Red Hill

There are a couple of times when there's what I judge an unnecessary jump in the plot line to accommodate something improbable in an otherwise realistic situation. They're minor flaws that actually brought a smile to my face rather than a groan, but they seem a little out of place even though this is an Australian film and they're famous for that kind of inclusion.

It didn't ruin my evening but it would have improved the film to have passed on them. This is an easily understood plot: a cop needs to get to a peaceful town in order that his wife can successfully carry their baby. Naturally, things go wrong his first day when a convicted murderer heads to the remote town to wreak havoc on his accusers. There little flashy gunplay or inspirational heroics, but the film will grow on you because it's very human and understandable.

All roles are artfully rendered by the cast and there's the constant feeling that you are there in a remote but beautiful area of Australia.

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.

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.

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.

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!