Kevin Smith, by his own admission, is not a particularly talented filmmaker. To a point, this has been cloaked in the earnestness of his comedy that appeals to a medium denominator with the occasional aspirations to an artier clique. By the time he finished Jersey Girl, his sense of humor was so well worn that his characters and ego began to suffer, forcing him to explore new realms of filmmaking; in that case, a drama. Then, it was off to directing someone else’s words in Cop Out and paying homage to the films made by Judd Apatow, of which he was certainly an influence, in Zack and Miri Make A Porno. With the shocking popularity of his live appearances and the lack needing to prepare new material for them, it was almost a forgone conclusion that he was done with moviemaking. Then came this movie.
To his credit, horror is certainly something he hasn’t tried before. That he wouldn’t succeed is, again, practically a forgone conclusion, but that he was capable of crafting a decent yet irreverent thriller will allow him to give audiences their first real surprise since Clerks.
The film essentially imagines what would happen if the Westboro Baptist Church collectively displayed homicidal tendencies and ended up with a Waco-style showdown. After an uncertain opening, the audience is treated to a truly unique vision of horror, where a moment of uncertainty is followed by a chilling sermon delivered by Michael Parks as a monologue that would distinguish the career of a lesser actor. Some see this as overlong and boring, but taken in context of two distinct elements within the scene and given that scene boils in intensity without changing in volume or editing style, it’s quite an achievement. After that, well, all hell breaks loose, but not literally.
The primary flaw, unfortunately, lies in Smith’s characters. His decision to paint the three protagonists with the same brush used for the main characters in Hostel is given an intriguing counterbalance by showing some of the congregation members as average people stuck in a horrible place with unthinkable expectations leveled at them, but they’re all ultimately disposable, and true horror, almost by definition, has to come from the characters.
The failure as a horror film starts here and spirals out. It may be a personal quibble, but I do not find guns particularly chilling, even less so when they are displayed with the matter-of-factness of an action movie. Also, shootouts are not frightening, although the emotional ante is upped by the presence of John Goodman and an inspired cameo by Kevin Pollak, two eminently likeable comic actors, as two ATF agents caught in the fray. The violence, in many cases, unfolds so suddenly and graphically that it almost looks real, so those who are more frightened by things that could really happen may find this unwatchable. Though that’s good for a jumpstart, it doesn’t work so well with throwaway characters.
The end is an entirely different beast. As we move into the final act, an event occurs that is at first confusing, then utterly… well, it’s not exactly shocking or terrifying, but it definitely cuts through you like a knife. This moment is recontextualized later in what essentially amounts to an epilogue that takes a page from Burn After Reading in both style and content. At least he doesn’t pull a reversal in the last frame.
Ultimately, it’s a unique and interesting movie, and though it borders on being good and was clearly made with gusto, it could have used some more polishing, or perhaps a totally different tone. In short, it would have been a great place to start a career in filmmaking.
E-mail Bryan at ExaminerFilm@gmail.com for questions, advice, opinions, and suggestions. Questions, advice, and opinions may be posted anonymously. Follow Bryan on Twitter at ExaminerFilm.
Comments