Red Hill (2010)

78% of critics liked it
(63 reviews)
56% of users liked it
(3,541 ratings)

Young police officer Shane Cooper relocates to the small country town of Red Hill with his pregnant wife Alice to start a family. But when news of a prison break sends the local law enforcement officers - led by the town's ruling presence, Old Bill - into a panic, Shane's first day on duty rapidly… More Young police officer Shane Cooper relocates to the small country town of Red Hill with his pregnant wife Alice to start a family. But when news of a prison break sends the local law enforcement officers - led by the town's ruling presence, Old Bill - into a panic, Shane's first day on duty rapidly turns into a nightmare. Enter Jimmy Conway, a convicted murderer serving life behind bars, who has returned to the isolated outpost seeking revenge. Now caught in the middle of what will become a terrifying and bloody confrontation, Shane will be forced to take the law into his own hands if he is to survive. A taut thriller which unfolds over the course of a single day and night, and told with explosive action and chilling violence, Red Hill is a modern-day western played out against the extraordinary landscapes of high-country Australia. -- (C) Strand Releasing

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 35 min.
Directed By: Patrick Hughes
Genres: Western, Drama, Action & Adventure, Art House & International, Mystery & Suspense

In Theaters: Nov 5, 2010 Limited
On DVD: Jan 25, 2011
Studio: Strand Releasing

Critic Reviews

Derek Elley, Variety
As short on originality and sustained tension as it is long on striking widescreen vistas and impressive technical smarts.
Walter V. Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle
Rehashing the cliches from several beaten-to-death movie categories doesn't add up to much.
V.A. Musetto, New York Post
Under writer-producer-director-editor Patrick Hughes, the suspense level is high and the action constant.
Peter Brunette, Hollywood Reporter
The suspense that director Patrick Hughes manages to mount remains low-grade throughout and the plot never becomes entirely plausible.
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times
Like the best westerns, Red Hill is a stripped-down morality tale; like the best horror movies, its true monsters remain cloaked until the final reel.
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times
Morally simplistic yet viscerally effective, "Red Hill" is an Australian tip of the Stetson to the vengeance western...
Philip French, Guardian [UK]
The movie is extremely well staged and the young hero's dramatic lineage is established by his resonant name - Shane Cooper.
Damon Wise, Uncut Magazine [UK]
Red Hill has an imagination and intelligence that stays long in the mind.
Alistair Harkness, Scotsman
Starts off like a lean, mean Walter Hill movie but ends up going a bit Blazing Saddles.
Kim Newman, Empire Magazine
Powerful central performances drive this impressive Oz thriller which features death by boomerang.
Derek Malcolm, This is London
The film just about transcends its abundant clichés. It's Coen Brothers lite but made with some panache.
David Edwards, Daily Mirror [UK]
Rip-off or homage, it all adds up to an enjoyable stew of a film, even if you find yourself playing 'name that movie' for most of the running time.
Henry Fitzherbert, Daily Express
First time writer-director Patrick Hughes shows great promise as a genre filmmaker.
Cath Clarke, Guardian [UK]
What an effective calling card for debut writer-director Patrick Hughes this is - if not for the Australian tourist board.
Tim Robey, Daily Telegraph
Hughes's direction is sly without being smug, and Kwanten grounds the movie with a square decency that's never too pumped-up or cartoonish.
John Ferguson, Radio Times
Kwanten makes for a likeable hero, although Steve Bisley steals the show as the hard-bitten police chief Old Bill.
Tim Evans, Sky Movies
Former commercials director Hughes probably relies a tad too much on his old job for the whiplash editing...but there's a lot going on here that's worth a look.
Matthew Turner, ViewLondon
Red Hill starts brilliantly but tails off halfway through and fails to deliver on its initial promise, despite a strong performance from Ryan Kwanten.
Lucian Robinson, Financial Times
Though Hughes overplays his directorial hand occasionally, Red Hill is still the finest Australian western since The Proposition.
Matt Glasby, Total Film
A solid but wayward B-movie that falters just when it should be flying. Still, the premise intrigues, Kwanten's got presence to spare and Hughes is definitely one to watch.

Read all 26 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Bannan i

Watching now...so far kinda intriguing. Totes an homage to oldschool westerns.
jay n

Missing a key element of sustained suspense.
Phil H

You could be forgiven for thinking this is a Clint Eastwood style period set western and that's exactly what I thought it was upon seeing the poster design and film title, in fact its set in the present day and is more of a homage to westerns. Being set in the arrid merciless… More
You could be forgiven for thinking this is a Clint Eastwood style period set western and that's exactly what I thought it was upon seeing the poster design and film title, in fact its set in the present day and is more of a homage to westerns. Being set in the arrid merciless Aussie outback of course does make it more of cowboy than cop thriller for sure. The film is pretty unoriginal lets be honest about it, the layout and events are nothing new and do smell strongly of certain saddle bound Eastwood adventures but again..lets be honest here, its a damn good Aussie version of certain saddle bound Eastwood adventures. Beating around no bushes this is a strong violent retribution/revenge thriller that almost kinda boarders on 'The Terminator' in some building and street sequences with its lightless settings, strong shadows and mute anti hero killer. From the start you know something is amiss with the local police force and their gruff leader 'Old Bill', you can kinda tell what will happen really but it doesn't detract from the fun of the film one bit. The cast are unknown to me but pretty big in Oz, Bisley as [i]Old Bill[/i] is perfect and really comes across well as the hardened no nonsense chief whilst Lewis is great as the mute aboriginal gunman who at first is intimidating and almost robotic like in his swift killings but you know all is not as it seems. The lead Kwanten does sort of over act towards the finale as he goes from being a regular guy to a strong stern voiced gunman brewing over with cliches but you feel the tenseness of the finale and you find yourself glued to the screen really. Nothing really new to the table here but the whole film looks good and is well acted with a trusted source in the nasty revenge genre to always get the juices flowing, maybe some more nastiness to really bring home the need for revenge was needed though. Highly recommended and much better fair than the usual over hyped glossy Hollywood guff that was 'No Country for Old Men', this is gritty and more down to earth with realistic characters, the Oz factor of course helps this hugely. Still not so sure what the panther subplot was all about though, why was it needed? oh well.
Dean M

Well shot and acted, with Western overtones, this is a dark effective tale of retribution. Patrick Hughes's debut feature sets its sights on the big league. True Blood's Ryan Kwanten exchanges buckets of blood for a police badge as the new… More
Well shot and acted, with Western overtones, this is a dark effective tale of retribution. Patrick Hughes's debut feature sets its sights on the big league. True Blood's Ryan Kwanten exchanges buckets of blood for a police badge as the new cop-on-the-block. With an armed criminal on the loose and out for revenge upon Kwanten's colleagues, Hughes proves to be at home with explosive gunplay. But he overshoots with all the strands weaved into an emotional finale, just as low-budget origins can occasionally hobble aspirations.
Shawn E

A flat Australian western that has it's moments of cinematography but the plot and characters are disappointing.
Bruce B

Great Australian Film that as far as I know got little attention in the United States. A all around crime thriller, sure didn't want this one to end. A man is accused of a murder he didn't commit and escapes from prison only to get back at those that killed his wife and set… More
Great Australian Film that as far as I know got little attention in the United States. A all around crime thriller, sure didn't want this one to end. A man is accused of a murder he didn't commit and escapes from prison only to get back at those that killed his wife and set him up. In Australian outback type location, Lots of on the edge suspense. This one clocked in at the right time and once again showed that most US films take a back seat to those made overseas. 4 1/2 stars
Cynthia S

Standard revenge thriller. A wannabe western, it seems. Not bad, but not fantastic either.
Tsubaki S

In many ways you could say this is a lost revenge flick from the 70s. A very rewarding movie, rewarding because it plays the whole thing straight, no twists or any other bullshit gimmick. It doesn't need to be different, you don't re-shape the wheel, you just give it a few… More
In many ways you could say this is a lost revenge flick from the 70s. A very rewarding movie, rewarding because it plays the whole thing straight, no twists or any other bullshit gimmick. It doesn't need to be different, you don't re-shape the wheel, you just give it a few touches here and there. Is taking cliches and making them worth something again. Patrick Hughes has obviously done his homework, the man has the right sensibilities for the material. I'm glad there are still directors like him who value the power of images over redundant plots. Very much looking foward to more of his work.
Stuart B

What a great movie. Fair play to the Aussies, they make some cracking movies. Brilliant acting and the perfect setting, this movie will keep you rivited from start to finish.
Jeremy S

What begins as a promising modern day Australian Western ends laughably ridiculous.
c0up

'Red Hill'. Tense, action-packed, decent story, and a great performance from Ryan Kwanten. Yet another piece of fantastic Aussie film making
Justin Y

At this time, Patrick Hughes' film resume may not look all that impressive, but Red Hill is a good film to add to it.This 95 minute production successfully crosses a number of genres. Ultimately, it is a crime thriller, but it also comes complete with… More
At this time, Patrick Hughes' film resume may not look all that impressive, but Red Hill is a good film to add to it.This 95 minute production successfully crosses a number of genres. Ultimately, it is a crime thriller, but it also comes complete with the suspense of a horror and the action of a modern day western. The plot is straightforward and shallow in the early going, as it's mostly character and context setup. Eventually, a twist kicks in and more meat coats the plot.A good portion of the film is at night, and with the setting in a small country town there is a lot of room for suspense and even some scares. The action isn't extraordinary in anyway and there are no entertaining showdowns. There is just good clean pistol and shotgun shootings, with a few other special items included.Ryan Kwanten isn't exactly the overwhelming shoot 'em up champion of the film, but he does get the job done as the lead character. Despite only having a single line of dialogue, Tommy Lewis' portrayal of a prison escapee is also enjoyable.Red Hill will not blow up the screen in any way, shape, or form. It is just a film put together as a solid enough thriller.
Christopher H

"Red Hill" has so much going for it and I loved it. Think of it as a modern day Western, revenge film in the outback of Australia. There are horses, a murderer straight out of "No Country For Old Men" (think Javier Bardem's sadistic performance but from a… More
"Red Hill" has so much going for it and I loved it. Think of it as a modern day Western, revenge film in the outback of Australia. There are horses, a murderer straight out of "No Country For Old Men" (think Javier Bardem's sadistic performance but from a burnt faced indian), and even a panther! The film displays great quality, plenty of twists and turns, and the perfect casting for a film of this nature. I love westerns, and this one fits right in. I would definitely watch this again.