Chopper (2001)

Dreadfully Boring

All that we are seeing on the screen is happening with real people, real action sequences in the background, forcing the eye to watch as if we were there.

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

What an entertaining movie. Definitely worth a watch. It might be my twisted sense of humour but, even the tragic parts I found hilarious. Aside from that its a gritty fun (i guess true story) film with top performances all round. I don't want to give anything away so I suggest a few beers and this movie... don't forget the pizza too.

I usually don't write reviews, but I have to comment here on how frighteningly well Eric Bana portrays Mark Read. Everything from his seemingly good-natured sociopathy to his mannerisms and way of speaking jumps out at you and grabs your attention.I never considered Eric Bana more than a handsome face, but he clearly is. This performance is mesmerizing.Other characters are also portrayed admirably well by a supporting cast that is unfamiliar to most non-Australians.The movie as a whole suffers a bit from it's untraditional structure and some experimental choices that does not improve the end result. Being based on Reads own writings the story does not follow a traditional arc, which is both a strength and a weakness.In my opinion the producers have gone a bit overboard with the bleak/grimy blue, green and red filters, and to me it becomes distracting rather than providing the mood intended.All in all "Chopper" is well worth the watch just to see how good Bana can be when he is actually challenged.

This film is very well done. I can see why a lot of people compare it to Refn's Bronson. Both revolve around psychopaths who spend the majority of the film inside of a cell block.As expected with Andrew Dominik, the dialogue and cinematography are extremely well done. His transition shots are damn near flawless and the tongue and cheek dialogue is fun while keeping the audience interested. He also does some neat little things to allow the audience to see the film through Choppers perspective. Eric Bana gives a stellar performance (better than Munich in my opinion). With all the weigh he put on, he seems larger than life on the screen (with credit also going to Dominik for the "Larger then life" personality of Chopper). Fair warning though, Their are some parts that are not for the light stomached, but definitely a movie I would suggest to watch.

You don't see Eric Bana playing the protagonist, instead you see a maniacal mad man with a twisted sense of humor and a sadistic approach towards life in this biopic of Australia's notorious Mark Reed. Bana made the character his own only occasionally mimicking the half giggle half laughter that generates so much fear and hostility. While most people who knew Reed and author himself has already claimed that truth was never allowed to come in the way of a good yarn, the writers cleverly placed Reed's habitual lying trait into the story that evokes even more unpredictability confusing the audience as to what to believe as a fact and what is not. It would have made Indian film makers proud or even inspired by the attitude of the protagonist in an initial ambush scene.Chopper is loosely based on the autobiography 'From the Inside' written by Mark Reed when serving time which is again loosely based on events in his life. This is not a Shawshank's redemption kind of story about survival in the harsh prison conditions for a crime you have never committed, but about one of Australia's notorious criminal who embraces the prison life often being the troublemaker. He claims more crimes than he is accused for, made more enemies than friends (an understatement) and still in the end came out the winner.Eric Bana must have worked a lot to get his mannerisms right since it does not come naturally to him based on most of the other characters he has played where he comes off as a mild mannered, less talky serious person. Here, he wouldn't shut up. Always up to something, doing bad for someone and habitually lying on every event that takes place. Though the gore and graphic violence is pretty frightening and plays as an advert to stay off prison, the screenplay is very mixed - a lighthearted exchange is followed by an intense cruel episode. A sequence when Reed and some of his acquaintances get high was innovative unlike similar scenarios dealt in other movies. All supporting actors do an excellent job. The cinematography is quite inventive as the visuals are dark and bright at the same time.An Eric Bana show playing Australia's most notorious showman.