Mystery Road: Season 1

In the hands of the director Rachel Perkins and the cinematographer Mark Wareham, the show is a visual knockout, an evocative succession of desert-, ranch- and starscapes.

This is an ambitious story that bounds along and ties together neatly. If at times the plot feels weaker in some places than others, it is more than covered over by the performances of the cast, particularly Pedersen and Davis.

Judy Davis is one of those actors who never wastes a moment and understands the nature of screen focus, and in Mystery Road she is never at rest, constantly uncoiling with an attractive sparky energy.

This new adaptation, with most of the key players back in front of and behind the lens, is one of the more true and satisfying spin-offs you'll find.

Pedersen's characterisation is subtle and underplayed, and his scenes with Davis crackle with tension.

It's less a matter of red herrings, though, than of becoming less sure, about the plot, and about the people - you think you know them, but people will fool you.

It never pressed the point, but progress in this narrative was having Aboriginal characters who could be a red herring or a villain, a survivor of trauma or a wily operator.