Chopper (2000)

Today in my cinema studies class we watched Andrew Dominik's Chopper. I thought I would kill two birds with one stone and review it as well as do some sort of semi-complicated and thoroughly dry analysis of it. Of course I won't mix the two together or else we'd all fall asleep and I can't possibly have that happen again.

Chopper tells the story of Mark 'Chopper' Read, a convicted criminal turned successful author. This movie essentially details and contrasts his time in prison and in the outside world It's all based on his best-selling book From the Inside which he actually wrote while in jail.

I'm not really a fan of these 'new-age' Australian gangsters. TV series' like Underbelly and all these true crime specials don't really move me in anyway. Who do they think they are? Al Capone during prohibition? They certainly don't dress as sharply as your typical 1920s American gangster, as you can see they don't look anything like this which is a mighty shame...

Now that I've said this I should probably be careful, they'll be out for my blood. If I never blog again, you'll know what happened to me, oh and I expect at least one of you to avenge my death.

In reality Mark 'Chopper' Read is not someone I feel sorry for, he did what he did and there are consequences to that. Eric Bana does a remarkably good job of being Chopper (so good even the real Chopper agrees), he's cruel and paranoid with a real sick sense of humour. I found this movie does tread a very fine line between glorifying and condemning Chopper's actions.

In terms of style and production, it's a great movie. It doesn't dictate to its audience how to feel about certain characters and the blue lighting gives it this detached feeling, there's this coldness to it that makes it hard to attach yourself emotionally to any character. There is one particular drug taking scene that I thought was really well done, the footage speeds up recreating this high we see the characters experiencing.

So not my favourite movie of all time but I think it was worthy of the hype. see you later alligator, bye bye