Goldstone is a 2016 Australian crime thriller film directed by Ivan Sen. It is a sequel to Mystery Road (2013) and stars Aaron Pedersen, Alex Russell, Jacki Weaver, David Wenham and David Gulpilil. It was released in Australia on 7 July 2016.[4] According to the film's end credits, it was largely shot on location in the small town of Middleton, Queensland, Australia.[5]
| Goldstone | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Ivan Sen |
| Written by | Ivan Sen |
| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Ivan Sen |
| Edited by | Ivan Sen |
| Music by | Ivan Sen |
Production company | Bunya Productions |
| Distributed by | Transmission Films |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 110 minutes |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2 million[3] |
| Box office | $650,352[2] |
Plot
editThree years after exposing the corruption in his hometown of Winton, Queensland, the Indigenous detective Jay Swan is sent to the small mining town of Goldstone to find a missing Asian tourist. He is pulled over for driving under the influence by a young local cop, Josh, who informs the town's corrupt mayor, Maureen.
Jay is asleep in a motel caravan when it's shot up by two men, one with an eye patch. When Josh arrives, Jay tells him of his case.
Josh tells him the motel management is furious and wants Jay to leave. Josh takes him to a remote off-grid shelter.
Josh goes to the local mine, Furnace Creek, to meet with the mine's supervisor, Johnny, who attempts to bribe him to help Furnace Creek expand their operations. Johnny then meets with Maureen, who is trying to help him get approval from the local Aboriginal land council by bribing the land council's head, Tommy, to allow the use of the land.
Jay meets with a local Aboriginal elder, Jimmy, in his search for the missing Asian tourist. Jimmy leads him to Furnace Creek.
Jay sneaks past Furnace Creek's security checkpoint and observes several young Asian women disembarking from a plane and climbing into a van. The women are being forced into prostitution to pay off their debts. As Jay returns to his car, he is detained overnight by Furnace Creek security, and the next morning, Johnny attempts to intimidate him.
Upon returning home, Jay is visited by Josh, who tells him Maureen has summoned Jay to meet her for tea. Jay complies, and Maureen subtly warns him to stop his investigation.
Johnny and Maureen hold a press conference where they announce the mine's expansion and make an ostentatious show of having council approval. However, Jimmy walks out, denying them his signature of approval.
Jay receives an anonymous call and collects one of the girls' passports from the caller, then notices Josh's car. He follows Josh to the local creek, where Jimmy's body is hanging from a tree. Jay suspects foul play, but Josh states that Tommy witnessed the suicide.
Josh goes to the local bar/brothel, where the Asian girls are being kept by the madam, Mrs. Lao. He befriends a prostitute called Mei and tells her to contact him if she needs help.
Tommy visits Josh, and confesses to killing Jimmy; he tells Josh about the corrupt activities of Maureen, Johnny, and the thugs who work as hitmen for Furnace Creek. Jay consults the man who found the passport and explores the area where it was found. There he finds a skeleton he assumes are the remains of the woman he was assigned to find.
Josh receives a missed call message from Mei. When he arrives at the brothel all the girls have gone. Interrogating the bartender, Josh is told they are in a trailer in the desert.
Josh first visits Maureen, who is anxiously shredding paperwork, and demands that she put him in touch with the head of the criminal operations. She reluctantly agrees to make the call.
Josh arrives at the trailer, seeking the women, but finds it empty. The thugs arrive, ambush Josh, and force him to dig his own grave. Jay, who has surreptitiously followed Josh, shoots at the thugs from a sniper's perch, incapacitating some and forcing them all to flee. Jay then enlists Josh to track down the thugs and rescue the women.
Jay and Josh drive at the Furnace Creek site and, after an intense shootout with the thugs, discover the women's whereabouts. Jay sees Johnny's plane fleeing the mines and chases it, while Josh finds and rescues the women.
Jay arrives at the airfield but is intercepted by a black armed guard, whose gunshots cause Jay's vehicle to crash while Johnny escapes. Jay and the guard stand off but decide to spare one another.
Later, at Jay's remote shelter, Josh tells Jay the federal authorities have taken over the case, retrieved the women, and begun an investigation into the corruption. Additionally, Maureen has skipped town.
Josh says he has requested a transfer to somewhere near the ocean where he can "shake off the dust" (corruption) of the outback. Jay bids him goodbye and drives away from Goldstone, into the desert, and retraces his visit with Jimmy to their ancestral site.
Cast
edit- Aaron Pedersen as Jay Swan
- Alex Russell as Josh Waters
- Jacki Weaver as Maureen the Mayor
- Cheng Pei-pei as Mrs Lao[6]
- David Gulpilil as Jimmy
- Michelle Lim Davidson as Mei
- David Wenham as Johnny
- Michael Dorman as Patch
- Kate Beahan as Pinky
- Max Cullen as Old Timer
- Tom E. Lewis as Tommy
- Cameron Ambridge as Security Guard
Release
editThe film had its premiere at the Sydney Film Festival on 8 June 2016.[1] It was released in Australia on 7 July 2016[2] and re-released on 2 March 2018.[7] Its release for Blu-ray and DVD sales took place on 11 September 2018.[8]
Reception
editBox office
editGoldstone grossed $87,639 in the United States and Canada and $562,713 in other territories for a worldwide total of $650,352,[2] plus $11,987 with home video sales,[8] against a production budget of $2 million.[3]
Critical response
editOn review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 76% based on 37 reviews, with an average rating of 7.07/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Goldstone weaves socially conscious themes through its procedural thriller plot outline, with visually thrilling, solidly crafted results."[9] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 78 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[10]
Accolades
edit| Award | Category | Subject | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| AACTA Awards (6th) |
Best Film | David Jowsey | Nominated |
| Greer Simpkin | Nominated | ||
| Best Direction | Ivan Sen | Nominated | |
| Best Original Screenplay | Nominated | ||
| Best Editing | Nominated | ||
| Best Production Design | Matt Putland | Nominated | |
| AFCA Awards | Best Film | David Jowsey | Nominated |
| Greer Simpkin | Nominated | ||
| Best Director | Ivan Sen | Won | |
| Best Screenplay | Nominated | ||
| Best Cinematography | Nominated | ||
| Best Actor | Aaron Pedersen | Won | |
| Best Supporting Actor | David Gulpilil | Nominated | |
| Best Supporting Actress | Jacki Weaver | Won | |
| ASSG Award | Best Film Sound Recording | Mike Bakaloff | Won |
| Nick Emond | Won | ||
| BFI London Film Festival | Official Competition for Best Film | Ivan Sen | Nominated |
| FCCA Awards | Best Film | David Jowsey | Won |
| Greer Simpkin | Won | ||
| Best Actor | Aaron Pedersen | Won | |
| Best Director | Ivan Sen | Won | |
| Best Script/Screenplay | Won | ||
| Best Editor | Nominated | ||
| Best Cinematography | Nominated | ||
| Best Music | Won | ||
| Best Actress - Supporting Role | Jacki Weaver | Nominated | |
| Sydney Film Festival | Sydney Film Prize for Best Film | Ivan Sen | Nominated |
| Toronto International Film Festival | Platform Prize | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ a b "World Premiere of Australian Film Goldstone to open Sydney Film Festival 2016" (PDF). Sydney Film Festival. 8 June 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Goldstone (2016)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
- ^ a b "'Goldstone' Premieres in Queensland". Ausfilm. 29 June 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
- ^ "Goldstone". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
- ^ Buckmaster, Luke (9 June 2016). "Goldstone review – a masterpiece of outback noir that packs a political punch". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
- ^ Eddie Cockrell (8 June 2016). "Film Review: 'Goldstone'". Variety. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
- ^ "Goldstone (2018 Re-release)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
- ^ a b "Goldstone (2016) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
- ^ "Goldstone (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
- ^ "Goldstone Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
