Money Movers

Money Movers
Company type	Film
Industry	Film industry
Founded	1978
Founder	Bruce Beresford (director and writer)
Headquarters	Australia
Products	Crime action drama film

Money Movers is a 1978 Australian crime action drama directed and written by Bruce Beresford. The film adapts the 1972 novel The Money Movers by Devon Minchin, who established Metropolitan Security Services. Its storyline is inspired by two actual incidents: the 1970 Sydney Armoured Car Robbery, where A$500,000 was stolen from a Mayne Nickless vehicle, and another 1970 heist involving A$280,000 taken from Metropolitan Security Services by criminals disguised as police officers.

This film is notable among 1970s Australian cinema for tackling crime and police corruption as embedded societal problems, and it includes some of the era’s earliest depictions of intense violent sequences.

Plot

Following a robbery targeting an armoured payroll truck operated by Darcy's Security Services, driver and former policeman Dick Martin is reassigned from armoured vehicles to night patrol duties. Crime lord Jack Henderson betrays the robbers, instructing his enforcer Dino to eliminate them.

Lionel Darcy, who leads the security firm, anticipates a significant theft but remains unaware that some staff members are complicit. He hires ex-employee Mindel Seagers to investigate newcomer Leo Bassett. Henderson discovers a planned heist orchestrated by Eric Jackson—a retired speedway racer and Senior Supervisor at Darcy's—along with his brother Brian Jackson, an armoured truck driver, and Ed Gallagher, the counting house supervisor. After Eric breaks into Bassett’s apartment, Henderson’s crew abducts him and amputates his little toe to force his cooperation.

Dick Martin teams up with Leo Bassett to prevent the robbery; Martin sustains gunshot injuries and requires hospitalization. Bassett confides in Lionel Darcy—who has been undercover on behalf of Darcy’s insurer Legal & United—that he staged a fake robbery threat to expose internal company criminals. When Darcy protests that Legal & United failed to notify him, Bassett reveals that Darcy himself was their primary suspect.

Cast

Terence Donovan as Eric Jackson
Tony Bonner as Leo Bassett
Ed Devereaux as Dick Martin
Charles 'Bud' Tingwell as Jack Henderson
Candy Raymond as Mindel Seagers
Jeanie Drynan as Dawn Jackson
Bryan Brown as Brian Jackson
Alan Cassell as Detective-Sergeant Sammy Rose
Gary Files as Ernest Sainsbury
Ray Marshall as Ed Gallagher
Hu Pryce as David Griffiths
Lucky Grills as Robert Conway
Frank Wilson as Lionel Darcy
Terry Camilleri as Dino
Stuart Littlemore appearing as himself (television reporter)

Production

Following his work on The Getting of Wisdom, Bruce Beresford entered into an agreement with the South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC) to produce two films within two years. Looking to diverge from his earlier themes, Beresford wrote The Ferryman, which SAFC rejected in favor of other projects. Subsequently, he adapted Devon Minchin’s novel; Minchin had founded Metropolitan Security Services (MSS) in 1954. Beresford conducted two months of research in collaboration with MSS.

Principal photography took place over six weeks during February and March 1978. Although the narrative is set in Sydney, most filming occurred at SAFC studios and various Adelaide locations, including the Rowley Park Speedway, complemented by some footage shot in Sydney. An interesting detail is the alternation between South Australia’s black-on-white license plates and New South Wales’ black-on-yellow plates on vehicles.

For scenes depicting large cash amounts—approximately A$1 million—armed personnel from MSS provided security despite the use of counterfeit currency.

Release

Debuting in 1979, the film did not meet box office expectations, earning $330,000—falling short of its production costs by $206,861. Beresford recounted that the Melbourne premiere attracted only three viewers aside from himself, foreseeing its lack of commercial success.

The critical response was varied: 20/20 Filmsight criticized the film for "theatrical acting, inconsistent editing, and a weak script," yet still considered it "worth a look." Conversely, Movie News commended its "captivating storyline and intense suspense delivered with remarkable speed and intensity." According to Australian Screen, the movie was somewhat ahead of its era and struggled commercially in 1979, a notably challenging year for Australian cinema.

As years passed, the film developed a cult status among Australian speedway enthusiasts, largely due to its footage of the cherished Rowley Park Speedway, which ceased operations 13 months post-filming.

Accolades

Award	Category	Recipient	Outcome
AACTA Awards (1979 AFI Awards)	Best Adapted Screenplay	Bruce Beresford	Template:Nom
	Best Editing	William M. Anderson	Template:Nom
	Best Production Design	David Copping	Template:Nom

Box office

In Australia, Money Movers accumulated $330,000 in revenue, which translates to approximately $1,290,300 when adjusted to 2009 currency values.

Home media

Umbrella Entertainment issued the first DVD release of Money Movers in March 2018.

Title	Format	Episodes	Discs/Tapes	Region 4 (Australia)	Special Features	Distributor
Money Movers	DVD	Film	1	7 March 2018	Behind-the-scenes featurette with cast and crew; original theatrical trailer	Umbrella Entertainment
Money Movers	Streaming	Film	Vimeo.com	7 March 2018	None	Umbrella Entertainment

External links

Money Movers at Oz Movies