Film Review: Goldstone (2016)

Three years after achieving exceptional success with his thriller Mystery Road, Ivan Sen wrote the screenplay, directed, handled cinematography and editing, and composed the music for its sequel titled Goldstone. In it, Aaron Pedersen reprises the role of Aboriginal police detective Jay Swan. The plot, set several years after he exposed corruption in his hometown, this time takes place in Goldstone, a remote mining town in the Australian outback. Swan arrives there to investigate the suspicious disappearance of an Asian tourist, but his investigation is seriously jeopardised from the outset by a relapse into alcoholism, which lands him in prison under the watch of Josh (Alex Russell), a local officer who initially fails to recognise him as a colleague. After Jay sobers up, Josh reluctantly agrees to assist him in the investigation, and soon both become targets of clear hostility from the two most powerful figures in the area—Mayor Maureen (Jackie Weaver) and Johnny (David Wenham), the director of the local Furnace Creek mine, who is on the verge of finalising a lucrative deal with the local Aboriginal tribe to expand mining operations onto their tribal land. Jimmy’s (Dacid Gulpilil) opposition to the entire process sparks a chain of violence involving local bikers, who are likely being aided by Maureen and Johnny in some dirty dealings. Josh, meanwhile, follows a lead to a local bar where he befriends May (Michelle Lim Davidson), a Chinese entertainer whom he suspects is a trafficked prostitute and decides to help.

In many respects, Ivan Sen has chosen to retain the style credited with the success of his previous film, particularly the exceptional attention to cinematography and the use of the Australian outback and its landscapes as a key element in crafting the film. Inevitable comparisons with Mystery Road, however, suggest that his second film is much smoother and more conventional, although this is not immediately apparent with the protagonist, who at the outset—with long, unkempt hair and completely drunk—appears as the antithesis of the type one would trust to uphold justice in the Australian outback. Pedersen, however, handles the role exceptionally well, including the melodramatic elements Sen has layered onto his character—such as a family tragedy he understandably attempts to drown in alcohol or the company of a prostitute, whose services he will use shortly after officially interrogating her. However, as the film progresses, Jay is gradually relegated to the background, with Josh emerging as the true protagonist—a seemingly much 'cleaner' and more polished character, despite also resorting to the services of prostitutes. This conventionality is further accentuated by the much more frequent use of often melodramatic music, as well as certain 'buddy-buddy' clichés. However, the problems become much more pronounced as the film approaches its conclusion, particularly as it becomes clear that Sen has attempted to cram too many elements into the film to appeal to progressively-minded critics—racist exploitation of Australian Aboriginal people (the central theme of the previous film), capitalist greed triggering environmental disaster and corruption, and finally, sexual abuse through trafficking. All these themes are not well integrated into a coherent whole, and an additional issue is the finale, which, despite featuring another impressive gunfight, includes some overly confusing elements. Even greater disappointment comes from the otherwise compelling Weaver and Wenham, whose characters are rendered overly caricatured. Despite this, and despite likely being seen as a disappointment when compared to Mystery Road, Goldstone deserves recommendations as an unusual yet solid film.

RATING: 6/10 (++)

(Note: The text in the original Croatian version is available here.)

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