Mystery Road 2013

Near the tranquil town of Winton in Queensland, a truck driver is startled by the growl of a wild dog, only to discover the lifeless body of a teenage girl named Julie Mason hidden within one of the tunnels. The case draws the attention of Detective Jay Swan (Aaron Pedersen), who is summoned from the city to delve into the murder. With the help of his informant Oldboy (Jack Charles), Jay uncovers Julie’s troubled past steeped in drug addiction and revelations of her exchanging sexual favors with truck drivers for money.

Determined to seek clarity, Jay tries to connect with Julie’s friend Tarnie (Siobhan Binge), but faces resistance as she remains tight-lipped. One night, while tailing his colleagues Johnno (Hugo Weaving) and Robbo (Robert Mammone), he witnesses them arriving at a desolate building. Spotting him, they call him over, leading to a chilling conversation where Johnno casually questions whether Jay has ever accidentally taken a life, only to dismiss it as a joke.

A neighborhood boy presents Jay with Julie’s phone in exchange for a moment’s hold on Jay’s gun. Upon inspecting the phone, Jay finds a series of text messages directed toward his own teenage daughter, Crystal. Concerned about her welfare, he visits his ex-wife Mary (Tasma Walton), broaching the possibility of Crystal moving to the city with him. However, the conversation ends in tears as Crystal flees from the situation.

Continuing his investigation, Jay probes a farm near the crime scene and meets its owner Sam Bailey (David Field), who mentions sightings of wild dogs in the vicinity. Before leaving, he observes a young man, Pete (Ryan Kwanten), departing in a white hunting truck. Following a lead, Jay pays a visit to an elderly man who had reported wild dogs scavenging on human remains. The man urges him to investigate locals who have recently gone missing, pointing Jay toward the case of another teenage girl named Nellie Dargon who has also disappeared.

Driven by revelations about Julie’s visits to the Dusk till Dawn motel to meet truckers, Jay intensifies his search for a man last seen there the night of her murder. The motel owner, Zoe (Zoe Carides), mentions a frequent guest named William Smith, who drives a white hunting truck. Connecting the dots, Jay realizes Smith is the same individual he glimpsed at Sam’s farm, who confronts Jay defiantly, claiming to work as a kangaroo hunter while threatening him alongside a biker roommate.

At the police station, Jay attempts to delve deeper into Smith’s background, unearthing his connection to Sam as his son. The following day, Jay closely watches Pete’s movements, trailing him to a local area. Unbeknownst to Jay, Johnno joins Pete, leading him to meet with a local criminal named Wayne Silverman (Damian Walshe-Howling). Jay’s pursuit leads to Wayne’s house, where things take a turn as Wayne escapes, leaving Jay with little progress.

During a tense confrontation, Wayne admits to holding onto some heroin until it was stolen from his car. As Jay interrogates him, Johnno bursts in, revealing Wayne is actually his informant. Later, Jay witnesses a shocking event from a distance: he sees Wayne get violently abducted before hearing dreadful news about Nellie’s fate—her dead body has been found. The investigation takes a critical turn as Jay learns of crucial physical evidence linking Julie’s murder to Sam’s vehicle.

In a desperate move to piece together the mystery, Johnno assists Jay clandestinely, convincing him to search Julie’s house for vital clues. There, Jay stumbles upon bags of cocaine concealed behind a TV. A tense exchange on a hill leads him to confront a masked individual, but chaos erupts as darkness falls—a shootout ensues. Jay, wounded yet determined, desperately retaliates against the attackers, discovering that his erstwhile ally Johnno has also been shot.

In the aftermath, Jay faces a bitter confrontation with Pete, unearthing layers of deception while firing on all fronts. As he drives through Winton in the twilight, he catches a glimpse of Mary and Crystal. Stepping out of his car, an emotional moment unspools as they share a quiet connection, leaving the audience with a lingering sense of suspense and unresolved tension as the screen fades to black.