STALLONE PICKS EXPENDABLES 3 HELMER/ RED HILL (2010) REVIEW

Sly Stallone has picked Patrick Hughes to take the directing reigns of the third installment of the Expendables action series. Hughes wrote and directed the intense and moody Australian thriller Red Hill. Personally, I really liked Red Hill and really like this outside the box choice! For those curious here is my review of Red Hill…

Australian thriller is a violent tale of a young cop who moves to a small backwoods town with his pregnant wife in the hopes of a quieter life… until an escaped murderer comes to town with vengeance on his mind. Red Hill is one of those movies that makes you overlook it’s minor flaws due to the storytelling skill of the director and the genuine performances of his cast. Director Patrick Hughes gives his outlaw “Jimmy” (Tom E. Lewis) an almost Michael Meyers persona as he desends upon the quiet town of Red Hill and it’s terrified police and citizens, yet, makes him surprisingly human when all is said and done. Young Officer Cooper (Ryan Kwanten) appears a coward at first but, by the end credits, we see the real man beneath who has the courage to do what’s right, when it is the right thing to do. And that’s what is best about this Aussie gem, Hughes makes makes us think we are watching one kind of movie and then suddenly we realize there’s more to it then meets the eye. To say any more would be to ruin a real pleasant surprise.  ***1/2