Money for Nothing (1993 film)

''Money for Nothing'' is a 1993 American biographical comedy crime film directed by Ramón Menéndez, and written by Menéndez, Tom Musca and Carol Sobieski, based on the 1986 ''Philadelphia Inquirer'' article "Finders Keepers" by Mark Bowden. The film stars John Cusack in the leading role, with a supporting cast that includes Michael Madsen, Debi Mazar, Benicio del Toro, Maury Chaykin, Michael Rapaport, James Gandolfini, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Fionnula Flanagan.

It is loosely based on the life of Joey Coyle (Cusack), who, in 1981, discovered $1.2 million that had fallen out of an armored van in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The film is a fictionalization of events, depicting Coyle's struggles with keeping the money over a five-day period.

The film adaptation of Coyle's story originated in December 1983, before production plans languished in development hell. Executive producers Gordon Freedman and Matt Tolmach acquired the rights in 1990, and the project continued development at The Walt Disney Studios. The film was shot on locations in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, with principal photography beginning in February 1993 and concluding after eight weeks.

Coyle, who acted a consultant on the film, died by suicide on August 15, 1993, three weeks before the film's theatrical release. In response, Disney chose to quietly release ''Money for Nothing'' under its adult film banner Hollywood Pictures, on September 10. The film was not well-received by critics, with Cusack's performance receiving some praise. The film was a box-office bomb, grossing $1 million against a production budget of $11 million.

Plot

In Philadelphia, a cart containing $1.2 million in $100 bills falls out of an armored van as it leaves the Federal Reserve Bank. Joey Coyle, a struggling longshoreman, finds the cart laying on the side of a road, and decides to keep the bags of money. He reveals the discovery to his friend Kenny Kozlowski, who is driving his father's car. After Kenny refuses to be incriminated, Joey decides to keep the money for himself.

Upon returning home, Joey stashes a large portion of the money in his closet, and tries to keep it a secret from his mother, siblings Billy and Eleanor, and niece Katie. South Philadelphia Police Detective Pat Laurenzi is assigned to investigate, and discovers that the van's faulty latch is to blame for the money falling out of the vehicle. News reports of the money's disappearance attract significant attention among local residents.

Joey meets with his former girlfriend, investment banker Monica Russo, and asks how he can make a large deposit without attracting the Internal Revenue Service. Monica initially scoffs at the notion that he would have a large sum of cash laying around, but ultimately deduces that he found the money that was reported missing.

Joey then goes to his favorite bar and buys rounds of drinks for its patrons, claiming to have won earnings from a horse racing bet. He confides the truth to Dino Palladino, a bookmaker who agrees to help launder the money. Although he is unable to comprehend how the laundering scheme works, Joey agrees to the terms proposed by Dino's boss Vincente Goldoni.

Laurenzi finds a homeless boy who reveals that he saw someone take the money and identifies the make and model of the car belonging to Kenny's father. At the bar, some of the patrons begin to question how Joey got the money, and their suspicions are heightened when Laurenzi walks in and asks questions. Worried that the detective will discover the car Kenny was driving, Joey drives the vehicle into a river. When his mother and siblings realize what has happened, he offers to share the money with them, but they strongly object to keeping something that is not rightfully theirs.

After hiding the money in Monica's office, Joey goes to Goldoni's office with a gun and forces Dino to give him back his first batch of cash. He is furious when he discovers that Goldoni has changed the money into nickels and quarters. After recovering the car from the river, Laurenzi confronts Kenny while Kenny's father beat him with a belt, who confirms that Joey found the money.

Joey returns to the bar and watches a news report identifying him as the thief. The other patrons label him as a hero and vow to protect his identity, much to Billy's frustration. Dino attempts to shoot and kill Joey in the restroom, but is subdued by Billy, who then urges his brother to leave town. Monica arrives with the remainder of the money and airline tickets. They spend a night at a hotel where Monica bleaches Joey's hair and counts the cash obsessively. At the bar, Laurenzi interrogates Dino, who, to avoid being implicated, arranges to have the money that Joey tried to launder returned without question.

Joey and Monica go the airport and are unknowingly pursued by Laurenzi, who searches the terminals. After being informed that his suitcase containing the cash is too big to carry onboard the plane, Joey purchases a pair of pantyhose from a gift shop and stuffs the money down his pants. Once through the security checkpoint, he goes to a restroom and transfers the money into a small duffel bag. As Joey and Monica try to board the plane, Laurenzi notices them standing in line and raises his gun. Joey flees, but he and Monica are quickly surrounded by other police officers and arrested.

An epilogue reveals that the armored car company recovered all but roughly $196,000 of the stolen money. Joey was charged with theft, conspiracy and receiving stolen property, but was acquitted of all charges by reason of temporary insanity.

Cast

In addition, Joey Coyle makes an uncredited appearance as a dockworker in the film's opening scene. The film is dedicated to Coyle, who died on August 15, 1993.

Historical context

On February 26, 1981 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Joey Coyle, an unemployed longshoreman, had been travelling with his friends and co-workers John Behlau and Jed Pennock, when he discovered two canvas bags on the side of a road, roughly one block from Purolator Armored Services. Both bags had been picked up from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, and contained $1.2 million in $100 bills. They had fallen from one of Purolator's armored vans, on the Swanson and Porter Streets in South Philadelphia after the driver hit a speed bump. That night, Philadelphia Police Detective Pat Laurenzi began a neighborhood search after two eyewitnesses reported the make and model of the vehicle that Behlau was driving, a 1971 Chevrolet Malibu, and a person with their hands full entering the vehicle before it drove off. The FBI was later brought in to aid the investigation.

Coyle gave away portions of the cash to family, friends and strangers, in addition to supporting his drug addiction to methamphetamines. He later met with another friend, Carl Masi, who learned from a radio scanner that police had issued a search for Belhau's car. After abandoning the vehicle in Gloucester City, New Jersey