Chopper
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Movie Reviews of Chopper
Movie Review: Bana Shines. Great Indy Film.
Summary: 5 Stars
Old Chopper is not the kind of guy you would like to meet but he is the kind of guy who you would like to study under more controlled conditions. Here you get to do just that as first time independent director Andrew Dominik takes us into the quite twisted world of a guy who really has fallen on the wrong side of the tracks.This is a good character study of a man who has deep-seeded psychological problems of the psychopathic paranoid personality disorder kind and who does not shy away from getting hold of a screwdriver to make himself feel better, only to end up feeling worse by end of his latest homicide.
Chopper is set in the more backward areas of Australia and is loosely based on the best-selling autobiography of the same name. This is a mash of fiction and reality and at times it is hard to see which is which as Chopper tells his stories from several different angles and several different versions result. The film starts in a prison and has some very horrific violent scenes. Chopper does some nasty mutilations to himself and gets paroled. When out he just can not control his anger and paranoia and ends up doing nasty things to people who he... well... loves... in a sort of strange way because all of his "friends" are either skanks, hookers, drug dealers or cops.
The film sort of plays itself out "Pulp Fiction" style and for a first timer this Indy film has lots of great camera work and lighting. Chopper looks great and the atmosphere is all there. Chopper does not really have a story per se. It is just about Chopper and Bana is almost in every frame and steals every frame too. By the closing credits you come away quite attached to this character. He is like you gone wrong. You feel sorry for the guy.
This is what got Bana noticed and it is not hard to see why. Chopper is a great piece of character driven Indy cinema and Bana does the psycho in aces. He also goes from thin to fat like De Niro. Not for the squeamish though.
**As a note if you like this one then try and get another Australian film called - "Ghosts of the Civil Dead". The two are similar in their prison themes.**
Movie Review: Never let the truth get in the way of a good yarn
Summary: 5 Stars
When i first heard Eric Bana was going to play the part of the famous, or should I say infamous Mark 'Chopper' Read, I couldn't believe my ears. I never thought he'd pull it off. You see Eric was a very well known stand up comic in Australia and had appeared in many television sketch shows before breaking into his first film role in 'the castle'. It wasn't until I actually saw the movie chopper you get an appreciation of what a great actor Eric really is.
Being a comic actor also enables Eric to mimic characters, and he has copied Chopper Read very well, right down to every fine detail. His look, walk, speech and even his laugh. You can see in the special features when Eric meets the real Chopper Read, the way he soaks up everything Mark has to say, his look of intent in his eyes learning everything about his character. There was also the 4 hours of make-up each morning before shoot getting all his skin tattooed for the camera. And the 3 months binge eating of junk food to gain the extra 30 kgs needed to play the older chopper in the movie.
I would have to say this is the best acting by an Australian in a long time and Im so glad he is getting the the recognition he deserves.
As far as the movie goes itself, I would say it is a dark comedy, often violent at times and contrary to belief it is actaully about 80% true. It is a good insight into the mind of psychotic social misfit.
The special features are excellent with two audio commentaries. One by the director and another by chopper himself, which itself is very entertaining to listen to. A great insight.
There is also a trailer, deleted scenes and A weekend with Chopper - when the director and star Eric Bana interviewed chopper on his farm in Tasmania.
A great movie, also look out for Vince Colosimo who plays Neville Bartos. A name you will definitely be hearing more of in the future.
Movie Review: Distasteful, disturbing and delightful
Summary: 5 Stars
What can I say, but Wow! I have grown to love Eric Bana for the incredibly handsome Aussie actor he is. I saw him in such movies as Troy, The Hulk and most recently Munich. Sure, he's an okay actor, but let's face it, we like him because he's HOT. Well anyway, I digress. I wanted to see him in the film that I've read is the reason that big time American directors, like Ang Lee, sought him out. I'm really glad I did, because now I love him for the incredible actor he is, and not just for his good looks. In fact, his looks are not what you'd expect in Chopper. Eric underwent an incredible physical transformation to play this role, and that is one reason that his portrayal of Chopper is so unbelievably good. You can also see his comic roots come through a bit and he just does a fabulous job playing a disturbing yet funny character and has the audience just loving it! I've always been a fan of dark comedies, and love Quentin Tarentino movies. I think Chopper is a darker, grittier and more subtle movie, yet has all the comedic violence we've come to love in movies like Pulp Fiction. Let's just say that Chopper gives the audience some things to ponder and isn't in your face with blood and violence, although it is certainly there. On that note, it is so interesting to me that Chopper is a real guy who is a real Aussie cult hero and that makes the movie that much more entertaining. Eric Bana does a wonderful job portraying this rather dispicible character who is a legend in his own time, and just like the Aussie's like the real Chopper, anyone who sees this movie becomes enamored with him too.Movie Review: Highly Recommended
Summary: 5 Stars
I simply couldn't believe what a hidden, under- hyped little gem of a film this was. I don't condone the behaviour of Mark "Chopper" Read, but Eric Bana's portrayal of him is possibly the funniest screen performance I have ever witnessed. There are two commentaries, one with the real man himself, and interview footage with him also as an extra on the disc. I just think that the glamourised (although I don't really think that's the appropriate word) depiction of him in this movie is unbelievably intriguing, entertaining and often downright baffling. When I bought the DVD, I watched both commentaries and all the extras straight after watching the film, and I usually don't even bother with extras on most discs. As other reviews on this site have said, it is Chopper's nonchalance to the brutally horrific acts he commits that is strangely, disturbingly, well, hillarious. I would even say it surpasses Samuel L. Jackson's role as Jools in Pulp Fiction as a simultaneously terrifying and comedic character.This man is sick in the head, but possibly the most likeable, amusing psycho you could ever hope to meet, well the celluloid incarnation at least.Movie Review: A very interesting film!
Summary: 5 Stars
This film is not for everyone. I completely understand why so many people have such a low opinion of it. It would be very easy to miss the point of Chopper.
Anyway this film is about an . The story is based around the life of the Australian criminal personality 'Chopper' Read. Notably much of the story relies on Chopper's personal accounts. As chopper himself admits, he never lets the truth get in the way of a good story.
For me this film was so great because it illustrates a type of psychopathic character that is rarely touched on by film makers. Many psychopaths in film are fictionalised and unrealistic stereotypes. However, Eric Bana does a brilliant job of taking on Choppers persona.
To me the opportunity to see such a rare character is the great value in this film. The quality of story, violence and film making are really a matter of taste. So, many people may not like it. If you watch the film I strongly recommend watching it a second time with Chopper's commentary to get an extra perspective on his personality.