Cast: Eric Bana, Simon Lyndon, Vince Colosimo, David Field, Daniel Wyllie, Bill Young, Kenny Graham, Kate Beahan
Director: Andrew Dominik
Producer: Michele Bennett
Screenplay: Andrew Dominik
Cinematography: Geoffrey Hall, Kevin Hayward
Music: Mick Harvey
U.S. Distributor: First Look Pictures
The energetic and visceral Chopper is an Australian import that offers a somewhat fictionalized account of events in the life of Mark "Chopper" Read, a ruthless killer who has become a best selling author in his native country. Using the same kind of blood-and-violence-drenched mixture of comedy and suspense that enlivened well-known productions like Pulp Fiction and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, neophyte director Andrew Dominik brings Read to life with all the fury he can muster.
In Australia, Read is a hugely controversial and immensely popular figure (his first novel sold over 250,000 copies). Dominik's intention with this movie is to present a picture of a man who is so unpredictable that no one - not the audience, not other characters in the movie, perhaps not even himself - can predict his next action. It's this kind of spontaneity that gives Chopper its edge. As it follows Read from a mid-'70s incarceration in a maximum security prison to another time in jail during the early '90s, Chopper never lets the viewer feel completely comfortable. Dominik's direction is fresh and lively, and the camerawork is exceptional.
With a movie like this, in which the main character often seems to inhabit the realm of tall tales (right alongside Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox), it's easy to question how far from the established facts Chopper strays. Dominik gets a preemptive strike against those who would criticize the movie on those grounds by mentioning in a pre-credits disclaimer that certain events in the film have been enhanced to generate a better narrative. It's also worth mentioning that the movie is based on a book by a man who's motto is "Never let the truth get in the way of a good story." So, although the events portrayed in Chopper are purportedly all true, one has to take just about everything with a grain of salt. As far as I'm concerned, it's irrelevant - the movie works, regardless of its factual accuracy or lack thereof.
The best thing about Chopper is the lead performance by Eric Bana, who powerfully inhabits Read's huge boots. Not having ever seen a picture of the real man, I can't say how closely Bana resembles him, but the quality of acting in this film is top-notch, and no one gives a more riveting portrayal than Bana. This is the kind of work that demands notice and praise from anyone who sees it. More than anything else, Bana is the reason that Chopper is such a compelling motion picture. To be sure, there are other actors in the production, all of whom deliver solid performances, but they fade into the background while in Bana's presence. An hour after the end credits have rolled, he's the one - perhaps the only one - we remember. The film certainly isn't for everyone - those who shrink away from cinematic depictions of extreme violence will immediately be turned off - but, for those who don't mind this type of fare, Chopper will not be easily dismissed or forgotten.
© 2001 James Berardinelli