Red Hill 2010

Revenge just rode into town

6.0 / 10   155 vote(s)
R
Action Thriller Western

Young police officer Shane Cooper's first day on duty, after relocating to the small town of Red Hill, rapidly turns into a nightmare. News of a prison break, involving convicted murderer Jimmy Conway, sends the local law enforcement officers - led by the town's ruling presence, Old Bill - into a panic and leads to a terrifying and bloody confrontation.

Homepage http://www.redhillmovie.com/
Release Date 2010-11-05
Runtime 1h 37m
Directors Patrick Hughes, Tim Hudson, Benjamin Shirley, Cameron Watt
Producers Al Clark, Patrick Hughes, Ray Hennessy, Kate Menzies, Robert V. Galluzzo, Rachel Higgins, Greg McLean, Carol Johnston, Craig McMahon
Writer Patrick Hughes

Dear Red Hill. I like you. Fondest wishes, Gimly... Ahem, just thought I'd make my opinion pretty straight forward from the get go.

It's Australian, so points. It's got tonnes o' blood and night skies, so points. An Aboriginal with a half a face actually kills someone with a boomerang (there you go Luke, apparently it is possible!), so points. There's lots of fire, but no explosions, so points. The executive producer is Greg McLean (the kid behind Wolf Creek and Rogue) so points. Plus, it's entertaining!

And I mean come on, Steve Bisley's in the damn thing! (the guy who played Goose in Mad Max). Ryan Kwanten (The Knights of Badassdo, True Blood) and Tom E. Lewis (The Proposition) make their presence known as the protagonist and antagonist respectively.

It's a little crazy, some sort of... Horror/Crime/Thriller/Western hybrid with a couple of comedic moments. Not that it's a comedy, or cheesy, just a bit funny once or twice... Like! There's this one bit where... Nah, better not ruin it. It's good though!

The score's great, one of the better I've heard lately. Though some of the more extreme Western elements bothered me (like quick-draws, horseback cops and white cowboy hats, etc.) I was more than willing to forgive these, after all, we as Australians are not yet in a position in the film industry where we can afford not to pander to the Yanks.

First time Director Patrick Hughes certainly is somebody I'll be looking out for in the future, if this first effort is anything to go by. Red Hill is imaginative, clever, bold, no-nonsense and entirely watchable film that I'm more than happy to have in my collection. I wasn't blown away, it was no fresh new thing I'd never see coming, but Bisley's screen presence and the general non-stop awesomeness makes Red Hill it one of the better productions we Australians have unleashed onto the world.

76%

Gimly