John Burr’s The Gates reminded me of a beloved movie from my youth, 1993’s Judgment Night. Not that they are an exact match, but the chase flick about friends from different social classes trying to survive a deadly evening covers some of the same ground. Burr’s film, which appropriately opens on Friday the 13th, is essentially a horror movie. Well, at least it’s the kind of nightmare that Black people fear most; being stuck in a whirlwind of racism, suspicion, and violence that no amount of truth-telling can cure. It’s an exciting, if overly simplified thriller, that also features the final performance by the late James Van Der Beek.
The Gates has a plot that has fueled many a throwback grindhouse flick. A trio of buddies on their way to a party to hook up with some hot girls, take a wrong turn and end up in the wrong part of town. Only in this case, the three guys are all Black childhood pals from different backgrounds, and the place they wind up is a posh gated community in gun-lovin’, Bible-thumpin’ Texas. Scream breakout Mason Gooding leads the cast as Derek, an aspiring lawyer from an upper-class upbringing. Keith Powers is his longtime pal Tyon, a football star on the bench with an injury. His skirt-chasing ways have his scholarship status in flux, so he’s trying to stay out of trouble…and failing. Algee Smith is Kevin, the group wild card who has a decent job as a car salesman, but has never seen eye-to-eye with Derek, who he thinks is too bougie.
The worldview of each is brought into stark focus when they are pulled over by a white cop for “Driving While Black.” Derek, who knows the officer, smooths things over easily, while Kevin is angry they were pulled over in the first place. “Play the game”, Derek says, but Kevin isn’t trying to hear it. Tyon has the look of someone who has been playing the middle between these two for far too long.
So about that wrong turn; naturally, it’s a gorgeous blond who lets them into the gated community in the first place. But it turns out that leaving is damn near impossible, especially after they witness the woman’s apparent murder. Even worse, the killer spotted them, and now they’re on the run, trying to figure out how to get past the gates and into safety.
The affluent community of bigoted neighbors, nearly all of them white, heavily armed, and extremely religious, quickly peg the trio as outsiders. Even those who try to help them, like the football-loving Chris (Brad Leland), succumb to prejudices he might not know he has. It doesn’t help that the man on their trail is the town mega-pastor, Jacob (Van Der Beek), who has built this community as his own “shining city on a hill”. The people worship him, and believe his every word even as he twists the truth and uses the Bible as a weapon.
Burr, who not only directed but wrote the screenplay, heightens the prejudice to insane levels to fit the genre. But what’s eye-opening about it is how much of The Gates still felt all too real. What stood out to me were the conversations between Derek, Tyon, and Kevin about how to see the world. I’ve had some of those talks and they weren’t too different from this. As the friends come into conflict with one another, they leave themselves more vulnerable to the prejudice they are all trying to outlast.
Let’s be honest, the biggest hook for The Gates is going to be Van Der Beek. In his final role, “the Dawson” throws himself into the role of a real prick, a con man who claims to be a man of God but is really only out for himself. He’s not afraid to use the words of God to his advantage and to justify his greatest sins. Van Der Beek looks frail and sickly, which could be tough for his fans to watch, but he’s still quite a force and makes a scary villain. The Gates is better for having him in it and for offering a bit more to consider than the typical genre fare.
The Gates opens on March 13th from Lionsgate.
