For some reason I was not aware of the back story behind the film Goldstone. It is actually the follow up film to a 2014 film from director Ivan Sen called Mystery Road. The events in this film have a bearing on the new film but as I found out, it is possible to enjoy the film as a standalone.
Aboriginal detective Jay Swan (Aaron Pedersen) has been sent to the outback town of Goldstone by the Federal authorities on a missing persons case. The town is bought and owned by the only employer around, a large mining company that plans to expand its operation onto land owned by the indigenous people. The last thing it needs is an out-of-town police detective sniffing around. The local police officer is caught between his duty and the pressures put on him by the town council to look the other way so the mining company can smoothly expand.
At the beginning of the film, the two police offers meet in unusual circumstances. Swan gets pulled over by local cop Josh (Alex Russell) and is found to be over the drink drive limit. Swan’s state is partly due to his state of mind. He is contending with some demons in his past. These are touched upon a couple of times throughout the movie but never addressed head on. The introduction of an outside influence on Josh is troubling for the man. He is only just getting with the programme locally and Swan is seen as a threat to that. Thus, a relationship of mistrust and wariness ensues between the pair. For large parts of the film, they are circling each other. Neither wanting to open up to the other.
The character of Jay Swan is a complicated one. He is equal parts regret and male bravado. If he is not striding about with a gun on his hip he can be found smoking and drinking himself into a stupor. Aaron Pedersen conveys the traits by action rather than words. Swan never has much to say for himself. He is more likely to get involved in conversations where he does most of the listening. A glance or a gesture is more than enough for the audience to know what he is feeling underneath the blank exterior.
Jacki Weaver is perfectly cast as the sinister town mayor. Her performance as the woman with all the power is chilling. There is a threat of real menace about her whether she is talking about inflicting violence on someone or handing over a home-baked apple pie. The over the top blond hair do, that is possibly a wig (but never expanded on) only adds to the image of a very hard woman.
The film looks stunning as it takes full advantage of the dramatic backdrop that is the Australian outback. |The sense of isolation from the outside world is there for all to be seen. It is a reminder that civilisation and law are far away from here. Aerial drone shots are used to very good effect a couple of times during the film. Rather than sweeping shots of the never-ending landscape they are placed right above the action at a height where the action is just visible but somehow unreal.
This is a real slow burner. It takes its time to tell its story, relying on the mood and the building tension to keep the audience engaged. It makes the final act all the more dramatic for the patience in the build up.
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