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The Speedway Murders
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - Australia - Umbrella Entertainment Review written by and copyright: James-Masaki Ryan (21st January 2025). |
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The Film
 "The Speedway Murders" (2023) On November 17th, 1978, four employees of a Burger Chef restaurant in Speedway, Indiana were brutally murdered in a robbery. More than forty years later, the case is still unsolved. The corpses of the young employees, Jayne Friedt, 20; Daniel Davis, 16; Mark Flemmonds, 16; and Ruth Ellen Shelton, 17 were found twenty miles away in a rural forest, with Davis and Shelton being shot, Friedt being stabbed, and Flemmonds being bludgeoned. Initially the police and the restaurant management thought that the four youngsters stole some money, abandoned their shifts and went out to party, so the place was tidied up and reopened for business as usual the following day. As there were no crime scene photos taken, and potential evidence being scrubbed clean, it seriously hindered the eventual investigation after the bodies were discovered. “The Speedway Murders” looks at the story of this infamous unsolved case, with interviews from the victims families, investigators, witnesses, and others that were connected to the case, as well as reenactment segments to show what is known and what is still unknown about the tragedy. The debut feature by Adam Kamien and Luke Rynderman takes cues from popular crime documentaries such as “Unsolved Mysteries” and the works of Errol Morris, with reenacted portions to bring drama and context alongside the conducted interviews from the people related to the story. Although the unusual twist comes from the reenacted portions, as it takes cues from “Rashomon” with multiple versions of the same event and told slightly differently as stories and theories start to conflict each other. In addition, the characters as they are, are aware that they are part of a crime and occasionally narrate to the audience about what is happening, breaking the fourth wall in the process. “The Speedway Murders” like “Rashomon” does not give a true answer as there is no conclusion. There are theories stated as to who did it and why, and every possible angle is covered. There are some close hits, but without full evidence there cannot be an arrest as stated. A story without a true conclusion may be a source of frustration, but the reality cannot be denied that there are family members and community members still suffering from the loss from all those years ago. The filmmakers visited the victims and conducted very candid interviews with the subjects, with family members sharing memories of their lost loved ones, investigators who worked on the cast and their roadblocks faced, and eyewitnesses that share their accounts of the fateful evening. Like a number of other true crime documentaries, there are questionable accounts, misleading information, contradicting statements, and unreliable memories that the audiences have to try to piece together, and the filmmakers have done an excellent job with the narrative, taking multiple accounts of the evening and making varying versions of the crime. Burger Chef was founded in the state of Indiana in 1954 and at one point was the second largest fast food restaurant in America. Following its sale in 1982 to Imasco, the number of locations dwindled and eventually their final location closed in 1996. They did in fact expand into the Australian marketplace in 1969, though it lasted only six years due to poor reception. For the reenactment segments, the Australian filmmakers did not film in the United States, but instead constructed a fake Burger Chef restaurant in Adelaide for filming. They recreated the interiors, the exteriors, uniforms, and the menu items with permission from the rightsholders, as well as making sure everything from the cars parked outside and the fashion worn by the extras were in line with the 1978 period. The cars for the most part were not only American in brand, but also in manufacturing as Australia and America drive on the opposite sides of the road. Though the filmmakers noted that the suspicious van used in the film was in fact had its steering wheel on the right side, but obscured visually. In addition to the construction of the period set and having some technically impressive shots such as the opening crane shot and tracking of characters inside, there also was the difficulty of having a cast of local actors who could pull off convincing American accents for the roles. Jayne Friedt was played by Essie Randles. Daniel Davis was played by Joseph Zada. Mark Flemmonds was played by Nya Cofie, And Ruth Ellen Shelton was played by Davida McKenzie. The four main actors are convincing with their accents, though there are one or two very minor portions where the accents did not hit the tone exactly. While these reenactment segments are interesting to watch, especially with each version starting the exact same with Daniel on the phone with his mother, and slightly changing due to differing theories. While the convention is to have them enact the situations accordingly, it is slightly bizarre to hear the characters speak knowingly that they are going to be murdered, telling audiences of their thoughts. It’s not the most natural and it is a bit disengaging, but an interesting experiment by the filmmakers to bring in differing perspectives. “The Speedway Murders” premiered at the Adelaide Film Festival on October 20th, 2023. In the United States, it received a limited theatrical release and same day streaming on June 21st, 2024. While there were positive reactions to the storytelling though there was some criticism with the reenactment segments and how they were handled with the fourth wall breaks. The experimental idea doesn’t quite work, but it is still overall a story that fascinates with the emotional depth and the mystery. Note this is a region ALL Blu-ray
Video
Umbrella Entertainment presents the film in alternating 2.39:1 / 1.85:1 / 1.33:1 aspect ratios in 1080p AVC MPEG-4. The 2.39:1 sequences are for the reenacted and staged portions with the actors. The 1.85:1 portions are for the interview segments. The 1.33:1 portions are for vintage news footage. The vintage footage looks the roughest as they are taken from NTSC video sources of local news from the time period. The interview portions and the reenacted portions were shot digitally and look excellent. The interviews are brightly lit and sharp throughout, but as each subject interviewed were in differing locations and with differing setups, there are obvious differences to be seen but that is to be expected. As for the reenacted portions, the scenes all take place at night so darkness is key. Colors are well defined with the darker color palate and sharp throughout. The film's runtime is 101:57.
Audio
English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo There are two audio choices for the film with lossless 5.1 and stereo options. The dialogue is quite important as much of the feature is filled with talking head interviews, and they are well balanced and clear throughout. Music and effect are used well especially in the reenactment scenes, and are well balanced against the dialogue. The subtle dark score uses the surrounds while the voices of the interviewees and the actors are placed in the center. There are no particular flaws to speak of, and both 5.1 and 2.0 options sound excellent throughout. There are optional English HoH subtitles for the main feature in a white font, which are easy to read, well timed, and without errors.
Extras
Audio Commentary with Directors Adam Kamien and Luke Rynderman Kamien and Rynderman chat together in this full length commentary track, as they discuss about the creation of the Burger Chef set in Adelaide and the difficulties in staging and getting the period aesthetics, the American hospitality they received when visiting Indiana for the interviews, and much more. While there is a lot of good information about the production and behind the scenes details, they do not mention about how they were introduced to the project and their planning process. It is still a good listen and worth hearing. in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles Interviews with the Cast (17:34) Presented here is a series of on-set interviews with Randles, McKenzie, Cofie, and Zada. They each discuss about the film, their characters, and their experience working on set. Some surprises with Zada's interview as the directors and other actors disrupt his interview for a playful time.in. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.78:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles Behind the Scenes Reel (4:59) Presented here is a very short reel of behind the scenes footage of the Burger Chef set in Adelaide, looking at the shooting of the opening crane shot, various moments indoor and outdoor, plus a timelapse sequence from outside the set. There is no dialogue or narration for these scenes. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.78:1 / 1.33:1, Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles Trailer (2:34) The effective original trailer is presented here, and is also embedded below, courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 2.39:1, in English Dolby Digital 5.1 without subtitles The amount of extras seem quite short, as there are no deleted interviews or a video diary of the directors visiting Indiana for the interviews which are staples of the documentary genre. Other notable clips: Fox59 news report from 2019 on the unsolved murders WTHR interview with the directors on the film WTHR news report from 2023 on the planned demolition of the Burger Chef building where the crime took place over 40 years ago. WTHR news report with footage of the building's demolition. True Crime Conversations audio interview with the directors on the film
Packaging
The disc is packaged in a clear keep case with a reversible inlay, with the only difference being the opposite side lacking the Australian M rating logos. The packaging mistakenly states the aspect ratio is 1.85:1, as the film shifts between multiple aspect ratios. It is also available with a limited slipcover and a 20 page booklet exclusively at the Umbrella Web Shop, limited to 500 copies. The slipcover has unique artwork and there is a J-card wrapping it with the technical information. The booklet starts with a spoiler heavy synopsis of the film. This is followed by notes on the production. Then there are printed quotes from the directors and the cast. While the directors' notes are interesting as they talk about investigating the crime and bringing it to light in a new way, the cast quotes seem to be taken from the interviews found in the extras on the disc.
Overall
"The Speedway Murders" is a fascinating look at the tragic Burger Chef murders of 1978 with both excellent interviews from the people close to the unsolved case, as well as an interesting if somewhat flawed use of reenactments. The Umbrella Entertainment Blu-ray features excellent audio and video, with a fair selection of extras.
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