, all of this is really present in Kevin Smith's work, but there is more, it has an authorial, modern and intelligent direction. wonderful performances, the low expectation gained by the viewer for a weak start is replaced by hatred, fear and tension.
The script is basic in its form, which basically serves as an excuse to develop its characters, so yes, we have a greater care, with several characters that come and go, are striking and brief, each with their drama that talks to the main plot, this is wonderful, since the story choices themselves have problems, especially in the first act.
"Deadly Sect" is a film that talks about religious fanaticism and intolerance, in a sadistic and straightforward way, the sect's presentation is wonderful and all its members make up a whole. At no point does the film bother to be very reflective. This even makes the movie more empty, but it still works very well because the features of the direction help the script a lot.
The direction in question is great, it starts very discreet and begins to appear slowly, at times when the script is bad and not enchanting, small details draw attention, such as cameras running and stuck to actors, camera, soundtrack and photography, then when the film slightly improves its plot and Michael Parks's acting enters the film completely changes the tone, and the late and wonderful actor completely steals the scene, a masterful performance, a physical and linguistic performance, the actor even blurs a bit of the rest of the work given its total surrender to the role, the rest of the cast still has good actors, like John Goodman who makes a focused and dubious performance, a character who comes in late, but has a very deep depth and great importance. Although it could have been better used, the rest of the cast is average to bad.
"Deadly Sect" is a lousy first act and wonderful second act, with a good but unsettling conclusion, the director's touches and hints of black humor remind us that the work has Kevin Smith in charge, a director who is not brilliant but well authored, great acting by MIchael Parks, good action scenes and suspense but a poor script make up the good and surprising long. NOTE 7.5 / 10
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TOMATOMETER
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· 10K ratings
6.1/10
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The heart attack should have won. Sad.