The Speedway Murders

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The Speedway Murders
Directed byAdam Kamien
Luke Rynderman
Screenplay byAdam Kamien
Luke Rynderman
Produced byBonnie McBride
Louise Nathanson
Lisa Scot
Anna Vincent
Starring Joseph Cumpston
Essie Randles
Davida McKenzie
Nya Cofie
CinematographyMaxx Corkindale
Edited bySean Lahiff
Music byJosie Mann
Jackson Milas
Antony Partos
Josh Pearson
Production
companies
SLA Films
Ringleader Films
Hianlo
Highview Productions
Distributed by Umbrella Entertainment (Australia)
Vertical Entertainment (United States)
Release date
  • October 20, 2023 (2023-10-20)
Running time
101 minutes
CountriesAustralia
United States
LanguageEnglish

The Speedway Murders, also known as simply Speedway, [1] is a 2023 Australian-American crime documentary film directed and written by Adam Kamien and Luke Rynderman. [1] The film is based on a true story and premiered on October 20, 2023 at the Adelaide Film Festival. [1] [2]

Contents

Plot

The film follows four young friends who disappeared after their shift at the fast-food restaurant Burger Chef on November 17, 1978. Two days later, their bodies were found in Johnson County, over 20 miles away. The case was never solved, partly due to police mishandling of evidence at the time. This documentary reexamines the case and explores various theories about what might have happened.

In addition to the film featuring actors, it also includes interspersed interviews and archival footage. [3]

Cast

Production

The film was directed and written by Adam Kamien and Luke Ryndermann, [2] and produced by Bonnie McBride, Anna Vincent, Louise Nathanson, Lisa Scott. [4] The film is based on the unsolved 1978 Burger Chef murders case, in which four young employees of the fast food company disappeared in Indiana and were all found dead two days later in another town. [2] [5] The film starred Joseph Cumpston, Essie Randles, Davida McKenzie and Nya Cofie. [6]

Release

The Speedway Murders premiered on October 20, 2023, at the Adelaide Film Festival in Adelaide, Australia. [1] The film was then released in select Australian and American cinemas on June 21, 2024. [4] [7] The film was simultaneously released on several streaming services, including Prime Video and Apple TV+. [7] [8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "More for cinema lovers at Adelaide Film Festival - CityMag | InDaily, Inside South Australia". www.indailysa.com.au. October 4, 2023. Retrieved December 29, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 Grobar, Matt (March 1, 2024). "True Crime Doc 'The Speedway Murders' On Unsolved Burger Chef Murders In 1970s Indiana Acquired By Vertical". Deadline. Retrieved December 29, 2025.
  3. Talbot, Louise (September 1, 2024). "Aussie filmmakers investigate '70s US unsolved murders in doco". www.thenewdaily.com.au. Retrieved December 29, 2025.
  4. 1 2 Billington, Alex (May 30, 2024). "Chilling True Crime Docudrama 'The Speedway Murders' Official Trailer | FirstShowing.net". FirstShowing.net. Retrieved December 29, 2025.
  5. Hughes, Lleyton (August 12, 2024). "The Speedway Murders: Australian duo's true-crime documentary". The Bugle News. Retrieved December 29, 2025.
  6. Crenshaw, Noah (March 6, 2024). "New true crime documentary to explore Burger Chef Murders". Daily Journal. Retrieved December 29, 2025.
  7. 1 2 Steele, Ray (June 20, 2024). "Film on 1978 Burger Chef Murders in Speedway Debuting Friday". WIBC 93.1 FM. Retrieved December 29, 2025.
  8. Bath, Gemma (November 18, 2024). "Two Australian film-makers might've just solved one of America's most baffling crimes". Mamamia. Retrieved December 29, 2025.