the audience applauded

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

It starts off as though it's going to be a good thriller involving the mental town locals but then turns out to be a classic revenge thriller. Classic might sound as though I am praising it, trust me I'm not. The amount of 'why didn't he just..' moments in this film is unreal. Most of these guys actually allow this madman to kill them. There is even a scene when one of the town 'guards' is aiming down his scope ready to fire then the villain 'Jimmy' actually spins and shoots the guy square in the forehead. You couldn't make it up. And where on earth does the panther fit in? I've actually took time out of my night to tell everyone not to waste their lives on this movie. I'd actually give it 2 for the laugh I got at some points (I can assure you it was not meant).

Red Hill is a usual western tale, a man is arrested, he breaks free and comes back for revenge and things aren't what they seem. Every good guy is a terrible shot and all of them except the main guy are incredibly dumb. The bad guy is mute, startling and an expert marksman until select moments when for no reason he seems to forget how to operate a firearm.The acting is mediocre except for the main actor, Ryan Kwanten, who does an excellent job portraying a man who can get the crap kicked out of him for an hour and half. The soundtrack is pretty good, the visuals are okay and the blood factor is little over the top on occasion making this seem almost like a cheesy slasher flick but with guns instead of knives. The plot line is simple and doesn't leave you to think about anything afterwards making this overall, a fairly forgettable movie.It's not a terrible flick but it is predictable and best suited for an afternoon matinée viewing while you're cleaning the house and need something in the background.

It would appear that most Australian movies given a theatrical or home cinema release in the United Kingdom automatically whet the appetites of critics and audiences alike. Why so? All this particular movie has going for it is the scenery. But its already there. All you have to do is point and click. As did the cops in the movie, with their rifles and pistols that is. What a useless bunch they were, even with the escaped convict killer in their sites, with his back turned they still couldn't hit him. He was an Aboriginal superman. Red Hill is just a bog standard revenge drama fused with that awful contemporary genre "modern day western".After dark the town became Australias Copland with all the other residents hiding somewhere. I suppose they had been warned by the police chief about the monster storm coming that turned out to be a bit of a damp squib. Pity because there then could have been some tumbleweeds action to build upon that "modern day western" feel.The acting is lousy from all concerned and the story is so humdrum and routine. A thoroughly disengaging experience. There are countless other more worthy Australian movies out there.

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.