Kevin Smith doesn’t like critics reviewing his films. He rails against them for saying mean, unfair things about his movies. I’m just guessing, but I’m pretty sure no professional critic goes into a film wanting that film to suck. I know I don’t. After all, we do have to sit through each film, and all things being equal we would rather them be enjoyable than not. It leaves me in a very minor quandary though, because I’m never sure whether I should review Smith’s films or not. I certainly do not intend to offend the guy.

Red State is written and directed by Smith, and was released back in 2011. It follows three teenage boys who, on the promise of group sex, are led into a honey trap by Westboro-style religious cult and threatened with murder for their perceived sins. It’s about as sharp a career turn as a director could achieve: after close to two decades making dialogue-heavy, profanity-laden comedies, Kevin Smith has made a tense, politicised and socially relevant thriller.

There’s an awful lot to like about this film. For one thing it does a great right-turn about 20 minutes in and all but changes genres. It starts off firmly in the direction of survival horror (or ‘torture porn’, as stupid people tend to call it) before the action ramps up considerably and it transforms into a sort of action-come-thriller with the cult facing off in armed conflict with the ATF. It is, despite the change in tone, still a Kevin Smith movie. This is all done with a lot more dialogue than one would usually see, and this gives the film a very distinctive feel. It’s also surprisingly cynical, dark and blunt. The film is shot in a handheld style, giving it a sense of immediacy and roughness that suits the screenplay.

Red State is headed up by a strong leading cast, notably John Goodman as a reluctant ATF regional head in charge of the siege but also Michael Parks as the charismatic, sly cult leader. He seems to be having a whale of a time in the role, and delivers an enthused, enjoyable performance. He manages to walk a tightrope between being hilariously funny and chillingly unpleasant.

Kevin Smith appears to dislike film critics because they write mean things about his films. Usually they write mean things because usually Smith’s films are pretty awful. Red State is not awful. In fact, it’s pretty terrific. Perhaps he should have stop attacking critics who were just doing their jobs and started focusing more on his.