Smash Palace

Smash Palace

She's my daughter and I'll do what I like!

1981 · 108 min · ★ 6.3 · Drama, Thriller

Al Shaw's life revolves around motor racing and his back country junkyard, the "Smash Palace". His French wife, Jacqui, doesn't appreciate the lack of attention due to Al's obsession with cars. When Al finds her in the arms of another man, he takes his daughter, Georgie and heads for the bush, desperately hoping to hold on to the only family he has left.

Directed by Roger Donaldson · Written by Roger Donaldson

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Streaming

Rent or Buy

Cast

Bruno Lawrence Al Shaw
Anna Maria Monticelli Jacqui Shaw
Greer Robson Georgie Shaw
Keith Aberdein Ray Foley
Desmond Kelly Tiny
Lynne Robson Linda
Margaret Umbers Rose
Bryan Johnson 2nd Police Officer
Terence Donovan Traffic Officer
Dick Rollo Uncle Arthur
Ian Barber Fight Leader
Mike Beytagh Armed Offenders' Squad

Make it a double feature

4h together

Smash Palace

The Bounty

Both from Roger Donaldson.

More from Roger DonaldsonSee all →

The World's Fastest Indian

The World's Fastest Indian · 2005

The World's Fastest Indian

MovieDramaAdventure

The life story of New Zealander Burt Munro, who spent years building a 1920 Indian motorcycle—a bike which helped him set the land-speed world record at Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats in 1967.

Hannahs

Hannahs · 2019

A woman cons her way into another woman’s apartment, resulting in a strange and intimate encounter.

McLaren

McLaren · 2016

MovieDocumentary

The story of New Zealander Bruce McLaren, who founded the McLaren Motor Racing team, showing the world that a man of humble beginnings could take on the elite of motor racing and win.

Brooklyn

Brooklyn · 2015

MovieDramaHistory

In 1950s Ireland and New York, young Eilis Lacey has to choose between two men and two countries.

Thirteen Days

Thirteen Days · 2000

MovieHistoryThriller

The story of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962—the nuclear standoff with the USSR sparked by the discovery by the Americans of missile bases established on the Soviet-allied island of Cuba.

The Bank Job

The Bank Job · 2008

MovieThrillerCrime

Terry is a small-time car dealer trying to leave his shady past behind and start a family. Martine is a beautiful model from Terry's old neighbourhood who knows that Terry is no angel. When Martine proposes a foolproof plan to rob a bank, Terry recognises the danger but realises this may be the opportunity of a lifetime.

No Way Out

No Way Out · 1987

MovieThrillerDrama

Navy Lt. Tom Farrell meets a young woman, Susan Atwell, and they share a passionate fling. Farrell then finds out that his superior, Defense Secretary David Brice, is also romantically involved with Atwell. When the young woman turns up dead, Farrell is put in charge of the murder investigation. He begins to uncover shocking clues about the case, but when details of his encounter with Susan surface, he becomes a suspect as well.

The Bounty

The Bounty · 1984

MovieActionDrama

An idyllic voyage to Tahiti in 1789 turns a crew aboard the H.M.S. Bounty against its captain when they find a tropical paradise.

Offerings to the God of Speed

Offerings to the God of Speed · 1971

Offerings to the God of Speed

MovieDocumentary

Short subject documentary about land speed record holder Burt Munro. Produced for NZBC.

Good One

Good One · 2024

On a weekend backpacking trip in the Catskills, 17-year-old Sam contends with the competing egos of her father and his oldest friend.

The Recruit

The Recruit · 2003

MovieActionThriller

A brilliant CIA trainee must prove his worth at the Farm, the agency's secret training grounds, where he learns to watch his back and trust no one.

Dante's Peak

Dante's Peak · 1997

MovieActionAdventure

Volcanologist Harry Dalton comes to the sleepy town of Dante's Peak to investigate the recent rumblings of the dormant volcano the burg is named for. Before long, his worst fears are realized when a massive eruption hits, and immediately, Harry, the mayor and the townspeople find themselves fighting for their lives amid a catastrophic nightmare.

The November Man

The November Man · 2014

The November Man

MovieCrimeAction

An ex-CIA operative is brought back in on a very personal mission and finds himself pitted against his former pupil in a deadly game involving high level CIA officials and the Russian president-elect.

Cocktail

Cocktail · 1988

MovieRomanceDrama

After being discharged from the Army, Brian Flanagan moves back to Queens and takes a job in a bar run by Doug Coughlin, who teaches Brian the fine art of bar-tending. Brian quickly becomes a patron favorite with his flashy drink-mixing style, and Brian adopts his mentor's cynical philosophy on life and goes for the money.

Species

Species · 1995

MovieScience FictionHorror

In 1993, the Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence Project receives a transmission detailing an alien DNA structure, along with instructions on how to splice it with human DNA. The result is Sil, a sensual but deadly creature who can change from a beautiful woman to an armour-plated killing machine in the blink of an eye.

Seeking Justice

Seeking Justice · 2011

Seeking Justice

MovieActionDrama

After his wife is assaulted, a husband enlists the services of a vigilante group to help him settle the score.

More Like This

The Lovers

The Lovers · 1958

MovieRomanceDrama

A shallow, provincial wife finds her relationship with her preoccupied husband strained by romantic notions, leading her further towards Paris and the country wilderness.

Deconstructing Harry

Deconstructing Harry · 1997

Deconstructing Harry

MovieComedyDrama

Writer Harry Block draws inspiration from people he knows, and from events that happened to him, sometimes causing these people to become alienated from him as a result.

Pierrot le Fou

Pierrot le Fou · 1965

MovieDramaRomance

Pierrot escapes his boring society and travels from Paris to the Mediterranean Sea with Marianne, a girl chased by hit-men from Algeria. They lead an unorthodox life, always on the run.

The Crow: City of Angels

The Crow: City of Angels · 1996

The Crow: City of Angels

MovieActionFantasy

A murder victim is brought back to life by a mysterious crow. With the help of a beautiful woman, he exacts revenge on his killers – only to realize his enemy has discovered the one weakness that can destroy him forever.

Red Rock West

Red Rock West · 1993

MovieCrimeDrama

When a promised job for Texan Michael fails to materialize in Wyoming, Mike is mistaken by Wayne to be the hitman he hired to kill his unfaithful wife, Suzanne. Mike takes full advantage of the situation, collects the money, and runs. During his getaway, things go wrong, and soon get worse when he runs into the real hitman, Lyle.

Paranoid Park

Paranoid Park · 2007

MovieDramaCrime

A teenage skateboarder becomes suspected of being connected with a security guard who suffered a brutal death in a skate park called "Paranoid Park".

The Matador

The Matador · 2005

MovieActionComedy

The life of Danny Wright, a salesman forever on the road, veers into dangerous and surreal territory when he wanders into a Mexican bar and meets a mysterious stranger, Julian, who's very likely a hit man. Their meeting sets off a chain of events that will change their lives forever, as Wright is suddenly thrust into a far-from-mundane existence that he takes to surprisingly well … once he gets acclimated to it.

Chopper

Chopper · 2000

MovieCrimeDrama

The true and infamous story of Australia's notorious criminal Mark 'Chopper' Read and his years of crime, interest in violence, drugs and prostitutes.

Celebrity

Celebrity · 1998

MovieDramaComedy

The career and personal life of writer Lee are at a standstill, so he divorces his bashful wife, Robin, and dives into a new job as an entertainment journalist. His assignments take him to the swankiest corners of Manhattan, but as he jumps from one lavish party to another and engages in numerous empty romances, he starts to doubt the worth of his work. Meanwhile, top TV producer Tony falls for Robin and introduces her to the world of celebrity.

He Got Game

He Got Game · 1998

A basketball player's father must try to convince him to go to a college so he can get a shorter prison sentence.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter