Goldstone

As this Australian film opens two cars drive through the outback; the policeman in one arrests the driver of the other, an indigenous Australian man, for drunk driving... it soon emerges that the latter man is Detective Jay Swan and he is in the town of Goldstone to look for a missing woman. Nobody admits that somebody could be missing there and the detective clearly isn't welcome... a new mining deal is on the cards to the area and nobody wants him rocking the boat. He continues his investigation though and is soon in real danger, unsure who he can trust.

This film, a follow-up to the film 'Mystery Road', which I've yet to see, is very atmospheric. Calling Goldstone a one horse town would overstate its size and the expanse of desert surrounding it makes it feel very remote... it is clear our protagonist can't call for rapid help if anything goes wrong. As Detective Swan's investigations proceed we gradually learn more about what is going on in Goldstone and the motives. It is soon apparent that certain characters aren't good but others are more ambiguous; most notable local policeman Josh Waters; at times it looks as if he could be one of the problems; at others he looks like a potential ally. Many issues feature; trafficked women, relations between white and indigenous Australians and the power of mining concerns whose security personnel clearly outgun the police. The cast does a fine job; Aaron Pedersen is great as Jay Swan and Alex Russell really impresses as the conflicted Josh Waters. Other notable performances come from Jacki Weaver as The Mayor and David Gulpilil as an elderly Indigenous man who talks to Jay about his past. As well as a good story we get fantastic atmosphere and some amazing shots of the characters in the vastness of the outback. Overall I'd definitely recommend this.

Goldstone essentially picks up where Mystery Road left off.

Which is wonderful for the viewer, because Mystery Road is one of my favourite films, I am a huge fan of writer/director Ivan Sen, and Aaron Pedersen's "aboriginal detective" is one of my favourite all time film characters.

What makes these films so special, aside from superb writing, acting, and direction? Cinematography --- as I said in my review of Mystery Road, the country itself is the unbilled co-star and the aerial shots are to die for.

The themes. Sen is too good a writer to avoid core underlying themes of morality, good and evil, greed and kindness. Even when you think you are just watching a sunset, you realize there are other things going on.

Which brings us to the true genius of this writer/director -- in the opinion of this reviewer, Sen manages to construct the tone and mood of a 1940s film noire in 21st century Australia, in daylight, and in full colour.

If you think that is easy to do .. try it some time.

Recommended.

Don't be shy -- give it a try.

((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

Goldstone could have been a far better movie than the interesting one it is. As a pastiche of several other classics along the lines of; Bad Day at Black Rock, Shane, Magnificent 7, and others, it ambles on to tell a fairly conventional but interesting story of corruption and moral decay set in an outback mining village (often referred to as the 'Town')

The multi-talented writer, director, cinematographer, editor and score composer, is Queensland born (to an Aust Indigenous mother and Croatian/German Father) Ivan Sen. Mr Sen has perfected the look of many trend-setting movie makers as well as some of his own unique touches. This should hold the patient viewers interest with its superb desolate landscapes and settings but falls somewhat short with odd, foolish touches - such as an over the top shootout where the neighborhood miners carry on performing menial out-door tasks while serious heavy- gunfire rains mercilessly around them (if this was supposed to be John Wayne type humour, it doesn't work).

A strong character performance by indigenous performer Aron Pederson as the investigating detective is weakened from his being eternally paralytic - leaving himself way too vulnerable to the deadly situations he's working within. The business 'crooks' all tend to be clichéd and rather one dimensional, while their henchmen are too gung-ho Americanised. The predictable & needless over-use of four-letter words becomes tiresome and the walk-away-from gunfire ridden car smash-up (while well done) is a stretch, to say the least. But, all that aside, it's a good-looking, attention holding, Technicolour/Noir, Modern Aussie Western – that could have been a social conscience classic.

A wonderfully slow paced movie that gives you time to chew on the underlying fat of what is so screwed up with the Aussie outback political culture. Ivan Sen does not leave anything out, touching on the Stolen Generation, the rape and pillage by mining companies on sacred land, the destruction and disintegration of the Indigenous culture, and even the exploitation in the sex slave trade. It is ugly, almost revisiting that icon Australian movie, WAKE IN FRIGHT.

It sometimes takes an outsider to see what is so wrong with a country, as Ted Kotcheff did with Wake In Fright, Louis Malle with Alamo Bay and Wim Wenders with almost everything he made in America. But Australia has its very own soul searching local filmmaker in Ivan Sen, who peels away those layers a bit at a time, with every layer revealing the true ugliness of this country.

The plus side was the technical aspect, with the cinematography being the added bonus, perfectly capturing the mood in the isolated remote locations. Once again that was superbly handled by the director himself, who also had a hand in the music.

If you are searching for a fast paced action thriller, than keep away from this movie. But if you desire to be challenged and mentally stimulated without having topics shoved down your throat, than seek this movie out, and enjoy what it has to offer.

Overly curious visitors to an outback mining town are told to be careful where they step, for there are snakes around. When Aboriginal detective Jay Swan is sent by the federal government to investigate the disappearance of Chinese migrant women, he encounters the snakes. The town is full of them. This is because many town residents, including the mayor, are on the take for the mining company and for the rest, they depend on the company in one way or another. "Without the mine," says one resident "there's nothing you know." Even among the Aboriginals, Swan gets no traction in his search for the missing migrants. "Brother boy, you're a guest here like the white man," one tells him. Not only does Swan fail to find someone he can trust, he cannot even trust himself half of the time because of a drinking problem. Yet Swan's persistence and toughness begins to pay off when a town resident dies in suspicious circumstances. As Swan takes advantage of holes in the armor of the mining company and their abuse support network, he also must convince fearful, abused and bullied people to step out of the shadows.

The film revolves around a timely subject; human trafficking. The migrant women in the film and those who dare to speak against the mining company, are bullied, abused and made to feel worthless and insignificant. "The world was not made for you," they are told "you were made for it. You think you can make a difference?!" And these women have good reason to be afraid and stay in the shadows. "When you find the truth," they ask the police, "what will you do? Will you protect us?" Probably not.

Goldstone includes some amazing images of the outback and intriguing shots taken overhead by drones. The film is a thrilling story about an important and timely subject, and it has interesting characters, yet it feels a bit constrained. This may have something to do with budget, acting and/or depth. International premiere seen at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival and the beautiful, historic Winter Garden theater.