The Custodian is a 1993 Australian mysterythriller film written and directed by John Dingwall in his last directorial effort before his death on 3 May 2004. The film stars Anthony LaPaglia, Hugo Weaving, Barry Otto, and Dingwall's real life son Kelly Dingwall in his last feature film before he retired from acting in 1997. LaPaglia plays Det. Sgt. James Quinlan, a police officer who attempts to bring to justice a cabal of corrupt cops, which includes his partner, Det. Frank Church, played by Weaving.
John Dingwall claims that he wrote around 16 drafts of the script.[1]
Detective James Quinlan leaves his wife after years of being nagged about their lifestyle, comparing him unfavourably with his friend and partner Frank Church whom he believes, but cannot prove, is corrupt. He abandons his straight life to join Church in order to get on the inside of the circle of double-agents, whose extent he cannot guess but must include high-ranking police, and probably judiciary and media. He establishes contacts with a young idealistic reporter and Ferguson, an Internal Affairs lawyer without revealing his identity, meanwhile building a dossier of corrupt officers, including himself. For his own protection he confides in no-one, and at the resulting trial is convicted and sentenced to 12 years' jail with six others. Only a codeword, "chicken neck", spoken by Quinlan leads the reporter to guess the truth and collaborates with Ferguson in getting Quinlan a reduced sentence.
