Mystery Road (2018)

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General		Extras
Category	Mystery	None
Rating
Year Of Production	2018
Running Time	303
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered Dual Disc Set	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Rachel Perkins
Studio Distributor	Bunya Productions Roadshow Home Entertainment	Starring	Aaron Pedersen Judy Davis Colin Friels John Waters Deborah Mailman
Case	Amaray-Transparent-Dual
RPI	$29.95	Music	None Given

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.78:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English for the Hearing Impaired	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

    Australia produces some great television, both comedy and drama. One of the most recent of such productions has recently been released on DVD, Mystery Road. Considering the magnificent scenery and cinematography on display it is a real shame that it has not even been released on Blu-ray, let alone 4K. Taking into account that even television is in HD these days surely a Blu-ray release as standard seems a reasonable ask.

    Regardless, I am certainly glad to have seen this quality Australian production and for a DVD it looks pretty good. This mini-series represents the third production based around the character of indigenous outback detective, Jay Swan (Aaron Pedersen). The first two were feature films written and directed by Ivan Sen, an Australian director and screenwriter. These were highly regarded by critics without exactly smashing at the box office. They are 2013's Mystery Road and 2016's Goldstone (available on Blu-ray and DVD). Despite having the same title the original film tells a different story to this new mini-series. Ivan Sen serves as an executive producer here but the director's chair has moved to Rachel Perkins, another indigenous filmmaker, probably best known for directing Bran Nue Dae and Radiance. The writing is now handled by a group of writers working across the six episodes.

   The story starts with the disappearance of two young men, one a locally born indigenous footy star, Marley (Aaron L McGrath) and the other a mysterious backpacker, Reese (Connor Van Vuuren) from a cattle station near far North Western WA town, Patterson. The local police chief, Senior Sergeant Emma James (Judy Davis) is sent Detective Swan to investigate whether she likes it or not. He is a loner who wants to do things without her interference or involvement. As he starts to investigate he uncovers links to the station owner, Tony Ballantyne (Colin Friels) who seems disinterested, head of the local Aboriginal enterprise, Keith Groves (Ernie Dingo), Marley's mum, Kerry (Deborah Mailman), his brother Cedric (Meyne Wyatt) and his just released from jail uncle, Larry Dime (Wayne Blair). Others who could be involved include local policeman, Ryan Muller (Anthony Hayes), the barmaid at the pub, Shevorne (Tasia Zalar) and local security man, Tyson Zein (Eddie Baroo). Soon, Jay's investigation is complicated by the arrival of his teenage daughter, Crystal (Madelaine Madden) followed closely by his ex-wife, Mary (Tasma Walton).

    As Emma and Jay investigate by their different methods, deep secrets, previous crimes and long forgotten histories emerge.

    This is a well made series with excellent cinematography by Mark Wareham of a beautiful part of Australia, a fine and atmospheric score by Antony Partos and Matteo Zingales, decent acting, assured directing and a generally high quality plot and script. It is interesting and keeps the audience involved with its twists and turns. Sometimes, there a plot points which are not well explained or don't make sense but these are generally in the minority.

    The six episodes are spread across two DVDs.

    Recommended.

Video

    The feature is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio (16x9 enhanced) which is the original aspect ratio.

    It looks pretty good for a DVD with especially the outdoor and overhead shots doing a good job of showing off the outback scenery, with generally rich colours for DVD. It upscales well to 4K.

    There were no obvious artefacts beside some to be expected motion blur.

    There are subtitles available in English for the Hearing Impaired which are clear and easy to read.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    The audio quality is very good for DVD.

    This disc contains an English soundtrack in Dolby Digital 5.1 at 448 Kbps.

    The sound was good for this quality level, providing good atmosphere, some directional effects and depth to the music. The subwoofer supports well in this regard. I am sure it would be much improved on a lossless transfer.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Menu

    The menu has some mild motion and includes music, allowing for selection of episodes.

    This series does not seem to be available in other regions.

    The video quality is very good.

    The audio quality is very good.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall