Moody and Atmospheric this is a modern take of the western with touches of Sergio Leone and Sam Peckinpah but with a whole Australian flavour , A must see

Slow but reasonably suspenseful drama where an Aboriginal cop returns home to investigate the murder of an indigenous teenager. This tightly wound drama evokes a strikingly inventive sense of the Wild West in the Australian Outback. Director Ivan Sen's fourth feature evokes old westerns, Polanski's Chinatown and other noir classics, but still feels grounded in the dust and dried blood of the Australian soil. A striking and menacing slow-burn thriller set in the Australian outback which blends dry humour with startling social commentary. Sen (who also shoots, scores and edits) goes walkabout through the minefield of contemporary Australian culture, offering an evocative snapshot of an unravelling crime scene - social, racial and economic. Aaron Pendersen is thoroughly believable as the conflicted Jay and the blasted landscape is photographed so well you'll be sweating and swatting the flies away from your own face after 10 mins. Measured and sparing in its use of dialogue and music, Mystery Road remains strikingly atmospheric and expertly controlled as Sen builds a sense of quietly escalating tension. Mystery Road may be set in modern Queensland but it has the feel of a flinty, slow-burning western as one stetson-wearing lawman stands against an entire community. Slow-burning but very powerful.VERDICT: "High-Quality Stuff" - [Positive Reaction] This is a rating to a movie I view as very entertaining and well made, and definitely worth paying the full price at a theatre to see or own on DVD. It is not perfect, but it is definitely excellent. (Films that are rated 3.5 or 4 stars)

good Aussie mystery/suspenser

"GRIPPING | GRITTY | SLOW-BURNING | THRILLING" (95-out-of-100)

Not the most satisfying ending but sets a fascinating atmosphere.

Last night I went looking for a decent film to get lost in and I found "Mystery Road" on Netflix. Ivan Sen starts his film with the discovery of the decaying corpse of a young indigenous Australian girl, in a drainage ditch brutally murdered and raped. The deeply racist Police Chief assigns Jay Swan (the remarkable Aaron Pederson) an Australian Indigenous police detective, to work the case solo and blandly offers him no resources. "We're strapped right now, you understand?"Jay Swan, who had recently been reassigned to work in his old community, the aptly named "Massacre Creek" in a rural part of the Outback, has more problems than solutions with an alcoholic ex-wife and a daughter who he sees after what appears to be a long absence with a full cast on her hand. The only explanation she offers is "just fighting'". The biggest menace appear to be the local police who appear to be part of a massive conspiracy involving drug production, murder and prostitution. However rather than being a simple who done it it slowly evolves into a modern day "High Noon" with a morality play of white supremacy. It doesn't hurt that the climax leads to one of the best shoot-em-ups in recent memory.4.5 Stars out of five.

Loved it. Can't wait for Goldstone Movie, the sequel!

Excellent Australian thriller, true to life in the outback. Best since Wake in Fright.

Impressive nuanced performances. A pitch-perfect and lovely final scene. One of the lesser known gems of 2014.

The movie is a little too leisurely paced but the use of rifles is well done and it is well crafted.

WOW......WOW....WOW......WOW.....WOW.....SUCH A BEAUTIFUL, BRILLIANT MOVIE 2 WATCH WITH A FANTASTIC CAST THROUGHOUT THIS MOVIE IT IS SUCH A POWERFUL DRAMA MOVIE 2 WATCH, BUT IT IS SUCH A BRILLIANT MOVIE 2 WATCH WITH A SUPERB CAST THROUGHOUT THIS MOVIE.......WARNING THIS MOVIE CONTAINS STROBE LIGHTNING EFFECTS THROGUHOUT SOME SCENES THROUGHOUT THIS MOVIE

Slow and brooding Australian detective film with more than a few nods to the American western and noir genres. An indigenous detective comes back to his hometown and is faced with solving the murder of a young girl, inevitably this leads to unearthing a seedier side to the town. Touching upon the social and racial divides still evident along the way it coolly ambles towards the required showdown without ever really handing you the answers.

Great little indie Aussie movie.

This is the kind of film that's so perfect that I swear it was made just for me - a small film littered with actors I don't know and a few I've seen before. One good man out of his depth against an evil machine with only his wits and his moral code to see him through.

Pitted against prejudice and corruption this lonesome film noir slowing draws you where you are held in suspense, this film is intriguing, beautifully shot and well acted.