THE CUSTODIAN
Australia, 1993, 110 minutes, Colour.
Anthony La Paglia, Hugo Weaving, Barry Otto, Kelly Dingwall, Gosia Dobrowolska, Naomi Watts, Bill Hunter, Essie Davis.
Directed by John Dingwall.
The Custodian is a strong Australian film of the early '90s, set in Sydney and focusing on police work and police corruption in New South Wales. As fiction, the film might seem farfetched - however, it related strongly to the behaviour of police in Australian states in the '80s and '90s and the widespread police corruption.
The film was written and directed by John Dingwall, writer of Sunday Too Far Away, writer and director of Buddies and Phobia. The film stars Anthony LaPaglia?, the Australian actor who made a success of films in the United States including Betsy's Wedding, One Good Cop, Innocent Blood. He gives a very strong performance in The Custodian and was nominated for an Australian Film Institute award. The supporting cast is also very strong and includes an excellent performance by Barry Otto as an Internal Affairs investigator. A number of character actors appear in cameos including Bill Hunter and Norman Kaye. John Dingwall's son, Kelly Dingwall, appears as a journalist in a key role.
The film is intelligent, looks at social issues, looks strongly at the pressures on police and the temptation to corruption.
1.The title of the film, expectations, the law, the individual and justice, the police force, duty?
2.The Sydney settings, the streets, the world of crime, police headquarters, flats and units? An authentic Sydney atmosphere? The support of the musical score?
3.The film as a thriller, as a police story, as a human drama, as a drama of moral issues? The stance of the screenplay about the central character, about the police, corruption? The significance of the speech by the judge at the end - a heavily moralising speech?
4.Anthony LaPaglia? as the young policeman: in himself at the beginning of the film, his age and experience, the opening with his wife, her drinking, his leaving, getting his own flat? Seeing him at work, his suspicions about the crime boss, about his colleague? The raids, the tip offs, his anger, with his colleague in the car, getting out in the rain? The interviews with the psychologist - and the revelation about his background, his mother, his father's death? The pressures on him from childhood? Talking things over with his colleague - and going to his house, his society wife, affluence? Following him to see whether he was corrupt, the source of his money? Seeing him beating up the criminals? The interview with the officer of Internal Affairs? His silence? Back at work - and his being suspended? His going for coffee, meeting Jill, returning to the cafe? The friendship, companionship, the tender relationship, the night, the beginning of the affair? His wife's phone call at the police station and her hostility? His personal dilemmas, professional dilemmas?
5.A man of anger and rage, his decision to expose the police, the planning of his strategy, talking to the Internal Affairs officer in the bar, his decision about his colleague? The talk, the plan to enter into the corrupt moving of drugs and goods and getting the money, participating in the deals? His going with his colleague to the crime boss, the plan and the deal, the compromising photo? Getting the money? The various set-ups, the group of corrupt police and their getting together to enjoy themselves, the carrying of the drugs? His being jovial - but making sure that everything was covered and the evidence there for the media and the police?
6.The world of the journalists, the press conferences? Reynolds and his youthfulness, ambition, his relationships, work at the station, the discussions with the station manager, the background of media ownership in Australia, compromises and deals? His immediate superior and her attitude towards him? The other officials at the TV station? His behaviour at the press conferences - and his appearing to be brash and earnest?
7.The policeman and his decision to contact Reynolds for his plan, the phone call, disguising his voice? Reynolds having to decide whether to follow up, his going into action, discussion with his superiors? Taking the leads, taking the photos of the corrupt police? The faxes coming into his offices (and the byplay of his clash with his inept colleague)? The planning of the programs? The press conference and his attacking the police? His meeting his rival from the newspaper - and the publication of the article when the TV station refused it? The discussion with the managers, their cynical attitudes? The decision to go with the story? His relationship with his girlfriend? The violence - the shooting and the danger? The phone calls, having to use the secret line - and his indiscretion in contacting the Internal Affairs officer? His motives for pursuing the leads?
8.The Internal Affairs officer, as a person, quiet, his legal background? At home and his relationship with his wife? Her pregnancy? The contacts with Reynolds and the growing tension? His bewilderment about what was happening? His admiration for the policeman? His disgust at his being corrupt? The family sequence and the discussion about the pregnancy? His decision to follow through, undercover work, taking the gun? Raiding the corrupt officer's office, getting the disks and the documentation, hiding under the desk? The tapped phone - and revealing to the criminals his work on the investigation? The brutality of his wife being raped and murdered? His desperate anger?
9.The policeman and his orchestrating the investigation, his dangerous game of participating? The hints to Reynolds and to the Internal Affairs officer? His relationship with Jill, talking things over and her continued support? Her learning the truth? His reaction to the officer and the murder of his wife? Talking things over? The anger with his colleague, the realisation of the betrayal? The set-up of the arrest sequence?
10.The Internal Affairs officer and his going for the arrest, confronting the corrupt policeman in his bedroom, the arguments - and his shooting him? The arrest of the corrupt police, including the hero? His being put into prison, the way that he was treated by the police? The brevity of the court case sequences - the group arraigned in court, the guilty verdict? The response of the media?
11.The judge, his comments on the case, the moralising about corrupt police?
12.The hero in jail, the brutal treatment, the visit from Jill, Internal Affairs officer? Their getting some leniency for his sentence? - and the humorous and ironic touch when he whispered the cheeky insult to Reynolds in the court case?
13.The impact of such dramas of police forces and the potential for corruption, the behaviour, the cover-ups, official graft? Unscrupulous violence even to murder?
14.The portrait of a policeman, earnest, sense of duty, burnt out, the influence of family tradition? Honesty, retaining one's job, the possibility of carrying out duty? Angers, betrayed friendships? Decisions to unmask evil, the kind of heroism required, moral and psychological stamina?
