Goldstone
Indigenous Detective Jay Swan arrives in the frontier town of Goldstone on a missing persons inquiry. What seems like a simple investigation unearths an intricate web of crime, corruption, human trafficking, and coordinated exploitation of indigenous people’s land. Jay must bury his differences with young local cop Josh, so together they can bring justice to Goldstone.
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- Cast:
- Alex Russell , Aaron Pedersen , Jacki Weaver , Kate Beahan , Cheng Pei-pei , David Wenham , David Gulpilil
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Reviews
People are voting emotionally.
Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.
Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.
Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.
'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.
I watched this splendid film. The message is even more beautiful: Do not wait for events to happen in order to change yourself. that just in a certain point of your life ... you have to love someone, you have co care ... to realize that. And get away with life !Some of the best Quote of the movie: "You know, growing up out here in the bush. I wouldn't change it for anything. And I mean anything.But sometimes I can't help but.. I get this feeling that...I could't been...Or I should't been...Something more than...What I turned out. I tell myself not to listen. It's just this...Small piece inside...That's crying out to be me."
I tried to get up and get some food a few times and had to throw this on pause each time.Noting sexual or filth talk, but wont keep the kids interested unless your kids actually have a brain and aren't drugged up on 50lbs of sugar.Acting was unreal...and I mean Unreal! Main character and co-star = awesome. Being in the states I had no clue who either were, but I know them now.Main actor kinda like a combination of mel Gibson and Charles Bronson, co-star kinda like a serious woody harrilson.Over all - awesome. Really good flick to add to my collection of QUALITY unlike 99.99% of the Hollywood generic politically correct crap shoved down my throat daily!
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.