Review of Chopper (2012) by Robert B — 27 Apr 2014
Written and directed by Andrew Dominik (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) and Killing Them Softly (2012)), and based upon the autobiographical books by Mark "Chopper" Read.
This crime drama is very compelling and also gripping and violent. It got itself a cult following, and it made a star out of Eric Bana, who was a TV comedian in Australia up until then. When Mark Brandon Read (Bana) was sent to prison for 16 years in the mid 1970's for kidnapping a supreme court judge.
While behind bars, he gains a nasty reputation, and he doesn't seem to feel pain. He even cuts off his own ears in order to be transfered, and it gets him the nickname of Chopper. He's eventually released from jail in 1986, but Chopper can't seem to tell the difference between friends and enemies anymore.
He even suspects that his longtime girlfriend Tanya (Kate Beahan) is having an affair with one of his victims Neville Bartos (Vince Colosimo). But, it's not long before Chopper ends up back behind bars after another murder.
It shouldn't be an entertaining film, but it is, and it has some very good performances in it, and Bana is scarily effective in the lead role, and he rises to the challenge of playing Australia's most notorious criminal, who passed away recently.
Even Dominik manages to do well with the source material, making it his own.
This review of Chopper (2012) was written by Robert B on 27 Apr 2014.
Chopper has generally received positive reviews.
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