This Review Reveals Minor Details About the Plot.
Salvation Celebration
Plot Overview
As the county fair approaches, Irwin,
Georgia is seeing an influx of visitors. A street preacher (Sam Hennings)
is capitalizing (“Hello, sir”) on the opportunity to get
his message across (“Is your soul saved?”) with little
success (“F_ck off!”) He figures, “I really got
to work on my message.” He stations himself outside a
bar at night under the sign Crossroads. As “Met
at the Crossroads” plays in the background Ricky
Baldowski (Brendan Fraser) a down-on-his-luck Elvis impersonator
happens by who mistakes the preacher's revised message that he'll satisfy
his soul in ways that material success cannot for the devil's offer
of material success in exchange for his soul. He demurs to consult
his mother who advises him to reject Satan's offer and quit “playing
the devil's music.”
A misguided Ricky needs to have his
sideburns trimmed for the show and to get baptized for the preacher.
Doc's barbershop is recommended because, so say some, “Doc
invented scissors,” while others recommend Cook's because,
“Cook invented the bowl cut.” It is evident that Doc's
scissors can fully immerse themselves in the star's shaggy head,
that Cook can sprinkle water from his bowl, and that the town's ongoing
controversy over barbers represents that of Christians over forms
of baptism—there's even a baby buggy to evoke infant baptism.
Ricky works something out for himself and on the verge of
bombing his show, he accepts the preacher's offer as many do only
when they've hit rock (Ouch!) bottom. As Elvis played gospel as well
as “devil's music,” it remains to be seen what happens.
Meanwhile, three tweakers Randy (Kevin Rankin,)
Raw Dog (Paul Walker,) and Vernon (Lukas Haas) are planning to rob
their supplier Stanley (Norman Reedus) at gunpoint and let the
noise from the nearby fair mask the hit. Randy conversing with fellow
white supremacist Raw Dog come to a starting discovery: they
don't hate black people or Jews, the only reason they go to the Aryan
Confederacy meetings is they like the little smokey wieners served
afterwards. What is this world coming to? A flagging singer sells
his soul to a preacher to achieve success, and white supremacists
who've got black & Jew friends still go to the meetings for the
treats. So these open-minded southerners accept a soul sister act
at the fair, later providing needed backup for “Elvis.”
Salvation is open to all races.
Vernon gets
himself decked out in a field and “THE
[otherworldly] MAN” (Thomas Jane) comes to render
assistance (“I'm offering you salvation.”) Vernon concedes,
“salvation comes in many forms. Today, it rolled up in a 4x4.”
He gives Vernon his shotgun for the needed firepower on
his job and for fireworks for the show. There is clearly to be
rejoicing in heaven when a soul gets saved.
Richard (Matt
Dillon) from Connecticut and his new bride Sandy stop by General Lee's
Pawn Shop (“It was like God brought me there”) to do a
deal to help finance their honeymoon in Orlando. There he discovers
under glass an engraved ring he'd given to his first wife Cyndi (Pell
James) who'd mysteriously disappeared six years ago and hadn't been
seen since. He goes on a quest to find her, which leads to the liberation
of “an army of naked zombie women” (“we're not allowed
to wear clothes”) who draped in flags will line the front of
the stage like groupies, embodying the elevation of women's status
God's salvation has brought.
Ideology
The movie opened with the pawn shop
proprietor Alton (Vincent D'Onofrio) complaining to a (black) hanger-on
Johnson (Chi McBride) about an off season display: “Need to
get the Santa out of here. Number one, it's spring. It's not winter.
Spring.” Spring is the season for Santa to make up his naughty
& nice lists by spying on people, which is what we do throughout
the film. 
Secondly, Santa ain't black. If Alton
catches a black dude in red leotards entering through his chimney, he tells
us, he'll shoot him in his red hat. So much for white supremacy reform.
The three robbers meet in a remote field because it's top secret.
The Man who supplies their weapon is a stranger. Randy is trying to
figure out who robbed his cache from his sock drawer and blames the
wrong person. 
Vernon the robbery victim recognizes
their voices through their masks. “Elvis” can't figure
out the town's barber shop deal (Doc: “I don't know how they
cut hair in the big city, but here that's it.”) Alton doesn't
know who's stalking him from a truck with tinted windows, but his
customer JJ (DJ Qualls) warns him not to shoot the guy, because crime
forensics will find him out (“They always find the killer.”)
Richard uses every means to unravel the thread of the ring mystery.
Cyndi the new wife is stunned when he dumps her with little or no
explanation (“I already have a wife.”) The real mystery,
of course, is the legend of Robert Johnson a mediocre guitar player
in Mississippi who went away to return a hot guitar man. It is rumored
he made a deal with the devil at the crossroads, although it's
more likely another player with the same (common) name was just better
at it than he and the two got confused with each other.
The town more or less discovers itself
in the end (“I was blind but now I see”) in the way Santa's
hidden lists become manifest by how everyone fares on Christmas Day.
The feeling is not unlike, (Daniel 2:46-48)
“Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped
Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odours
unto him. The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that
your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets,
seeing thou couldest reveal this secret. Then the king made Daniel
a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over
the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all
the wise men of Babylon.” 
Ricky
the volunteer EMST by day and “the King by
night” may now be able to quit his day job.
Production Values
“” (2013) was directed by Wayne Kramer. It was written by Adam Minarovich. Its star cast included Paul Walker, Matt Dillon, Brendan Fraser, Vincent D'Onofrio, Norman Reedus, Chi McBride, Elijah Wood, DJ Qualls, Lukas Haas, and Ashlee Simpson. The cast was well fit for their roles; such a quirky town they portrayed without missing a beat.
MPAA rated it R for violence, sexual material, graphic nudity, pervasive language, and some drug use. The cinematography was excellent employing angle shots, iris focus, and variable frames. It was filmed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA. It has a runtime of 1 hour 52 minutes. There's an inset with outtakes next to the end credits and an extra scene when they're done.
Review Conclusion w/a Christian's Recommendation
This is one twisted film, but it's darkly entertaining with surprise connections among the three main subplots. See it for something different.
Movie Ratings
Action factor: Decent action scenes. Suitability For Children: Not Suitable for Children of Any Age. Special effects: Well done special effects. Video Occasion: Better than watching TV. Suspense: Keeps you on the edge of your seat. Overall movie rating: Three stars out of five.
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