Just 6.5 (2020 Melbourne International Film Festival)  ★★★★

AN Iranian version of Law and Order is a simplistic but apt description of crime thriller Just 6.5.

The seemingly bland title is actually an important aspect of the story that isn’t revealed until near the film’s conclusion.

Slight spoiler, but important to provide context, 6.5 million is the approximate number of drug addicts in Iran and, when you consider the total population is about 80 million, that’s a significant problem.

In the chaotic world presented in Just 6.5 you come away with the clear impression that the authorities have either given up on education and awareness or ignore them as somebody else’s problem.

Our central protagonist, Detective Samad (Payman Maadi), has his work cut out trying to manage some semblance of control over the wider problem while tracking down drug lord Naser and keeping himself and his own officers out of legal trouble.

The system is rife with corruption and overseen by members of the judiciary who take a questionable, scattergun approach to both morality and their duty, targeting police as much as the drug dealers for suspicion and retribution.

As the gaols burst with addicts rounded up in blanket raids – giving the film one of its great set-pieces – the corridors of police stations and judicial chambers are littered with physical and mental justice being haphazardly dispensed.

When Samad does get Naser in his sights, the experienced criminal does everything in his power to use and abuse the corrupt system to his potential benefit.

Maadi, who made such an impression in 2011’s A Separation, seems born to portray the energy and exasperation of Samad while Navid Mohammadzadeh is thoroughly believable as Naser.

With just his second feature film, writer/director Saeed Roustayi delivers a high-energy thriller that commands constant attention, from the initial police raid and foot chase ending in tragedy to the final, depressing vision of a society and system struggling to deal with a problem that will continue to spiral out of control.