Metal Skin 1994
Directed by
Geoffrey Wright
Made by
Daniel Scharf Productions
Metal Skin Plot Summary
Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for Metal Skin (1994). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.
Joe [Aden Young] lives with his brain-damaged father in the working-class suburb of Altona, Melbourne. The care required by his father is a constant strain, pulling Joe between daily responsibilities and the danger his father sometimes presents as his mental health deteriorates. A shy misfit with a passion for souped-up muscle cars, Joe lands a job at a local supermarket, where he is drawn into the circle around a confident womaniser named Dazey [Ben Mendelsohn], who is at a crossroads with his girlfriend Roslyn [Nadine Garner]. The two men share more than a love of cars, because Dazey’s brother is a Nascar driver and, with their father, runs a busy car garage; this family workshop becomes a source of parts and help for Joe as he tries to navigate his growing world.
At the shop, Joe even stands up for Dazey by beating up an attacker who is the boyfriend of a woman Dazey had slept with, a moment that pulls him deeper into their tightly wound orbit. Into this mix also comes Savina [Tara Morice], a devil-worshipper who works with Dazey and Joe and pretends to take an interest in Joe as a way to get closer to Dazey. Savina has carried an obsession with Dazey since high school, and she frequently engages in dark mysticism, including animal sacrifice. Together the four of them drift between street races and nights spent drinking, chasing a dangerous thrill that glitters in the glow of neon and engines.
As the relationships tighten, Joe begins to fall for Savina. Savina and Dazey have sex, which only fuels her obsession, even though Dazey has no intention of it turning into something serious. The heartbreak and depression around Savina’s life take a toll, and she falls to her death at a church, an event that profoundly saddens Joe and unsettles the fragile circle.
Back home, trouble erupts when Joe’s house is vandalized, and Dazey grapples with his own grief and guilt. In a nightmare-tinged moment, Joe dreams of the dead Savina, then wakes to his father banging on the ceiling. The tension snaps: Joe shoots his father in the head, killing him. He then drives to the mechanic shop and shoots Ted, a worker at Dazey’s father’s workshop, before heading to Roslyn’s house where Dazey is.
Joe’s rage erupts as he threatens Dazey while Roslyn tries to calm him down. He flatly tells Roslyn that she could be with him, and the two share a tense embrace before Joe turns the gun back on Dazey, who is crying and lying on the ground. Roslyn hits Joe over the head with a mask, and she and Dazey scramble into a car and speed away. Joe rises quickly and pursues them in his own vehicle, leading to an intense chase that ends at the docks. Roslyn manages to escape the car, and Joe, in a fatal miscalculation, backs up into Dazey, causing another wreck. Joe dies from his injuries, while Roslyn wanders off into the night. Dazey, dazed and grieving, staggers from the wreck and calls for Roslyn, unable to find her in the chaos around him.
Metal Skin Timeline
Follow the complete movie timeline of Metal Skin (1994) with every major event in chronological order. Great for understanding complex plots and story progression.
Joe's quiet life in Altona
Joe lives with his brain-damaged father in a working-class suburb of Melbourne, struggling to cope with his father's disruptive condition. The film establishes Joe as a shy, car-obsessed misfit trying to navigate his difficult home life. His everyday world is defined by routine, responsibility, and mounting pressure at home.
Joe lands a supermarket job and meets Dazey
Joe starts working at a local supermarket and is befriended by Dazey after walking in on him having sex in the break room. Dazey is a confident, reckless car enthusiast who will shape Joe's social circle. The encounter foreshadows a complicated bond between the two men and their friends.
Car culture and family support
Dazey's brother is a Nascar driver, and with their father they run a car garage. Dazey helps Joe by obtaining parts from the family shop, feeding Joe's growing obsession with souped-up cars. The garage world expands Joe's horizons beyond the supermarket.
Joe defends Dazey at the shop
Joe beats an attacker at the shop who is the boyfriend of a woman Dazey slept with. The act marks Joe's willingness to cross lines to protect his new circle. The incident deepens the bond and the danger surrounding their world.
Savina enters, a dark ally with an obsession
Savina, a devil-worshipper who works with Dazey and Joe, feigns interest in Joe to get closer to Dazey. She has been obsessed with Dazey since high school and often engages in dark mysticism. Her presence hints at looming danger within their circle.
Racing nights and mounting tension
The four of them go to street races and drink together, forging dangerous bonds. Joe begins to develop feelings for Savina, while Savina's bond with Dazey grows more complex, fueling her obsession. The night reveals the fragility of their friendships.
Savina's death and Joe's heartbreak
Savina falls to her death at a church after sinking into deep depression, leaving Joe devastated because they had started to fall in love. The tragedy shatters the fragile dynamic of the group and deepens Joe's isolation. Grief starts a chain reaction that will lead to violence.
Housing grief and communal guilt
Joe's house is vandalized, a brutal sign of the chaos surrounding him. Dazey wrestles with his own grief and guilt over Savina's death, trying to keep the group together. The home front fractures as external pressures mount.
Nightmare and a deadly turn
As Joe dreams of the dead Savina, he is awoken by his father banging on the ceiling. In a sudden, violent act, Joe shoots his father in the head, killing him. The dream becomes a catalyst for Joe's own irreversible violence.
A spree of violence at the workshop
Joe drives to Dazey's father's workshop and shoots Ted, a worker there. The killing marks a full descent into murderous impulse and shows no one is safe from Joe's unraveling psyche. The violence escalates rapidly from personal to indiscriminate.
Confrontation at Roslyn's house
Joe goes to Roslyn's house, where Dazey is, and threatens Dazey while Roslyn tries to talk him down. He tells Roslyn that she could be with him if she chooses, intensifying the emotional stakes. The confrontation sets the stage for a climactic pursuit.
Escape and pursuit by the docks
Roslyn knocks Joe unconscious with a mask as she and Dazey sprint to a car and speed away. Joe gives chase in his own car, tightening the noose around the trio. The pursuit becomes a desperate, fatal dash through the night.
Final crash at the docks
The chase ends in a wreck at the docks; Roslyn escapes while Joe dies from his injuries. Dazey, dazed and confused, calls for Roslyn, left searching for answers amid the wreckage. The film closes on the aftermath of violence and loss.
Metal Skin Characters
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Joe (Aden Young)
A shy, isolated car enthusiast living with his brain-damaged father in Altona. He struggles to care for his father and is drawn into a volatile network of friends. His longing for connection and fear of losing control culminate in impulsive acts of violence.
Dazey (Ben Mendelsohn)
A confident, charming womaniser at a crossroads, working with Joe and running a garage with his family. He is torn between his relationship with Roslyn and his bond with Savina, navigating loyalty, desire, and guilt.
Savina (Tara Morice)
A devoted but unstable figure obsessed with Dazey since high school, she uses dark mysticism and manipulation to draw people into her orbit. Her growing love destabilizes the group and fuels a downward spiral culminating in tragedy.
Roslyn (Nadine Garner)
Dazey's girlfriend who becomes the object of Joe's desire. She tries to de-escalate Joe's crisis but is drawn into the violence around them. Resourceful and conflicted, she acts to protect herself and others during the climactic chase.
Pop (Petru Gheorghiu)
The patriarch who runs a family car garage with Dazey’s brother, anchoring the car world that pulls the characters into racing and risk. His presence grounds the group’s dealings in a familial, rough-around-the-edges business.
Rosco (Richard Sutherland)
Dazey’s brother and a NASCAR driver who epitomizes the racing heritage of the family. He shares ties to the garage and supports or competes in the street-racing world that frames the plot.
Padre Pallini (Vince D'Amico)
A priest who appears in the film’s church scenes, providing a counterpoint to the characters’ descent into obsession and violence. His presence underscores the moral stakes in the story.
Savina's Mother (Chantal Contouri)
Savina's mother, whose limited involvement hints at the family background shaping Savina’s intensity and spiritual or ritualistic tendencies.
Metal Skin Settings
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Location
Altona, suburban Melbourne, Australia
Altona is a working-class suburb of Melbourne with industrial roots and proximity to the docks. The movie centers on car culture and street racing within this tight-knit community. The setting provides a gritty backdrop for the characters' volatile bonds and impulsive actions.
Metal Skin Themes
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Obsession
Savina's fixation on Dazey drives the plot, intensified by Joe's growing affection for Savina. The film explores how desire and control push characters toward dangerous choices. Obsession blurs moral lines and erodes trust among friends.
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Violence
The story escalates from personal conflict to brutal acts: killings in the garage, a deadly church incident, and high-speed chases that end in tragedy. Violence is depicted as a corrosive force within this insecure environment. The consequences are fatal and irreversible for multiple characters.
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Descent
The characters spiral from ordinary aspirations into desperation and crime. The film shows how marginalization, obsession, and illegal street racing pull the protagonists toward a catastrophic finale. Personal relationships fracture as violence compounds.
Metal Skin Spoiler-Free Summary
Discover the spoiler-free summary of Metal Skin (1994). Get a concise overview without any spoilers.
In the gritty suburbs of Altona, a modest Melbourne neighbourhood where the hum of traffic blends with the clang of everyday struggle, Joe lives in the shadow of his father’s deteriorating mind. Caught between the relentless demands of caring for a man whose reality slips and his own yearning for speed, he spends his nights coaxing life out of souped‑up muscle cars. The streets pulse with neon and exhaust, a restless backdrop that mirrors his inner quest for escape and meaning.
A chance job at the local supermarket throws him into a world of chrome and camaraderie, where he meets the magnetic and confident Dazey, a self‑styled ladies’ man whose reputation in the local car scene flirts with legend. Drawn to Dazey’s easy swagger and his family’s bustling garage, Joe quickly adopts him as both idol and mentor, learning the ropes of a subculture that prizes horsepower as much as loyalty. Around the same time, the enigmatic Savina slips into the mix—a goth with a fascination for black magic who works alongside them. Her dark mysticism and lingering obsession with Dazey add a crackle of intrigue, and she subtly pulls Joe into her orbit, using his infatuation as a lever to get closer to the man she covets.
What emerges is a volatile triangle of ambition, desire, and unspoken rivalry set against the roar of engines and the glow of streetlights. The film’s tone is a stylish, melancholy blend of gritty realism and Shakespeare‑like fatalism, hinting at a reckless race that could spin out of control at any moment. As each character chases their own version of freedom—whether through speed, power, or forbidden rites—their intertwined paths promise a tension that feels both inevitable and electrifying, leaving the audience perched on the edge of an unseen, looming tragedy.
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