 |
DVD Red Hill
 Run time: 95 min Rating: 6.4 Genres: Action | Thriller | Western Director: Patrick Hughes Writers: Patrick Hughes Stars: Ryan Kwanten, Steve Bisley, Tommy Lewis |
| Storyline A young police officer must survive his first day’s duty in a small country town. |
|
| Plot Keywords: two word title, color in title, neo western, subjective camera, confession | |
| Details: Country: Australia Release Date: 13 May 2011 (UK) |
|
| Box Office Opening Weekend: $8,650 (USA) (5 November 2010) Gross: $20,960 (USA) (14 January 2011) |
|
previous post
4 comments
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.
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.
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:)
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.