Hoodwink (1981 film)
1981 film by Claude Whatham
Hoodwink is a 1981 Australian thriller film directed by Claude Whatham and written by Ken Quinnell. It stars John Hargreaves and Judy Davis with Geoffrey Rush in his feature film debut. The film is based on the true story of a well-publicised Australian con artist. It was nominated for eight Australian Film Institute Awards, with Davis winning the Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.
Plot
Martin Stang, a bank robber (Hargreaves) finds himself behind bars and decides to pursue another con job; his escape. He does this by attempting to convince prison authorities that he is blind and no longer poses a threat to society. Along his journey he befriends a sexually repressed clergyman's wife, Sarah (Davis). The pair become intimate during Martin's day release but his con is complicated when he reveals to Sarah that he is not in fact blind.
Cast
John Hargreaves as Martin Stang
Judy Davis as Sarah
Dennis Miller as Ralph
Wendy Hughes as Lucy
Max Cullen as Buster
Paul Chubb as Reid
Wendy Strehlow as Martin's sister
Ben Gabriel as Martin's father
Michael Caton as Shapley
Colin Friels as Robert
Geoffrey Rush as Detective 1
Lex Marinos as Detective 2
John Pear as Eye Specialist
Dasha Blahova as Eye Specialist's Wife
Heather Mitchell as Nurse 2
Les Foxcroft as Baldy
Production
The film is based on the true story of Carl Synnerdahl, a convict who posed as a blind man to get a lighter sentence and had been forced to keep up the deception. He told his story to literary agent Rosemary Cresswell, who was doing some work for the Department of Corrective Services, who in turn told the story to producer Errol Sullivan.
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