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Panic Mechanic
1996 | 101m | English
Popularity: 0.2 (history)
| Director: | David Lister |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Leon Schuster, Gus Silber, Andre Scholtz |
| Staring: |
| When Hanky Pranky (alias Schucks), star of a candid camera TV show, loses his job to affirmative action, he applies for a job at a stress academy. It´s not long before Schucks discovers his new boss, Jack Paddaman, is as crooked as they come, but it´s too late: the employment contract is signed and sealed.A year passes, and Schucks is no better off. However, his candid camera videos, which poke fun at all sectors of post-1994 South Africa, prove a big hit with stressed-out government ministers. When the president asks Paddaman to make a movie to benefit street children, Schucks and his pals do all the hard work while Paddaman plans how he can get hold of the profits from the video sales. Add a scatterbrained secretary, a lovelorn traffic cop and a cunning street child and you have a roll-in-the aisles comedy with a distinctly South African flavour. | |
| Release Date: | Nov 29, 1996 |
|---|---|
| Director: | David Lister |
| Writer: | Leon Schuster, Gus Silber, Andre Scholtz |
| Genres: | Comedy |
| Keywords | hidden camera, rocket, slapstick comedy |
| Production Companies | |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $949,678
Budget: $262,987 |
| Updates |
Updated: Feb 10, 2026 Entered: Apr 26, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Leon Schuster | Schuks |
| Frantz Dobrowsky | Jack Paddaman |
| Tolla Van Der Merwe | Jakob |
| Nana Stapelberg | Gloria Haasbroek |
| Themba Ndaba | Billy |
| Taryn Sudding | Annie / Various characters |
| John Robbie | Himself |
| Sello Sebotsane | Hijacker |
| Dorette Nel | Saartjie |
| Desmond Dube | SABC man |
| Lieb Bester | Gys |
| Ernest Ndhlovu | SABC boss |
| Tim Plewman | Minister of Transport |
| Coco Merckel | Chauffeur |
| Pierre van Pletzen | Coetzee |
| Andries van der Heever | Leader of the Opposition |
| Ruth Cele | The President |
| Thamele Mavuya | Frankie (Homeless Child) |
| Dick Reineke | Schuks' Neighbour |
| Zukile Gqobose | Mfusi |
| Francois Stemmet | Jan van der Merwe |
| Marga van Rooy | Mrs. van der Merwe |
| Nick Collis | Self - Actor in Audition |
| James Borthwick | Self - Actor in Audtion |
| Nick Lorentz | Self - Actor in Audtion |
| Terence Reis | Self - Actor in Audtion |
| Richard Carter | Camp Chap |
| David Hall-Green | TV Newscaster |
| John Lesley | Priest |
| Wendy Rudolph | Pizza Delivery Lady |
| Mabutho 'Kid' Sithole | Barman |
| Hannah Botha | Minibus Passenger (uncredited) |
| Andre Scholtz | Kobus Wiese's Friend (uncredited) |
| Shaleen Surtie-Richards | Minibuss Passenger (uncredited) |
| Kobus Wiese | Self (uncredited) |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| David Lister | Director |
| Leon Schuster | Screenplay, Story |
| Gus Silber | Screenplay |
| Andre Scholtz | Screenplay |
| Neill Solomon | Original Music Composer |
| James Robb | Director of Photography |
| Alastair Henderson | Editor |
| Christian Mc Cabe | Production Design |
| Anni Taylor | Key Makeup Artist |
| Amanda Ross-McDonald | Assistant Makeup Artist |
| Georgina Kriel | Production Manager |
| Clive Stafford | First Assistant Director |
| Charlotte Buys | Sound Effects Editor, First Assistant Editor |
| Charles Evans | Foley Artist |
| Sharron Hawkes | Sound Effects Editor |
| Jonathan Kvalsvig | Boom Operator |
| Rüdiger Payrhuber | Sound Recordist |
| Juliet Philips | Foley Artist |
| Simon Rankin | Boom Operator |
| Juli Vandenberg | Supervising Sound Editor |
| Thorsten Wedekind | Additional Casting |
| Uta Frey | Additional Editor |
| Tamsin Hall | Additional Editor, Continuity |
| Johan Lategan | Additional Editor |
| Tiny Laubscher | Additional Editor |
| Billy Crauser | Location Scout |
| Carol Kruger | Production Accountant |
| Angela Phillips | Production Coordinator |
| Olly Steele | Armorer, Weapons Master |
| Cordell McQueen | Stunts, Special Effects |
| Wayne Smith | Stunt Driver |
| George Amos | Assistant Grip |
| Rhodi-Anne Buys | Clapper Loader |
| Lars Cox | Focus Puller |
| Vincent G. Cox | Second Assistant Camera |
| Michael Kennedy | Focus Puller |
| Pam Laxen | Focus Puller |
| Werner Maritz | Second Assistant Camera |
| Koos Roets | Second Assistant Camera |
| Malcolm Stone | Gaffer |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Edgar Bold | Co-Producer |
| Carl Fischer | Executive Producer |
| Andre Scholtz | Producer |
| Leon Schuster | Co-Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 1 |
| 2024 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 2 |
| 2024 | 6 | 4 | 11 | 1 |
| 2024 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 1 |
| 2024 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| 2024 | 9 | 6 | 12 | 2 |
| 2024 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2024 | 11 | 4 | 10 | 1 |
| 2024 | 12 | 2 | 7 | 1 |
| 2025 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 1 |
| 2025 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 11 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 12 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2026 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Trending Position