"“Immense and vibrant up on the big screen, the calming, orange sky works brilliantly as a back drop to this dark thriller...”"

Though Ivan Sen's Mystery Road is a pensive, thought-provoking thriller that remains with you long after the credits roll, regrettably it's blighted with a series of superfluous conventionalities. Within this conspicuously named Mystery Road, the murder that the narrative is built around takes place on Massacre Creek – which can be found if you take a left off Cliche Junction.

When the body of a young, indigenous girl is discovered off the side of the highway, detective Jay Swan (Aaron Pedersen) returns home to the Outback to help solve this brutal case. By doing so, Swan – of Aboriginal descent – enters into a racial divide, as he's outcast by his fellow, white detectives – including the narcotics officer (Hugo Weaving), while he is alienated by his own community. However it becomes essential he reconnects with them, as he discovers his long lost daughter was closely tied to the murdered victim.

Looking so immense and vibrant up on the big screen, the calming, orange sky works brilliantly as a back drop to this dark thriller. Its very presence contradicts the harrowing devastation being caused. There's an incredibly memorable, brooding mood to this piece, and the setting plays a huge part in that. The Australian Outback has a meditative atmosphere, and yet it's equally as chilling – highlighting the stark sense of isolation that lingers over this picture. Tumbleweeds casually drifts by as an unsettling atmosphere grows increasingly prevalent.

Sen gets his pacing spot on also, as we slowly build towards the end, culminating in a grand finale. The amount of information that is divulged in regards to this murder case is never quite enough, but as such it's enticing, as we're fed just enough to lead us on and keep us captivated. Meanwhile, another highlight comes in the performance from Pedersen, as this relatively unknown actor does justice to what is an extremely well crafted character. He's reminiscent of spaghetti western cowboys, as he's a contemplative, quiet character – but one you put your faith in right from the word go. To some extent, words merely cheapen his elusive presence.

The problem with Mystery Road, however, is that with thrillers of this ilk, you're building up so heavily towards the conclusion, where all of the puzzling loose ends are tied up for your pleasure. That's part of the enjoyment to mysteries such as this, as you persistently guess away, and then at the very end you're left surprised by the outcome. However Sen subverts the genre in this respect, as he leaves this somewhat open-ended with a frustrating sense of ambiguity, which serves only as a cause for dissatisfaction, as you struggle to leave this film entirely fulfilled, undoing much of the good work that came before.