NAME of FILM: Chopper (R18+) YEAR of ORIGINAL RELEASE: 2000 DIRECTED BY: Andrew Dominik STARRING: Eric Bana, Vince Colosimo
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NAME OF FILM: Chopper (R18+) YEAR OF ORIGINAL RELEASE: 2000 DIRECTED BY: Andrew Dominik STARRING: Eric Bana, Vince Colosimo and Simon Lyndon MELBOURNE LOCATIONS INCLUDE: Pentridge Prison and BoJangles nightclub. MY STAR RATING: 4.5 stars IN A NUTSHELL: A fictional dramatisation and exploration of the life of notorious convicted criminal Mark Brandon “Chopper” Read. Before Carl Williams, there was Mark Brandon “Chopper” Read, rescuing ordinary Melbournians from shady underworld figures and “other assorted scallywag behaviour”. Inspired by Read’s best-selling autobiography, From The Inside, Chopper is a tantalisingly treacherous squirm-in-your-seat exposé of the twisted bloody antics of Australia’s most recognizable criminal. The casual brutality and constant bombardment of the insalubrious, seedy and obscene, is complemented by a dark humour, that makes for a psychotically compelling journey. Besides, no-one minds seeing repulsive greasy- haired convicted criminals and crippled wogs, foul-mouthed prostitutes or irritating foreigners getting stabbed, shot, bashed or killed. Right? Welcome to the confused set of amorals and unjustifiable justifications that govern Chopper’s (Eric Bana) world. Chopper seems oblivious to the often-gruesome violence when contemplating and committing atrocities, yet suffers inconsolable remorse and appears visibly traumatised by the consequences of his actions, as if the outcome of repeatedly stabbing a man in the face is somehow unforeseeable. So is he “a good bloke (fanciful story-teller and humanist of sorts) down on his luck”, or simply a hypocritical sadist who “bashes people just to get a name” for himself? The naive folk-law loving adolescent in me would like to believe the former. This liberal biographical interpretation begins in Melbourne’s iconic Pentridge Prison in 1991. Chopper is enjoying attention from “spunky ladies” and the prestige of national media coverage following the release of his autobiography. The 1978 pale bluestone walls of Pentridge’s H Division provide the basis for a disconcerting, yet absorbing, exploration of Chopper’s murderously malevolent criminal history. After the stabbing murder of fellow inmate Keithy George (David Field) and betrayal by compatriots Jimmy Loughnan (Simon Lyndon) and Bluey Barnes (Dan Wyllie), Chopper-big-ears-Read “persuades” prison officials for a transfer to escape marauding hoards of self-created enemies. Released in 1986, Chopper seeks reunion with value-challenged father Keith Read (Kenny Graham) and romantic rendezvous with full-time hooker, speed aficionado and occasional lover, Tanya (Kate Beahan). Under the guise of performing some twisted “public service”, Chopper indulges his own desire for revenge and need to satisfy unchecked paranoia, double-crossing friend or foe in “a case of first in best dressed”. He rejects the hospitality of old enemy, turned friend, turned enemy - repugnant drug-lord- want-to-be Neville Bartos (Vince Colosimo) and after initially threatening it, spares Loughnan’s life. Chopper’s malicious misgivings, disposal of the unfortunate Sammy the Turk (Serge Liistro) and warped homage to Robin Hood, inevitably land him back in jail. In a truly bi-polar display of inexplicable vulnerability and outrageous hostilities, Chopper “sets his little traps” and succeeds in alienating or violating “all and sundry”. This infamous cult classic provides a perverted examination of morality, society, its criminal underclass and a welcome escape from the Australian film industry’s standard melodramatic cultural misrepresentations of over-turned utes, outback epiphanies or giant man-eating crocodiles. Perhaps Chopper is to Melbourne, what Batman is to Gotham City – The Dark Knight the public despises, but society relies upon to rid the city of its criminal strangle hold. Like the television series Dexter , the question is posed – is he a good guy doing bad things, a bad guy doing good things, or the refreshing third option – is he just insane? Either way it will be a fascinating wait to see who plays Chopper in an inevitable Underbelly prequel. Eric Bana’s psychotically captivating portrayal earned him an AFI award for Best Actor, propelling him from relative comedic obscurity on ABC’s Full Frontal , to Hollywood superstardom. It might be difficult to establish a solid stance on Chopper as a character, but Bana’s ability to harness this sense of lawlessness, anarchy and madness, embodied in a surreal, matter-of-fact manner, is astonishing. His performance is unquestionably mesmerizing, almost hypnotic it its madness and truly engrossing. Bana is surrounded by a supporting cast who all give excellent, compelling performances, especially Simon Lyndon who claimed the AFI award for Best Supporting Actor. The film also won an AFI award for Best Direction and was nominated in a further seven categories. Australian director Andrew Dominik’s first feature film effectively utilizes a range of cinematic techniques to convey a sense of desperation and lunacy. Shades of light and dark in combination with slow and fast motion sequences create a dream-like, subconscious sensation: eerie, erratic and out-of-control. Dingy locations, dim, washed- out lighting, expose the bleak, besmirched and at times destitute nature of criminal life, emphasising its anti-hero status. This unpredictable interpretation of the life and times of Chopper Read leaves a lingering sense of hollowness, provoking many poignant questions, but providing none of the answers. We’re left to judge Chopper for ourselves and draw our own conclusions. Most importantly, Dominik “never let(s) the truth get in the way of a good yarn”. .