Kevin Smith is an enigmatic creature.
After the heights of indie sensations Clerks and Mallrats, he went into something of a nosedive creatively, with each movie dropping off in terms of quality compared to the last, culminating in Cop Out, a real 'Hollywood' movie that reeked of corporate interference and a total lack of heart.
Here, Smith sets out to redress the balance.
But does he succeed?
The plot:
Three young men, bored with college and lack of success on the woman front, decide to pay for what they desire. Heading out into the sticks to meet a woman they have contacted via the Internet, the three instead wind up being drugged, bound and gagged.
Later, one of the three, Jared, awakens to find himself in a cage being transported to a church hall of some kind. There a preacher, Abin Cooper (Michael Parks), delivers a hate filled sermon to a small but rapturous congregation before revealing a man lashed to a cross.
Shortly, the man is dispatched, a bullet through the skull.
Suddenly, John Goodman arrives on scene and, before you can say The Taking of Pelham 123, you've got a siege movie on your hands.
This is bloody great.
Smith manages to deliver three movies in one here, each one handled effectively and with real verve.
Movie 1: Teen sex comedy.
As ever with a Kevin Smith movie, there is vulgarity, but only for the briefest time.
Movie 2: Torture Porn movie.
Violence, bloodshed and an unflinching camera are all present and correct.
Movie 3: The siege movie, with the stakes raised somewhat in a dramatic sense by the Biblically apocalyptic nature of the religious fanatics' dialogue.
After the underwhelming Zack and Miri Make a Porno and the frankly atrocious Cop Out, this seems to be a movie where an indie director once more decides to flex his muscles.
Sharply scripted, brilliantly shot - the shaky cam is a departure for Smith, and he handles it very well - this is a movie that will confuse the hell out of some, but is an entertaining, rewarding thrill ride, with a punchy ending that throws a real curve ball at you.
Unpredictable brilliance, then
5 out of 5
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