One of my all time favorites.

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

MYSTERY ROAD (2013), written, directed, and photographed by Ivan Sen is up there with Australian classics WAKE IN FRIGHT, THE INTERVIEW, and ANIMAL KINGDOM. The film itself is such a seductive study of a small outback town. It is so beautifully photographed that immediately you are involved and this continues to the end. The story is ostensibly that of a black Australian detective searching to unravel the murder of a black teenage girl but really the film is about trust, and also broken trust. Like most good films where a main character tries to bring justice to the victim, this is also a journey of self-discovery but this is delivered with great finesse so that it is left up to the audience to make of this what it will. The way our detective deals with those around him, white cops and white criminals alike, as well as black relatives and black community members, is like a maze to be transcended, and it maintains our attention and involvement all the way. And this is essentially what makes this film so brilliant. The journey to find the truth is not just real but complex and Sen has created a masterpiece of entertainment. The end was no less surprising or grippingly tense. This is one of the best Australians films you are ever likely to see. The cast is superb from the smallest role through to the main players. Aaron Pedersen plays the detective brilliantly. He is quietly confident but world-weary. He drives the story forward but also the film's subtext in a beautifully measured performance. Other great performances are given by many great Australian actors including Tony Barry and Hugo Weaving to name but two. The cast as a whole is a great joy to discover as the story unfolds. I cannot speak too highly of what Ivan Sen has given us because this is the best of Australian cinema right here.

There was a lot that was good in this film, but a few sour notes brought it down a little. The good: First and foremost, Pedersen's performance is great. He is in every scene and certainly carries the film. He is supported by the cream of Australian acting to tell an excellent story of crime and corruption in the outback. Finally, we get treated to some great cinematography of the Australian terrain with wide horizons and gorgeous sunrise/sunsets. The bad: It's slow. There are a lot of scenes of people just staring off into the distance, looking at the ground or doing other things and not talking or doing anything else. This leads to it being a little difficult to tell what is happening and there are some unanswered questions - such as who's side was Jonhno (Hugo Weaving) on? He was a cop that knew about the drugs but didn't arrest those involved. He helped Jay Swan at the end, but didn't start shooting until the fight had already begun? Was the police chief in on it? Finally, after everyone has been shot, there is no follow up. Jay Swan just goes home without filling out any paperwork or any other cop like activities which one would think would happen. This would have been handy to clarify what happened.

(56%) An outback set modern day western crime detective movie that leaves me split, maybe not in half, but split nevertheless. First of all the good things: it's brilliantly shot with stunning location work and unfussy, yet finely detailed cinematography. The performances are subdued, but perfectly solid, and this is truly something you can really get your teeth into as it sucks you into its world of dust, heat, and murk. But sadly there are some key issues here. The creeping pacing from the very moment this opens with the camera lingering on the Mystery road sign just a little too long is just way too limp for the very simple story this has to tell. it just never feels like it's getting anywhere half as quickly as it could which is evident in its running time of just over 1 hour 50, as this by all rights is a 90 minute movie. This also suffers from its sheer ordinary style of storytelling with very little in terms of surprises, no real shocks, and everything is a little too much like the direction: smooth and bold, but never anything more. Overall worth a look for those interested, but I very much doubt I'll ever want to watch it again.

I enjoyed this film as much as most of the other COMMENTERS herein. And like many of my fellow critics, I take issue with some of MYSTERY ROAD's untied plot issues. Maybe greater issue as I was disappointed at the movie's end. ADVISORY: Read no further if you're yet to watch as MYSTERY ROAD is indeed intriguing. This film is moody and interesting enough that it overcomes it's faults. But, and I'll be brutally specific: The attempt at depicting racial strife, injustice, etc., is ham-handed enough to approach gratuitousness. The "wild dog" subplot is by far the best storyline yet fades away. I''m guessing the druggies raised the mutts to protect their trade and killed the girls for canine feed. Finally -and almost irritating- is Johnno helping our hero by picking off bad guys and, if so, why? MYSTERY ROAD deserves far more than it's OK Corral ending. Whew, I'll sure take a lot of heat for this review!