Panel-beaters' mayhem

Interesting little New Zealand film with a big punch! Quite gripping ... shows what can happen when an ordinary worker suddenly snaps & goes off the rails in a sleepy out-of-the-way town. Once the line gets crossed all restraint is abandoned with catastrophic results. Smash Palace received lots of praise from American critical royalty (Pauline Kael & Roger Ebert). Bruno Lawrence, who also co-wrote, was a talent lost to the industry.