Red Hill

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

"Revenge just rode into town."

Red Hill is an Australian New Old Western film set in the modern day in a rural Victorian country town. On the same day that newly transfered police officer Shane Cooper arrives in town, convicted murderer Jimmy Conway escapes from Maximum Security Prison and goes on a killing spree of the town's police officers.

Tropes used in Red Hill include:
  • Aboriginal Burial Ground: Conway was protecting this, which led to him being framed so that the police could claim his land.
  • Air Vent Passageway: Cooper uses it to avoid Conway, but when he comes out, Cooper realizes that Conway never left the room.
  • All Your Base Are Belong to Us: The Red Hill Police station, though, given the twist, it could later count as Storming the Castle.
  • Aren't You Forgetting Someone?: Bill doesn't give Shane a position during the briefing (at first).
  • The Bait: When Conway lures out the police with their comrade bound to the driver seat of a car.
  • Bound and Gagged: Shane
  • Clear Their Name: Shane attempts this with Jimmy.
  • Exotic Weapon Supremacy: Given that Jimmy is Aboriginal he uses traditional aboriginal weapons in the form of a spear and a boomerang to kill 2 people respectively.
  • Frame-Up: The film's twist
  • Great Escape: Jimmy breaks out of Maximum Security prison (off-screen)
  • Hollywood Fire: Bill stands only 2 feet away from a giant burning haystack.
  • Hunting the Most Dangerous Game: Jimmy hunting the police. Lampshaded by the twist in which the cops of the town turn out to be the bad guys.
  • Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy: Not so much the actual police, but several of the armed civilians who go after Jimmy alongside the cops. It's even parodied by the fact that one such civilian unloads an entire clip at Jimmy only 4 metres away and misses on every shot.
  • Last Breath Bullet: Lampshaded by Jimmy before he shoots Bill, whilst the backup officers are pointing their guns at him.
  • Major Injury Underreaction: Jimmy Conway gets hit by a speeding car, is able to shoot at the driver whilst on the bonnet, gets flung off when the car crashes into another car and is able to stand up and move around as if it was nothing.
  • Mexican Standoff: The film's climax.
  • Miscarriage of Justice: Turns out the police framed Jimmy for the murder of his wife so they could get the land he was protecting, they then put him on trial and falsely testified to lock him up in Maximum Security.
  • Mission Briefing: The police plan to intercept Jimmy.
  • Mistaken for Badass: Shane
  • New Old West: The entire film is directed like a Western film at various occasions whilst set in modern day. This includes cattle wrangling, bar shootouts, quick draws, riding a horse into town and across rugged terrain, even with a Western themed soundtrack. And given the location (Gippsland, Victoria) it is awesomely justified.
  • Nightmare Face: Jimmy's burn covering half his face and twisting one of his eyes.
  • No One Gets Left Behind: Shane carrying an injured Barlow, even after Shane leaves him in a safe place so he can confront Jimmy and subsequently ends up outside of town, he goes back to get him to take him to the barn.
  • The Radio Dies First: Jimmy takes out the comms tower making contact with the outside world impossible. Unless, of course, someone happens to have a satellite phone.
  • Rape, Pillage and Burn: In that order, the police did this to Jimmy's wife and house in the flashback.
  • Revolvers Are Just Better: Shane's gun
  • The Slacker: Barlow
  • Save the Villain: Lampshaded by Conway after the truth is revealed.
  • Shout-Out: Shane Cooper's wife is named Alice.
  • A Storm Is Coming: Cops use this as a cover excuse for the town locals to stay indoors, though an actual storm does roll up.
  • Strike Me Down with All of Your Hatred:

Bill: '"Come on, Jimmy, I know you're out there!"'

  • Taking Over the Town: Jimmy not only cuts off communication but also has the cops radio thus rendering them useless.