Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

Red Hill is a really entertaining Australian movie about an escaped killer who comes back to his small Australian home town to kill the officers who put him in jail. It stars Ryan Kwanten, who is better known to most American audiences as Jason Stackhouse from True Blood.

The story begins with Kwanten and his wife unpacking after moving out to the small Outback town. They had left the big city for a quieter place to race their future children, and his first day begins the following morning. Not long after reporting to work, a news alert announces that a convicted murderer (Tommy Lewis) has escaped custody. The prison is several hours away, and this leaves the Sheriff and his deputies little time to prepare for the hell that is about to descend upon their town.

I loved how this movie started out almost like a quiet little Western about the new law in a small town, but the tension builds quickly once the escaped killer shows up. Night falls shortly after the convict’s arrival, and from there on it turns into a manhunt. The Sheriff has people posted all around town in various blockades, sniper positions, and hideouts. One by one, the killer takes them on with deadly precision and it becomes a countdown as to who gets it next and how anyone can possibly stop the madness.

As you might expect, the escaped killer is raging with revenge. Half of his face is disfigured from a fire, and he’s a crack shot with most any weapon. He also has very little to say, but is reluctant to kill Kwanten when they first meet. This hints at some greater motivation for the convict’s return, and that’s where it starts to get truly interesting.

There is a ton of blood and violence in this movie, and some scenes are quite gory given that the whole movie is about cold-blooded revenge killing. It had a bunch of gunfights, but no crazy kung fu or sword fights, so it plays out more like a Western than some modern overdone action movie. It is very much rated R, especially for a couple of brutal scenes.

It was neat hearing Ryan Kwanten’s native Australian accent since I’m so used to the faux Cajun talk he does in True Blood. He’s good in this role, though his character sort of bumbles through the whole thing. He’s supposed to be the outsider caught up in a mess, and so the narrative is all from his point of view, which is that of relative innocence. I did like the notion that his character left the big city to get away from the exact thing he had to face on his very first day on the job.

In the end, I really enjoyed watching Red Hill. I went into it without watching any trailers and really didn’t know what to expect, and it turned out to be a very well made thriller with some good twists and a lot of shootouts to keep my attention. I can’t believe this is writer/director Patrick Hughes’ first feature length film.

Recommended: Yes

Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age