Anyone who saw director/screenwriter, Patrick Hughes’s (‘Signs’, ‘The Lighter’) debut short film, ‘The Director’ knew this was one talented filmmaker. Let’s be blunt it was one of the best damn short films to ever be made and I for one have eagerly awaited the day he got around to making his first feature film… well it’s been a decade but it’s certainly been worth the wait.
There have been so many people in the Australian film industry who have said Australia’s answer to “how to make good films” has been to make genre films… and Hughes has certainly answered that call by producing ‘Red Hill’, a western that comes across as an episode of ‘Deadwood’ meets the Aussie classic, ‘The Man From Snowy River’. I’ll admit that going into the film I was skeptical. After viewing the trailer I kept on thinking ‘but why are Australian Police riding horses’ but to Hughes credit this flows beautifully into the film. My other hang-up was over, Ryan Kwanten (‘Legend of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga’Hoole’, TV’S ‘True Blood’)… nothing I had seen him do had warranted him the right to be a leading man, but I must confess I have to eat my words because here he shines.
Hughes has this story down pat. Cooper comes to town with his wife, Alice (Claire van der Boom – ‘Sisters Of War’, ‘The Pacific’) as Alice needs rest and no stress while she is pregnant. When he goes to work at the Police Station he finds the very friendly, Barlow (Kevin Harrington – TV’S ‘Underbelly’, ‘Bastard Boys’) and also that the station (make that town) is run by a man who sees himself as an old-school sheriff, Old Bill (Steve Bisley – ‘The Wedding Party’, TV’S ‘Lowdown’)… a tough-as-nails bastard whom the town seems to worship. However, when an escaped prisoner, Jimmy Conway (Tommy Lewis – TV’S ‘The Circuit’ & ‘Double Trouble’) heads for Red Hill everyone seems to think he has come for revenge and get their guns at the ready… a problem as Cooper has a fear of firing his gun.
It’s here that Hughes really hits his straps. There was a real danger that this could just become yet another shoot-em’-up but Hughes has some tricks under his belt. Firstly, he gives Conway an almost Freddy Krueger-style prescience, add that to the fact that the audience is desperately trying to work out why he’s doing this and you’ve got a genuine thriller on your hands. Besides that you know Cooper most likely won’t be able to shoot anyone, that Old Bill isn’t gonna let some criminal over-run his town, and right there in the back of your mind your wondering whether Conway will come across the innocent Alice… these ingredients all make for one fine film that will certainly keep you on the edge of your seat… as well as entertain your socks off.
Like I mentioned previously Kwanten really does shine in this role. He pulls off the awkward, shy cop to aplomb… almost as well as Bisley putting in the performance of his life with the tough Old Bill. It’s great to see Kevin Harrington out in the spotlight again (when is Australia going to realise just how good he is) although it was a little disappointing to see actors of the quality of Claire van der Boom and John Brumpton (‘The Loved Ones’, ‘Last One’) wasting away in such small roles.
‘Red Hill’ is the film that we have always known is inside Patrick Hughes. He manages to make a shoot-‘em-up western into a classy thriller. The fact he throws Victoria’s ‘mythical’ Puma into the plot shows he has done his research while his class as a filmmaker makes this a film I want to see over and over again. Ozploitation films are back… and Patrick Hughes is their king.
Year: 2010
Director: Patrick Hughes
Stars: Ryan Kwanten, Claire Van Der Boom, Kevin Harrington, Steve Bisley, Tommy Lewis, John Brumpton
Classification: MA15+
Runtime: 97 mins
Rating: 