A quarter of a century ago, it seemed like nobody wanted Dogma. Kevin Smithâs subversive comedy about a pair of disgraced angels (played by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon) was met with fierce protests soon after it debuted at the Cannes Film Festival. Writer-director Smith, riding high off his 1997 romcom Chasing Amy, received 300,000 pieces of hate mail, including several âbona fide death threatsâ. Religious campaign group the Catholic League picketed outside cinemas. Critics also sharpened their knives, with The Independentâs Gilbert Adair among those who crucified the film. âNothing, absolutely nothing, not a single idea, not a shot, not a camera movement, not a performance, not a gesture, not a gag, nothing at all, I repeat, works in this movie,â he sneered.