AustLit

'Ryan is puzzled when an evening's quiet drinking interrupted by a slightly crazy, beautiful girl, who wants to know all about Adam Parker, and won't believe that Ryan has never heard of him.

'He's even more puzzled next morning when a copy of Hamlet arrives in the post, with a ten dollar bill and a note from Adam Parker asking Ryan to keep the book safe for collection. From that point on, he has no time to be puzzled, or anything else, for he holds the book - and the key to two million dollars worth of smuggled heroin. Adam Parker turns up dead, and Ryan himself becomes the target of a deadly gang of drug smugglers. Rival factions of the gang are willing to bribe, seduce, or kill him in order to get the two suitcases of heroin. Neither they nor Ryan know that one of the cases is packed with high explosives ...'

Source: Synopsis held in the Crawford Collection in the AFI Research Collection (RMIT).

The script held in the Crawford Collection in the AFI Research Collection contains the following character notes (excluding regular characters):

'JANA MARSH: Late 20's. A stunner. Mercurial, bright, vivacious. A high class whore. A consuming interest in money and sex - in that order.

'NEIL BISHOP: 40's. Handsomely built man, greying hair, erudite, wealthy. A smooth and charming manipulator without scruples.

'ADAM PARKER: Mid 20's. Medium build. An adventurer caught up in heroin smuggling. Shot when he attempts a double cross.

'LYNCH: Early 40's. Rugged, dangerous hatchet man for Bishop. Drives, fights.

'McLEOD: Early 40's. Slight and sharp featured, a contrast with Lynch but equally dangerous and ruthless.

'SAILOR: Mid 20's. One of Bishop's loyal henchmen - looks capable and tough.

'CRANDAL: 35-40. A policeman who works with the Bomb Squad. A friend of Ryan's with a good sense of humour.

'JIM: 45-50. A weatherbeaten salt who knows the nautical scene and helps Tony with some relevant gossip.

'NURSE: 20's. Attractive, charming - everyone's ideal of a nurse.

'BARTENDER: 30ish. Works at the Waratah Bar - Ryan's favourite drinking haunt.'