Red Meat makes #5 in 30 forgotten American Classics

Writer/director Allison Burnett’s film has the prestigious title of being the first film to be purchased by and premiered on the Sundance Channel. You probably didn’t know that, however, because you more than likely never knew Red Meat existed. Without a (at the time) male lead, the film was unable to get a theatrical release, and subsequently suffered from little-to-no attention from audiences and critics after it premiered on the then-obscure cable channel’s lineup.

Red Meat falls into a similar sub-category of films that are headed by Swingers and In The Company of Men (on the light and dark end of the spectrums, of course): men behave badly, philosophize with each other about women in varyingly ignorant and sexist ways, but also manage to entertain us thoroughly and completely by sucking us into their seemingly fun-filled though thoroughly debauched lifestyles.

Red Meat is actually more fulfilling than those two well-known films, however, because it is much more aware of itself and what it’s actually saying. It keeps plenty of the wickedness found at the heart of Neil Labute’s masterful display of overt misogyny that was In the Company of Men, but without drowning in or dwelling on the hyper-reality of its recesses (a fate that often comes with the territory of the dark and disturbing brilliance often found in Labute’s most renowned work).

Unlike Swingers, Red Meat also manages to find truth and genuine heart in its protagonists without contriving an ending or a resolution to their stories. Unlike the exaggerated monsters found in Men or the cuddly monkey boys in Swingers, the misogynists of Red Meat are layered, human, and not so easy to pin down.

The film itself is as deceptive as its characters. The second you start liking or laughing along with them is the second you get smacked in the face with the uncompromising reality of who they truly are and what they represent. The brilliance of Red Meat is that every time you get comfortable with it’s protagonists, the bottom drops out and you’re left to wonder if you ever should have trusted or liked any of them in the first place.

Mad Men’s John Slattery gives a wonderful lead performance that was unfairly lost early in his career. His alpha-male character is every bit as slimy and charismatic as he needs to be in order for you to believe that he’s able to get away with being who he is. James Frain (who was most recently a part of True Detective’s excellent second season ensemble) also gives a strong, subtle, and honest performance as (possibly) the most emotionally advanced member of the trio of men the film centers around.

Red Meat, probably the least known and viewed film on this list, is also one of the most necessary to see because it truly does complete and shed light on a nineties trilogy of films (with the aid of Men and Swingers) that we never quite knew existed or that we wanted.

Read more: http://www.tasteofcinema.com/2015/30-forgotten-american-movies-from-the-1990s-worth-your-time/#ixzz3o5xu5tyK


-Matt Hendricks