Red Hill (2010) User Reviews

Entertaining!

[Siamois · 7/10 · 16 November 2010]

Shane Cooper has just moved to the small town of Red Hill. On his first day as a constable, he must try to stop a very dangerous convict who just escaped and is coming back in town for unfinished business.

In a nutshell, this is Red Hill and those few lines alone are sufficient to understand this plot contains classic western elements. Director Patrick Hughes seems to understand the genre very much and seamlessly blends it to the somewhat modern context.

Taken as a very serious film, Red Hill might not score very high but thankfully, Hughes doesn't take it too seriously and has written a smart script that has great ingredients and builds up the tension gradually. His direction is likewise efficient, mixing contemplative scenes with straight up action/thriller. Overall, it's got some mood to it while never forgetting it's first and foremost a piece of entertainment.

At the heart of the film are the main characters. Hughes doesn't offer much exposition for and still succeeds in giving a lot of life to most of them. This is in part good writing and direction but also due to the very talented cast. Ryan Kwanten stars as young constable Shane Cooper and he conveys very well the "main hero" vibe by being human and vulnerable rather than just a squeaky clean superhero. Steve Bisley plays Bill, his boss who represents the law in town and pretty much seems to run it. Bisley is amazing to watch and steals many of the scenes he is in with great charisma and a domineering personality. When he talks, people listen. Finally, Tommy Lewis plays Jimmy Conway, the convict on the loose. Lewis succeeds in giving his character a brutal, menacing aura without uttering a single word, which I find very impressive.

One of the very impressive element of Red Hill is the stunning music score. Absolutely wonderful work by Dmitri Golovko, who has very few credits to his name. The script shifts through different tones and moods and Golovko is always right on target, never overdoing it. Expect to hear more from this guy in the future.

Despite all the praise, Red Hill is not perfect. The surrounding characters in the story (other officers of the law, various citizens and Cooper's wife) are too sketchy. The cinematography is cool but few scenes are really memorable and absolutely nothing will make your jaw drop. The action scenes range from "pretty cool" to "lacking". The western genre is cleverly revisited and transposed to our times but Hughes doesn't bring anything new at all. What you have a cool film that partly reminded me of classic Walter Hill movies. I wish Hughes had given just another pass to his script, fleshing out some characters and situations just a little more and given slightly more thought to some scenes, including the conclusion which I feel was slightly anti-climactic the way it was shot.

But if you're a fan of classic western or old school action thrillers that do not sacrifice a smart script just to string one action scene after another there is no doubt Red Hill should at least entertain you. Australian cinema keeps on expanding in all directions and I keep on loving it!

For his first full feature, Patrick Hughes has done very well and I am looking forward to more films written and/or directed by him.

An Australian Western

[mike_brunton · 7/10 · 20 November 2010]

For quite some time now, amongst the 1000's of movies I have watched, I noticed a certain ennui to my movie watching, as other people have said, this has been done before, most notably in American westerns. The wronged man comes back to reap his vengeance on the evil-doers. If this had been strictly formulaic and badly acted and filmed i would not have seen it all the way through to the ending. However, I was pleasantly entertained, I don't think it was too obvious a plot, it had me guessing for a while. The escaped convict looked suitably elemental and Ryan Kwanten as the young cop on his first bloody day in the outback played it well. Yes, there were some strange parts to the movie, although I just found the inclusion of the wild animal an amusing aside, and not to be taken too seriously. The score was good, the atmosphere was suitably bleak and a lot of it filmed at night to add to the tension. I think people expect too much these days, no this was not Unforgiven, but for a low budget movie out of Australia I thought this was a good remake of the classic revenge western. Certainly worth a viewing if you love westerns, or if you like revenge plots. For a Sunday afternoon, you could do a whole lot worse.

Acceptable Australian western

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 16 January 2014]

RED HILL is a pretty decent Australian movie that will win no awards for originality but which tells its story in a straightforward and effective manner. I have to say that I do enjoy watching these Aussie outings as they're a breath of fresh air in comparison to more traditional Hollywood fare.

Fresh-faced Ryan Kwanten stars as a rookie cop posted to a rural town (yeah, how many times have we gone through that set-up before?) who soon finds himself having a very bad day when a criminal busts out of jail and comes gunning for revenge. The bad guy is a little better characterised than most, and I enjoyed the way that the lines between good and bad are increasingly blurred as the narrative goes on.

The main problem RED HILL has to face is its own predictability. The narrative is lean and spare, and it's all very familiar; we've seen such stories play out over and over again. Thus it must rely on style to win out over the less than sparkling substance, and it's only partially successful. The direction, acting and camera-work are all solid rather than spectacular. The film held me, but there's nothing much to remember about it afterwards.

Too much suspension of disbelief required

[rwagn · 14 September 2011]

I tried to like this film but it requires too much suspension of disbelief. First and foremost the lead character "Shayne" survives falling off a cliff and ends up with innumerable injuries. We see him profusely bleeding along the waistline. He ends up walking long distances while injured yet still has the ability to run like a rabbit when gunfire erupts. There also seems to be a problem with most of the armed men in this movie as they never take a shot at the heavy even when they have the element of surprise with them. One poor bastard even squeezes off 6 shots at a distance of 15 feet and never hits the heavy. Add to the mix that although this film happens in a small rural Aussie town, aside from the few principals, nobody else is ever seen. Keep in mind that automatic gun fire, car wrecks and explosions are occurring right in the middle of Main Street but nobody even goes to a window to see that is happening. There is talk of "a big storm brewing" but aside from the allegory to the story it fails to materialize. I guess all the town folk are hold up waiting for the big storm to blow over. Cliché after cliché leads to an ending you can see coming from the beginning of the film. A real letdown.

The two lead performances and the film's technical proficiencies deserved a much stronger story

[Likes_Ninjas90 · 6/10 · 28 November 2010]

Young cop Shane Cooper (Ryan Kwanten) has moved with his pregnant wife to the country town of Red Hill. He is introduced to hardened cop Old Bill (Steve Bisley), who has a low tolerance for mistakes. When word spreads that an Aboriginal criminal named Jimmy Conway (Tommy Lewis) has escaped from prison Old Bill prepares the town for an attack. He assigns each of the other cops an area to look after. Shane investigates the mysterious mauling of some livestock but when he returns to the main roads he discovers that Jimmy has already arrived, armed with a pump action shotgun and is seeking revenge on Bill for having him locked up. With the police and the rest of the town under siege at the hands of Jimmy, Shane must decide whether he has the steel inside of himself to use his firearm.

Just like Shane Cooper's day, Red Hill has a promising start before things go awry. It's a slick, competently made Australian thriller, once again undone by a disappointing script. Two very strong performances and some funny dialogue inspire the opening scenes though. Ryan Kwanten has a young, innocent face that works well to characterise him as a seemingly soft-hearted and vulnerable cop. Beneath this exterior though is his remorse about something that happened early in his career and hence his need to move to the country. Bill is of course his contrast, a much harder and more experienced cop. Bisley's acid tongue effortlessly spouts out hysterical lines like "don't crawl up my arse son. I haven't had breakfast yet". For these quality touches though the story feels too minor and transparent in its theme of revenge. The film was obviously inspired by pictures like Wake In Fright, The Outlaw Josey Wales and No Country For Old Men. But it lacks the complex moral concerns of the latter and instead settles to imitate its action sequences. The gun battles between the police and Jimmy are at least very well-handled, intensified by how spontaneous the graphic violence is grounded. Only a strange scene where Jimmy uses a boomerang to a cut a man's head open seems out of place. It's a shame that the character Jimmy is so underwritten though. With his scars and death stares he looks very menacing but he lacks the complex psychology of the most memorable psychopaths. Instead, the inevitable revelation about his back-story is cliché and forced. It feels like a twist thought-out at the end of the story. As such, director Patrick Hughes has made a relatively entertaining and suspenseful thriller but the two lead performances and the film's technical proficiencies deserved a much stronger story.

a very entertaining Western Ishtyle movie, which is full of chills & Suspense. Ryan Kwanten is such a treat to watch!

[saadgkhan · 7/10 · 27 December 2010]

RED HILL – CATCH IT ( B+ ) Red Hill is a very engaging Western Style Australian Thriller. The movie keeps me on my toes with chilling unexpected action sequences & Ryan Kwanten. I think the director "Patrick Hughes" is really talented who presented the true nature of western classic touch on limited resources. Though, story wise it's an old revenge story seen hundred times but the fresh acting and sequences kept me captivated. Ryan Kwanten is such a treat to watch, this Jason Stackhouse is Indeed the Sexiest Australian Man Alive…. His Nakedness Heat up True Blood! In Red Hill he didn't shed any clothes (sad) but this fully clothed Ryan Kwanten is highly talented & proves here that he has some serious acting chops. All the other cast is unknown to me and everyone brought freshness to their characters. So Well Done! Overall, a very entertaining Western Ishtyle movie, which is full of chills & Suspense. Loved IT!

a guilty pleasure!

[gregking4 · 7/10 · 26 July 2010]

RED HILL is a wonderful genre piece from local filmmaker Patrick Hughes. Part action thriller and part modern western, the film deals with themes of revenge, retribution and redemption. It has the lean, mean look of the traditional western and has a similar moral code. Filmed in Omeo, in Victoria's high country, the film is set in the small fictional town of Red Hill. Shane Cooper (played by True Blood's Ryan Kwanten) is a young constable newly arrived in town, looking for some peace and quiet for his pregnant wife. But on the day he arrives, news reaches the town that a violent prisoner Jimmy Cooper (played by Tommy Lewis, from The Chant Of Jimmy Blacksmith) has escaped and is headed towards Red Hill, seeking vengeance on those who put him away. The local police force (led by a suitably gruff Steve Bisley) arms themselves and prepares to defend the town. Cooper finds himself caught up in the bloodbath, and uncovers some dark secrets about the town's recent history. Red Hill is quite violent and blood soaked at times, but it has been proficiently directed by first time director Hughes, who has a fine eye for the clichés of the genre. Red Hill has been made with the collaboration of Wolf Creek director Greg McLean. It proves that Australia is capable of making great genre pieces. Red Hill is something of a guilty pleasure!

one bad scene annoyed me

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 16 February 2016]

Shane Cooper (Ryan Kwanten) moves to the sleepy rural town of Red Hill with his pregnant wife Alice (Claire van der Boom). It's his first day as a local cop. His new boss Old Bill is dismissive of his new recruit for a previous incident where he failed to shoot. Jimmy Conway escapes from prison after murdering his wife and arrested by Old Bill. Shane stops a car with a scared elderly couple and then confronted by Jimmy Conway. Shane tries to surrender and falls off the cliff.

This has a good gritty western feel. It revels in the brutal violent desolation tones. All of that is great. I have a big problem with one scene when Shane first confronts Jimmy Conway. The Mexican standoff is ridiculous. Shane surrendering to him is also pretty bad although it's playing into the character. This movie needs to start with a violent shootout and this scene is very disappointing. Shane can fall off the cliff as he runs away from Jimmy shooting at him. It's such a badly staged scene that it takes away some of the early intensity. It should have been an exciting action start. Otherwise, I love the style and tone of this movie.

Superior crime-thriller from Australia

[Red-Barracuda · 8/10 · 19 June 2010]

Red Hill could best be described as an Australian take on the American Western. It centres on a young policeman who moves to a remote town to work with the local police department. The town is immediately laid under siege by an escaped Aboriginal convict who appears to have a grudge against the local police officers and their lackeys. Dark secrets from the past are gradually revealed.

This is a very well put together film. Cinematography, music and acting are all of a very high calibre. Ryan Kwanten is particularly good as the young policeman with insecurities and fears of his own; Kwanten makes for a very likable lead and injects some moments of humour into the suspenseful narrative. Tommy Lewis is also highly memorable as Jimmy Conway, the silent escaped convict with grimly burned face. The Australian landscape is captured nicely and the score compliments proceedings well.

It has to be said that the storyline is a little predictable. There isn't really anything overly new here. But this is not a significant problem as it really is a very well put together film. It's a solid thriller, and along with Wolf Creek proves that the Australian film industry is more than capable of delivering superior product in this genre. This one is well worth your time.

Tense and unintentionally goofy

[transtemporal · 6/10 · 10 January 2011]

You've seen the set-up a 100 times before: new niceguy cop on the block moves to the country with his pregnant wife where his fellow officers dismiss him as a city-slicker. Bad stuff happens and it turns out he's more plucky than he seems. Also, the town has a terrible secret etc etc.

This film is played as a straight tense thriller with nods to the modern horror and spaghetti western. The combination almost works, mostly due to some earthy performances and cool night time set pieces. What didn't work was the pregnancy/miscarriage subplot which produced some surreal relationship melodrama that distracted from the overall story.

"Gunshots?! No honey, those are cars backfiring! Let's talk about how great our lives are gonna be here in Murderville." "I totally haven't been shot at all! I just spilled BBQ sauce on myself. A big bottle. How was your day?"

In Australia, no one can shoot straight

[bowmanblue · 2/10 · 15 May 2014]

First, let me say that this review is based on the first three quarters of Red Hill only. I couldn't watch any more. I was forcing myself to laugh to stop myself from becoming so frustrated with this film.

It's about an escaped convict who comes to an out-of-the-way Australian town to seek revenge on those who had him sent to prison originally. He kills them one by one. They, in turn, let him kill them one by one, on account of not being able to ever shoot him once, even if he's standing in front of them (I'm not lying - a guy, kneeling no more than a few feet away from the killer, fires at least five shots off and misses ever time - then, once he's run out of ammo, he gets killed). This then happens again and again. One dozy local fails to hit the killer when he clearly has a clear shot then, in turn, gets killed himself (my favourite being the local man on a rooftop, failing to kill the escapee with a sniper rifle from an elevated position, but managing to get himself shot instead).

In fact, the nasty ol' killer kills everyone he meets, apart from the hero. He doesn't bother with him. He lets him live. Then, when their paths cross, he lets him live again. And again. And... I think this was when I turned it off.

The story is wafer-thin, characters are only there to be killed and the 'action' scenes are just a man firing at the convict (and missing, obviously) then getting killed.

Judging from other reviews, some people seemed to find this film 'tense' and 'atmospheric.' I guess every film can find its audience somewhere, but this one wasn't for me.

http://thewrongtreemoviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/

Intreresting film

[aaubrey4 · 8/10 · 23 December 2011]

Red Hill follows a police officer who recently transferred from the city to the rural town of Red Hill for the health of his pregnant wife. On his first day, however, an escaped convict threatens the apparent peace in the town.

I loved this movie. The camera work was excellent,the town's characters had-character, and the tense sections were pulled off just right. The main direction the movie would take was discernible early on, but I never knew what would happen next. It played like a western and had a wonderful small town feel.

I would recommend this movie to anyone. It was gripping, fun, and had touching moments. Excellent!

Not A Classic, But Still Great

[torchwood949-166-552404 · 6/10 · 13 December 2011]

The only western I've watched this year being the Coen's version of True Grit, Red Hill has a lot to live up to. Ryan Kwanten plays Shane Cooper, a young police officer who has just moved to the isolated town of Red Hill. His first day goes off course though as a local prison has a breakout and convicted criminal, Jimmy Conway (Played by Tommy Lewis) is on the loose and heading for Red Hill. This simple story has a lot going for it accompanied with an excellent shot choice, reminiscent of the Coen's 'No Country For Old Men', in fact, the whole film felt like a homage to western's in general and that's the main flaw of the film. It never has it's own voice; it feels like bits picked from various other and more rounded films so doesn't give it's own flavor.

It can be commended however on it's playful way of mixing horror into the mix. There were countless scenes where the tension was dialed up to 11 making it an edge of the seat experience, not relying on quiet environments followed by loud bangs to get inside the audience's head. It was a very atmospheric piece and Tommy Lewis's representation of Jimmy Conway added to that having a terrifying yet, electrifying screen presence truly invoking a sense of dread into you whenever he was on screen.

While far from being perfect Red Hill is a perfectly fine nuts and bolts westerns with enough plot twists and turns to keep you interested. You just can't help but get a strong sense of déjà vu within the viewing and reminds you of other and far better westerns which have truly earned their rights of classics. Red Hill isn't a classic, but it's a damn good time.

Waste of time ...

[horizonbay · 1/10 · 20 November 2010]

I don't expect everything to be realistic in a movie but if there are tons of scenes which don't make any sense at all, it gets extremely boring.

1) The bad guy and our "hero" are targeting each other with rifles and both don't shoot until the good guy falls off the cliff without breaking a single bone.

2) Main opponent is messing around with the jukebox and then taking his time to load his shotgun but the grandpa hiding behind him was probably too old to remember how to pull his rifle's trigger where he had lots of time on his hands.

3) The bad guy is about to get sniped but for some reason he manages to turn around in the right moment and actually kill the sniper with a clean shot using his normal gun from a long distance. I guess he could smell him hidden on the roof at night..

4) Another scene where one of the locals who hits the bad guy with his car shoots like six times at him without hitting. He was standing maybe 2-3 meters away from him. Come on ...

I could go on pointing out more silly scenes which range from the sheriff punching a wounded policeman instead of trying to help him to some black panther popping up out of nowhere and dragging off a dead guy.

Speaking of the "badass" sheriff.. he is being introduced as some tough alpha male yelling at everyone and giving out orders but once he faces the criminal, he doesn't hesitate a second to run away like a sissy.

Also I was surprised that Shane Cooper didn't seem to care much about his pregnant wife until the end of the movie. He is standing in front of her, half dead, looking like one of those zombies from Romero's movies covered with blood and telling her that it's just a scratch. Obviously his wife believes him..

Last but not least, 68 minutes into the movie, one of the main characters asks the sheriff "What the hell is going on here?". Something I have been asking myself from the moment on where this aborigine guy popped up in the news on TV and started to kill most of the armed locals.

Nice movie, but not original at all

[hfong · 12 July 2011]

All the stock characters are there, including rookie with a past, hard-boiled boss, scary somewhat indestructible bad guy, and a town full of folks with incredibly bad shooting skills (miss 6 shots at point blank???) and poor judgement (bad guy is silhouetted in the door and you have a rifle, so just hide noisily???). And of course, about half-way through the movie you'll pretty much figure out the rest of story. Just very predictable. The characters, as I said, are no surprises. Not to say it was not a fun movie to watch, even if just to see that your original guess at the ending is correct (trust the force, Luke, it is what you think). Nice filming location, but sometimes the accents are a tad thick too (watched most of it with subtitles).

Solid genre piece that doesn't take an eternity to make its point

[jmmaturana · 7/10 · 6 February 2011]

Red Hill is the little movie that could... wrongly maligned by various sources, I went in with lowered expectations and came out highly anticipating the next P Hughes project.

In fact, it was far more enjoyable than that other 2010 Aussie film that had praise heaped on it. Honestly, how many movies about underworld crime families can we stomach? Yeesh.

But I digress. Like a good western, it slowly and effectively grows on you as it unfolds, creating an entirely believable world populated with authentic characters, in spite of its predictability -- man comes to town, man gets caught up in local trouble, locals don't trust him and it's up to him to climb out of the quagmire or succumb to said trouble.

Performances are consistently good and Ryan Kwanten shines in an Australian setting (more subtle and removed from the character he plays in True Blood), but Bisley out and out steals the show.

The film is rounded out by a beautiful ending and superb cinematography that somehow escaped the AFI's attention. Due credit to cinematographer Tim Hudson and the location itself (Omeo). In blu-ray it is a revelation. I can't remember ever seeing something so stunning shot in Australia. Every frame is art of the highest order.

And that is the shame of it all. Red Hill deserved at least some degree of box office success, but it tanked thanks to poor word of mouth... some Australian critics just can't stand the idea we continue to make excellent b-films and would do anything to sink the genre as a whole.

A solid 7 out of 10!

not bad but never good

[mikail_oz85 · 6/10 · 27 November 2010]

This is a story of a police officer's (shane cooper) first day who has just come to Red Hill. A prisoner, an aboriginal, escaped from the jail to take his revenge. He starts killing.

The plot, theme and setting are okay but there are many logical mistakes in the scenario. For example; although a man shots the aborigine a few times,he is not even wounded or cooper has nothing to defend himself but still he is following him aimlessly. if you ignore these mistakes and focus on the main idea, you can enjoy this movie. Australian cinema is developing, so these can be tolerated.

The performance of the actors are unfortunately under average except the aborigine.

The music in the movie is the best part of it as it will entertain you.

Lastly, i liked the style of director definitely. I am sure if he had spent much money on the film, this would be a perfect Australian cowboy movie now.

More Bisley and Lews, less Kwanten.

[MBunge · 6/10 · 23 May 2012]

As a modern Western, a slight twist on the standard revenge flick and an old fashioned morality play, Red Hill is a nice little taste of Australian cinema goodness. Writer/director Patrick Hughes has penned an unsurprising but still involving story and backs it up with strong imagery of the vastness of nature and the cruelty of men. With a solid cast and just the right amount of violence to propel things along without overwhelming the narrative, this is a pretty entertaining flick. A sparsely drawn main character who seems more like a passive observer than a protagonist and probably underestimating how quickly most viewers will figure out its mystery are the only big flaws here but Red Hill avoids so many other of the standard pitfalls of this sort of thing that it feels refreshingly familiar instead of tiresomely repetitive.

Shane Cooper(Ryan Kwanten) is a young constable starting his first day on his new assignment in the small, country town of Red Hill. He's got a pregnant wife (Claire van der Boom) at home and a hard charging inspector named Old Bill (Steve Bisley) who makes it clear that this is his town and Cooper's a relatively unwelcome guest. Everything changes, however, when convicted murderer Jimmy Conway (Tom E. Lewis) breaks out of prison and Cooper finds Bill and a collection of townsmen in a near panic at his prospective return. Cooper is the first one to encounter Conway, barely escapes with his life and spends most of the film trailing behind Conway on his path of death, slowly unraveling the real secret of Red Hill. Oh, and there's a panther that shows up.

This motion picture is entirely about the conflict between Conway and the men of Red Hill. I would guess that Shane Cooper was injected into the script because of the supposed box office need for a young, attractive star but I don't think it was necessary. Ryan Kwanten does a good job on screen and there's a minor subplot with Shane and his wife but you could remove Shane, beef up the roles of Old Bill, Conway and the others and have a movie that was just as good, if not a little better. A bit better because without Shane, I suspect writer/director Hughes would have realized the mystery of Conway's revenge is too obvious and added a few more layers of subterfuge and misdirection to the plot. It does feel like Hughes came up with the story of Red Hill and only added in the "new guy in town" element later on to make it more commercially viable.

I don't think he had to do that because Steve Bisley is crackerjack and the character of Jimmy Conway is intriguing in his stoic muteness. Watching Conway plow through the rest of Old Bill's posse until the two of them finally meet would have been more than enough to pull in the audience and keep them watching. No one besides Shane, Bill and Conway get enough time and space on screen to show much personality, but the tiny bit of depth and definition Hughes gives of a couple of other constables (Kevin Harrington and Richard Sutherland) is interesting enough that I kind of wish Shane didn't occupy so much of Red Hill.

Hughes completely scores with is invocation of the wide open spaces of rural Australia. It gives an almost epic frame to this story of personal revenge, though Hughes doesn't appear to have a grasp on how slowly people actually move when they're on foot, particularly if they're seriously wounded. He does use distance to answer that age old question of this genre, namely "Why can't a bunch of guys manage to defend themselves against a single person?" The characters in Red Hill have so much ground to cover that splitting up into more easily killable numbers is perfectly logical, rather than stupidly cliché.

If Shane Cooper had been more deeply woven into or totally removed from the plot, this might have been a very good movie. As it is, Red Hill remains a clear cut or two above average and well worth seeing.

No Country for Old Men in the Outback

[thale05 · 6/10 · 5 March 2011]

Once again, Australian cinema has impressed me. You have heard of spaghetti westerns and John Wayne westerns but I bet you have not heard of an Australian western before. An Australian western sounds out of place but do not underestimate "Red Hill". This film carries familiar material yet travels in new territories.

Constable Shane Cooper (played by Ryan Kwanten) is an officer of the law who moves to the high country of Australia with his pregnant wife to start a new life after an upsetting past. He is assigned to Red Hill, a small town with a single main road, which is run by an isolationist sheriff, Old Bill (played by Steve Bisley). On Cooper's first day of the job, an escaped convict named Jimmy Conway (played by Tommy Lewis) wages a one-man war against the town. However, as the battle escalates, Cooper starts to realize that there is more to Conway's rampage than meets the eye.

The film salutes to the western genre with an isolated setting and a sweet rock-county vibe among other elements. A lone stranger rides on a horse into the darkness of a silent town while everyone hides in fear. It is reminiscent to the western movies made for pure entertainment; however, the fun is overshadowed by a thrilling atmosphere similar to "No Country for Old Men". In fact, much of the action and thrills remind me of the cat-and-mouse game of Anton Chigurh and Llewelyn Moss. There is an abundance of shocking moments to experience in "Red Hill", some are predictable and some are unexpected.

Greg McLean (the director of "Wolf Creek" and "Rogue") has attached his name to the movie as executive producer and, like his horror competitor Eli Roth, promotes the emergence of a new filmmaker, Patrick Hughes. Hughes' debut film presents immense talent in setting shots, cinematography, and story-telling. Hughes commands a magnificent picture of the Australian high country throughout the movie while he utilizes impressive shadow techniques indoors. Perhaps they signal a dreary past in Red Hill hidden by the natural beauty of the land. Ultimately, Hughes' story is a study of man's hesitation to do the right thing through an immoral course of action.

I have been paying attention to Ryan Kwanten ever since I started watching "True Blood" and his career has flourished. It is exciting to see him lose his American accent in favor of his native Australian tongue in "Red Hill". Kwanten embodies his role sincerely and becomes a man who wants to deliver justice but is unsure if he is willing to kill anybody for its preservation. Tommy Lewis doesn't need to say a word for his character because his presence and appearance are all that is needed. With a half-burned face (and half-burned beard for that matter), Jimmy Conway etches fear and panic in the hearts of his prey by toying with their suffering before finishing them off. He even finishes eating a victim's cake! Steve Bisley provides some of the comedic lines of the film and his role as Old Bill is mediocre at best. In his opening scene, Bill acts more like an American traditionalist wanting to keep his town simple and immune to change than an Australian officer of the law. His subordinates are a different matter.

I would like to know which police academy the officers attended because they poorly execute their tactics and usually give their position away. I would not mind if there is a blundering officer or two on the force but it is ridiculous to have a town run by blundering men who do not know how to subdue a suspect effectively. Their dialogue is clichéd but there are moments where I would prick my ears up and grin in admiration. One of my biggest complaints of the movie is the addition of a legend which I found to be irrelevant to the storyline. It comes out of nowhere and sets itself in the middle of all the chaos without explanation. Worst of all, the question is never answered.

Nevertheless, "Red Hill" is an Australian gem worth checking out even though it has specks of dust blurring the vision. If you "look where you want to go," you will find something to love about it. Hughes showers the audience with thrills and exhilaration with bliss, and I hope he continues to do so in other movies. In the meantime, I think I will continue to critique more of the films from Down Under.

My Rating: 6/10

No Country For old men Aussie style. An absolute Australian gem!

[Indifferent_Observer · 10/10 · 14 January 2011]

I have to say when I downloaded this flick I totally wasn't expecting to be blown away like I was. It doesn't matter that the movie uses a familiar premise because they do it with unbelievable style. A young City sheriff and his wife are expecting a baby. The youngster decides to leave the City for a more relaxed cushy job in the Australian countryside. All is well and the small town appears to be a peaceful place until a local murderer with a nasty revenge streak blasts his way out of prison. Old scars are reopened with a vengeance in this Western Chiller. I won't go any further, but I just loved the badass Conway in this. Bearing a small resemblance to Charles Bronson he never says a word and still is one of the is the scariest people you will ever encounter in film.

If you liked No country for old me, I would highly recommend this movie. Actually I recommend it anyway. Check it out. Its a doosie:)

You gotta be an Aussie!

[rawiri42 · 7/10 · 21 June 2012]

To fully appreciate Red Hill, I think you need to be an Australian. Not that that means you won't enjoy it if you're not. Nonetheless, there is definitely an unmistakable 'difference' from your typical western genre thriller movie that can only really be attributed to the Australian psyche.

Having so said, I agree with several other reviewers that Red Hill is well worth the watch. Ryan Kwanten played the part of Shane Cooper, the new-cop-in-town well - although I wondered how long he had been a cop in the city because he was a bit timid to start with even though he had a past incident that framed him as maybe too compassionate to be a hard- nosed law officer. He was clearly a human being who cared and also happened to be a cop! Steve Bisley was every bit the "this is MY town" local sheriff (except that, in this modern version, he's a police inspector who just thinks he's the Wyatt Earp of Red Hill) and plays the part brilliantly.

Then there's the protagonist Jimmy Conway excellently played by Tommy Lewis, a Northern Territory Aboriginal from way back. What other reviewers have totally failed to understand is that Tommy plays Jimmy exactly as he would have been in real life - all action and no talk! The make-up crew did an excellent job on him too.

The plot is a bit "Blue Heelerish" (for you non-Aussies, that was a very popular TV series set in much the same environment as Red Hill) except that likable Sergeant Tom Croydon was very different from Steve Bisley's Bill.

I would have liked to see a bit more development of the wild animal side-plot which I feel was left a bit up in the air (maybe there's a sequel planned to deal with that). All-in-all, a good movie that was pretty true to form (given the true circumstances - which aren't revealed until the very end).

Very disappointing.

[Badgerius · 3/10 · 8 December 2010]

The trailer for Red Hill had me curious, but it turns out it's really bad. Essentially, Red Hill wants to be an Australian No Country For Old Men, but just fails to pull it off.

There is no story to speak of for the majority of the movie, then when it finally decides to arrive you really wish it hadn't. A simple revenge flick quickly becomes saturated with boring scenes, plot holes, gaffes, and bad writing (including but not limited to panthers).

Acting is abysmal all round, most notably Ryan Kwanten in the lead as Shane Cooper, and Kevin Harrington as Slim also gets a special mention. Tommy Lewis as Jimmy Conway could have been replaced by a statue, as he doesn't move, blink, or even attempt acting at any point. In any event, the actors were largely hindered by meagre dialogue and poor direction.

Director Patrick Hughes stole everything in this production (lighting, music, etc.) from about three other films. Red Hill is entirely unoriginal and cliché in every possible way. Having said that, Hughes has not stitched a few films together to make something entertaining or... watchable, but a boring mess encouraging you to check your watch frequently.

A western set in Australia. I like the idea, but bloody hell, mate...

Western Thriller

[kosmasp · 9/10 · 3 November 2010]

When Kane Hodder says, this is the best movie that ran on Frightfest (Festival in London), you don't argue with him. Well not to his face that is. Unless Freddy's got your back ... Seriously though: This movie is very fine crafted and has not only a great ambiguous feeling about it, it has also great performances.

You may know where this is heading, because the hints are very obvious, but get them or not, I don't think that should matter much. I do think that you can enjoy the movie either way. It is violent and it is very dark and bleak too. But it also has a counterbalance to all that. The reason Kane Hodder liked the movie? Because it has one of the greatest villains in it (and coming from Kane, that says something)

Edit: Of course Kane meant best movie besides Hatchet 2 (the latter being his real favorite), that was shown at the Festival too.

Well worth watching but has some shortcomings

[Darrell_H · 6/10 · 19 July 2012]

A very likable film with good acting but it does have some believability issues. When it adds drama to the story a shooter can't miss. And then when it adds drama to the story a shooter can't hit someone right in front of them or wont even take the shot that might save them. The story also starts off with the relocating police officer misplacing his gun in the move. These along with a mountain lion that is unnecessary to the story just result in too many distractions. A great movie will keep you so engrossed and free of distractions that you forget you are watching a movie. That Red Hill had a chance at being great if not for these shortcomings still says a lot though. It was otherwise very well done and entertaining with a very rewarding plot.

very disappointing

[fortunatotony · 4/10 · 5 December 2010]

The plot was too cheesy and predictable.

The spaghetti western theme and lone wolf-bad guy story line could have been much more interesting.

There were so many people who could have easily taken the bad guy out, but didn't for various lame reasons.

There was one scene where the bad guy gets hit by a car, and doesn't even have a scratch on him. Then in the the same scene, some hapless victim unloads all of his bullets into the bad guy from about 8 feet - and MISSES!!!! C'mon now.

My wife and I gave the movie about 30 minutes and gave up.

It was too bad since we both enjoy Ryan Kwanten in True Blood.