Red State

Set against the backdrop of a nameless small town in the southwestern United States, Travis (Michael Angarano) is a high school student who witnesses the disturbing protest by the Five Points Church, a thinly veiled parody of the notorious Westboro Baptist Church. Led by the fervent Abin Cooper (Michael Parks), a figure reminiscent of David Koresh, the church protests the funeral of a murdered gay teenager—the third hate crime victim in just a month. In Travis’s first class, his teacher discusses the town’s shameful reputation due to Cooper’s hateful beliefs and actions.

Later, Jared (Kyle Gallner), a friend of Travis, shares that he received an invite from a woman he met online for a group sex encounter involving himself, Travis, and Billy Ray (Nicholas Braun). They borrow Travis’s parents’ car and venture into the countryside to meet her. However, their adventure takes a dark turn when they inadvertently collide with Sheriff Wynan (Stephen Root), who is secretly engaged in a homosexual tryst in his vehicle. Terrified, the boys flee the scene.

Upon arriving at the woman’s trailer, Sarah Cooper (Melissa Leo]), they are coaxed into drinking and soon fall unconscious due to drugged beer. Upon awakening, Jared finds himself imprisoned in a covered cage within the Five Points sanctuary, where Abin Cooper launches into a fervent, hate-filled sermon about the evils of the world. In a gruesome display of violence, Cooper binds another captured homosexual to a cross and executes him in front of his zealous followers, exposing the church as the sinister force behind a series of hate crimes.

As the tension escalates, Cooper attempts to execute Jared, but is interrupted by the arrival of Deputy Pete (Matt L. Jones). Though Cooper feigns innocence about the hit-and-run incident, Pete quickly realizes otherwise upon spotting the damaged car on church grounds. Meanwhile, Travis and Billy Ray manage to escape their binds, but in a confusing and chaotic sequence, Billy Ray is caught in a deadly clash with Caleb (Ralph Garman), one of Cooper’s henchmen, while Deputy Pete falls victim to Mordechai (James Parks).

In the face of escalating conflict, Sheriff Wynan threatens the ATF with exposure of his own secrets, only to have a full-scale raid initiated by Agent Joseph Keenan (John Goodman). The standoff becomes increasingly violent, and while the Cooper family celebrates the supposed arrival of the rapture amidst the chaos, a teenage cult member named Cheyenne (Kerry Bishé) desperately tries to escape, leading to a tragic series of events that culminate in the brutal shooting of both her and Jared.

As the absurdity of their situation is revealed—where trumpets blaring in the distance are nothing more than a prank by local marijuana farmers—the ATF takes custody of Abin Cooper and his followers. In the aftermath, Agent Keenan, disobeying orders, finds himself unexpectedly promoted, despite the grim fate that awaits Cooper in prison—a fate filled with haunting irony as he learns that his beliefs might lead to him being subjected to the very wrath he preached against.

In the film’s closing moments, Abin Cooper is depicted in solitary confinement, his mental state unraveling as he paces and mutters to himself—a stark reminder of the insanity that can arise when ideology turns to fanaticism.

Last Updated: October 27, 2024 at 17:12