Money Movers

Money Movers really shows what can happen when greed and temptation come together. The money movers of the title handle millions of dollars each day in armored vans completely ready for an outside attack. But what happens when the danger comes from the inside? The answer is everything: Murder, double-cross of thieves, rival gangs, intrigue, suspicion, and the list goes on. This movie is packed with testosterone and has all the action you could ask for. Bruce Beresford directed who would latter come to America and did the Oscar winner Driving Miss Daisy. Based on the book of the same title by Devon Minchin this movie boasts one of the best robberies ever filmed – climaxing in the bloodiest, fastest, hottest shootouts ever put to film. This movie is hard to find in the US but if you come across a copy watch it!

In between wowing international audiences with 'The Getting of Wisdom' (1977) and 'Breaker Morant' (1980) Bruce Beresford shot this raw, extremely violent little crime drama with a high body count shot mainly in Adeleide. At the time it swiftly vanished without recovering even it's tiny budget, but deserves to be much better known.

It has a much bloodier climax than 'Reservoir Dogs' and laced with that dry humour one associates with even the grimmest Australian movie; as when crime boss Bud Tingwell wearily tells a henchman to "bring in the nail clippers" when simple persuasion isn't working.

(When I originally saw it I loved the music. So I should. It turned out to be the Adagio movement from Bartok's Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta.)

This excellent Aussie crime flick centers on the workers at Darcy, a money courier service. Things get tense when an anonymous note arrives stating that their counting room - which sometimes houses as much as $20 million - is going to get hit soon and a cargo van is robbed the same day. This speeds up the plans of Darcy workers and brothers Eric (Terence Donovan) and Brian Jackson (Bryan Brown) as they have been planning to rob the place for 5 years. To make matters more complicated, Eric is senior security told to look into this matter and he tries to move the suspicion onto newcomer Leo Bassett (Tony Bonner), who has just gotten partnered with honest ex-cop and old timer Dick Martin (Ed Devereaux). To say any more would reveal too much.

Where have you been all my life, MONEY MOVERS? I've never been a huge Bruce Beresford fan, knowing him mostly for BREAKER MORANT, DRIVING MISS DAISY and HER ALIBI (the latter two released the same year in a great example of cinematic diversity). So seeing this hard-hitting and violent crime flick from him was quite a shock. Not only is it quite different in subject, but this sucker moves thanks to some fantastic editing and a tight script (also by Beresford) with plenty of twists. Everyone in the cast is excellent with Devereaux being my favorite character as seemingly the world's last honest man. Definitely worth seeking out.

One of the most under-rated Oz films of all time!, Brilliantly directed by Beresford it was superbly cast and scripted.

Ray Marshall appeared in every scene with a cigarette, and lucky Grills appeared in his normal quota of beer drinking scenes. Not to mention the use of profanity which is normally associated in the workplace which gave the natural realism. Also the plot which assumed that OZ coppers are completely bent really added to the authenticity.

And not to mention half the cast of Skippy the Bush Kangaroo being involved in a climatic shootout, BRILLIANT!!!!

The story of an armored car robbery, apparently based on a true case. The acting is solid and the action, especially for a small budget film, is deftly handled, There are a number of good twists and turns along the way.

On the other hand, there's a bit of a feeling something's missing, like a unifying theme or underlying ideas. Or even character development.

Unlike (for example) Ben Affleck's recent The Town", this is a pretty simple film, just telling you an exciting story as solid B movie entertainment, and not aiming for much more. But there's certainly room for that alongside more 'thoughtful' or character orientated crime flicks.

Well shot, well directed by a young Bruce Beresford, and worth seeing if you're a fan of the genre.