Here's today's "My mind was wandering" question: Were there Western archetypal stories before there were Western movies? I have too assume that there were tales told around the campfire about the exploits of lawmen and outlaws which were then written down. These sorts of stories would eventually turn into the Westerns which were popular throughout the 20th century. (Of course, this sort of archetypal story probably existed in other parts of the world for centuries before the American West existed.) Over the years, we've seen the basic structure of the Western transplanted into other genres. The Australian film Red Hill is just like a Western, except that it doesn't contain the Old West.

As Red Hill opens, Shane Cooper (Ryan Kwanten) and his wife Alice (Claire van der Boom), have just moved to the titular town where Shane will be the newest member of the police department. He goes to work, only to find that the town looks like it's on its last leg, and the Sheriff, Old Bill (Steve Bisley), is very gruff man. Shane's first assignment is to go look at a dead horse. This mundane day makes us wonder if Shane will regret his decision. Then, through a TV news report, we learn that there has been an explosion at a maximum security prison. This leads to a second report of a prison escape. One of the prisoners is from Red Hill and Bill is convinced that the murderer is on his way home. As Bill gives out jobs, he doesn't seem to trust Cooper, but the young officer is determined to help. However, as night closes in, Shane will learn that small towns can hold deadly secrets.

I try to be original in my reviews and I hate to write things that others have written, but I know that I won't be the first person to say this: Red Hill is simply a Western set in modern times. The setting -- the town of Red Hill -- is very reminiscent of the kind of frontier town which we would see in a Western, as it's small and remote. The town has a main street which has storefronts, just like an Old West town. The old rancher who loves on the edge of town feels like the kind of character who would come from a cowboy movie. In addition, the plot, concerning the outlaw coming back to town, is directly lifted from classic Westerns like High Noon.

But, we've seen modern-day Westerns before. Movies like John Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13 take Western motifs and place them in a contemporary setting. What is the one thing which makes Red Hill different? The odd-sounding answer is horses. Yes, several characters ride horses in the film and the presence of the four-legged animals really drives home the fact that this movie wants to be a Western. Throw in an abundance of cowboy hats and a few duster coats and the Western look is complete.

In the 80s, Australian cinema made a name for itself with some great action movies (obviously the Mad Max films come to mind). Red Hill harkens back to those times, in a sense, as it offers a very lean and mean take on the Western. The result is a movie which is entertaining, but lightweight and instantly forgettable.

Red Hill shows some good and bad marksmanship on Blu-ray Disc courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The film has been letterboxed at 2.35:1 and the Disc contains an AVC 1080p HD transfer which runs at an average of 25 Mbps. The image is sharp and clear, showing only a hint of grain and no defects from the source material. The picture is a bit soft at times, but it does offer a nice amount of depth. The colors are good, but the picture is a bit too dark during the third act. The Disc carries a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track which runs at 48 kHz and an average of 4.0 Mbps. The track provides clear dialogue and sound effects. This is an impressive track, as the surround sound effects assert themselves very early on and provide detailed, conspicuous effects throughout the movie. The stereo effects show good separation. The subwoofer effects, from gunshots and thunder, work very well.

There are no special features on the Red Hill Blu-ray Disc.