Goldstone

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))

This movie just came to the US and it was playing at the theater where I work. I wasn't really planning to see it because the poster looked pretty generic, but after watching the trailer I changed my mind because it looked very well shot and I have yet to see a bad Australian film.

Man, am I glad I watched this. EVERY aspect of this movie is so well handled. The cinematography, directing, writing and acting are all so well done without being too flashy. It all fits with the story being told.

Every single performance was great. I especially enjoyed Aaron Pederson's understated, tormented performance. Understated is actually an accurate adjective for all of this film. The only performance I thought was mediocre was the actress who played May. This was most likely the casting, but I would've liked her English to be more broken. I also felt she was a little too confident for the position she was in.

The writing is really good. The story is nothing revolutionary but it's simple and effective. The movie is definitely slow but I was never bored. What I really loved was the dialogue. There were moments when it was very powerful but never heavy handed. I think the wonderful performances and subtle direction assisted in that. Also, I loved Josh's character arc. His arc, as well as the slow build up, made the climax SO satisfying.

The cinematography was gorgeous but subtle. Expressive but never too flashy. Probably the best aerial shots I've personally seen in a movie. The shootout is so well shot and directed. Really got me going.

All in all I would definitely recommend this to a patient movie-goer. I had a really great experience and enjoyed every second. This score is also something to be mentioned, beautiful and emotional.

I found this film by accident as I didn't realise that they had made a sequel to the very intriguing and dark Mystery Road.

Our lead is sent on a case again in the middle of nowhere in Australia, but he is a wreck (not surprising when you look back on the first film). Anyhow, he ends up having to liaise with a local cop who is passive on all the ills he sees round him, and each is a foil for the other. There is mass corruption and life to some others is worthless, or local cop can end up in either direction, especially as he takes an emotional investment in the goings on of Human Trafficking of young Chinese women.

So what we have is a case of redemption. Will the local cop leave the world as it is, or challenge the immorality? Everyone else seems to just play along, but our lead says no! Will the local cop back him or not?

Like the first film, this is sumptuous, and the real star is the glorious cinematography, which contrasts the dark heart of the human soul. Yet we have hope in it all.

Our lead is as intriguing as ever, and his own failings are something that endear you to him. I'm very happy they made this film, as we continue the journey. There's a Mad Max element to the lead character & story (albeit no fantasy), but it's still violent and unforgiving.

Again, this is a case worth investigating, and I can't wait to the next film in this series. Very dark yet very beautiful to watch, there's a heart in this movie and you will find it. Deserves better than the ratings so far have given it credit for.

'Goldstone' is the sequel to 'Mystery Road', a decent Australian outback murder-mystery, but I actually liked 'Goldstone' better, as it has more unknowns and undercurrents than it's predecessor. Pedersen is back as Detective Jay Swan, but he's a bit more disheveled this time, having gone through some type of trauma in his life. He arrives in Goldstone, a tiny outback town, looking for a missing girl and isn't really welcomed and has to try to find her with resistance from everyone.

The cast is great - Josh (Russell) is the only police officer for 100's of kilometres and it's great to see him wrestle with what's right vs what he can and can't turn a blind eye to; Maureen (Weaver) is the crazy-eyed, false-smile mayor; Jimmy (Gulpilil) & Tommy (Lewis) are local aboriginal elders, and while Gulpilil's role is small, it's significant; Johnny (Wenham) is the greedy mine manager, supplying jobs (and alcohol); and May (Davidson) is a woman trapped in a tough situation. Josh and Jay clash, as he doesn't need outsiders interfering, and Maureen and Johnny certainly don't want their racquet foiled.

Plenty happens, even though there's lots of great scenery shots, as well as some from overhead (crane or helicopter), that look amazing. It's filmed in western Queensland, but could be anywhere in the Northern Territory, South Australia, Western Australia or New South Wales - extremely desolate and at times, beautiful. It's a slow burn, but everything comes together strongly for the final 20min, with a good ending. Plenty of social commentary - aboriginal interests vs mining interests; city vs country way-of-life; greed vs ethics; but in the end, it's an above average cop thriller that works on a few levels.

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.