Smash Palace

I suspect a lot of people didn't see or like this film because the subject matter was a bit close to home, especially with the gritty and realistic tone that so many NZ and Aussie movies had in that era with it culminating in Once Were Warriors in New Zealand and Mad Max in Australia with Mad Max going on to be eventually and inevitably Hollywoodised. As raw as Mad Max was I think Warriors would've been too raw for the Yanks. They like their action and drama but it has to be firmly in movie land, don't we all really.

I was 2 when this movie came out here in NZ but watching it now makes me nostalgic for the small towns, old cars and bush which is funny because there's a similar small town and bush about 30 mins drive away, not so many old cars though.

Good trip down memory lane if you grew up in the 80's with solid acting from Bruno and supporting cast members. I vaguely remember it having a bit of a cult following in the 90's along with Goodbye Pork Pie and Came a Hot Friday.

Bruno Lawrence owns and operates the titular auto wrecking yard, and races cars when he gets the chance. He took over the business when his father died, planning on selling it right away, but has grown to love it and won't sell. His wife hates it, and hates the fact that Lawrence spends all his time with his cars and his young daughter and none with her. Her displeasure drives her into the arms of Bruno's best friend, and when she leaves, taking his daughter with her, Bruno cracks and kidnaps her. Roger Donaldson's third feature is more of a character drama than his earlier films, though it has a somewhat action based climax. It's a generally intriguing film where nobody is completely right or wrong, and it goes in eccentric directions.

Rather an unpleasant and tedious watch with mundane storyline and only workmanlike direction. Bruno Lawrence carries the film as the distinctly uncharismatic scrapyard owner although his scenes with the excellent young girl Greer Robson are some of the best elements. Indeed what I did like here is the scrapyard itself, a quite amazing graveyard of old busted and rusting vehicles and the amazing snowy mountain backdrop. I also liked the performance of young Robson and if more could have been like the birthday cake scene all might have been well. I also thought the last 5 minutes or so were very well done and at least I ended the film with a smile on my face. Goodness only knows why fledgling director Roger Donaldson took on Australian newbie Anna Jemison who really seemed to struggle and has some of the most embarrassing scenes I recall seeing, the drunken and bed ones in particular. Overall this is a dull and dreary affair with only the aforementioned junk yard and young girl likely to remain in the memory - oh and the ultra embarrassing full frontal in the street from Bruno Lawrence.

I saw this movie while on vacation in New Zealand and loved it. Lawrence gives a terrific portrayal of a man whose life is thrown into chaos when his obsession with building a race car and paying more attention to his new car junkyard leads his wife to an affair with his best friend. He then kidnaps their daughter and heads for the woods. If you can find this movie anywhere, rent it. You won't regret it. I loved it. The final scene to this film is especially memorable. I will not reveal it-you will have to see it to find out. You will never forget it, that's for sure.

***1/2 out of ****

Married couple in New Zealand with a young child separate, but he can't let go. Art-house stunner delivers some amazingly raw and complicated emotions in its early stages, but then gets confused and falls off. This isn't the fault of the actors however, particularly Bruno Lawrence in what should've been a star-making performance. Maybe it's the fact that his character is so morose and troubled (at one point, with the family piled in the car, he pauses on the railroad tracks) that Lawrence wasn't given much credit, and the film failed to find an audience here in the States. Some light relief from all the crazy behavior might've helped, yet the picture has a prickly, compelling edge, and that's surely something the audience can latch onto. Sadly, this melodramatic roller-coaster of emotions does peter out, though for the first hour it showcases a gripping study of human lives. **1/2 from ****