Film Review: Chopper (2000)

Australian director Andrew Dominik is best known for his second feature film, the 2007 Western biopic The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, a visually sumptuous meditation on celebrity and violence that earned critical acclaim. However, a compelling argument can be made that his finest work remains his feature debut, the 2000 Australian crime biopic Chopper, a raw, uncompromising portrait of criminal celebrity that established Dominik's distinctive voice while launching Eric Bana's international career. While both films explore the curious alchemy through which violent men transform into cultural icons, Chopper possesses a visceral immediacy and dark humour that arguably surpasses even his more polished later work.

There is certainly some thematic similarity between these two films, as both deal with criminals who, for various reasons, gained celebrity status. In Chopper's case, the subject is Mark "Chopper" Read (1954–2013), a convicted criminal who earned his fame by becoming the author of bestselling crime novels. Remarkably, Read began writing these books while serving prison sentences for numerous violent crimes, with the narratives loosely based on his own criminal exploits. This peculiar trajectory—from prison cell to bestseller list—provides the foundation for Dominik's unconventional biopic, which captures both the brutality and bizarre charm that made Read such a compelling figure in Australian criminal folklore.

Dominik wrote the script primarily based on Read's autobiographical books, particularly Chopper: From the Inside, which was "collected from letters he sent while incarcerated in Melbourne's Pentridge Prison and published in 1991. The film cleverly frames its narrative in the early 1990s when Chopper is enjoying literary fame behind prison walls, before flashing back to 1978 when he's serving time in Pentridge Prison. By this period, Read has become embroiled in a deadly conflict with fellow inmate Keithy George (David Field), culminating in a vicious stabbing that proves fatal. As George belonged to the powerful Painters and Dockers union, a $10,000 bounty is placed on Chopper's head. Rather than taking the preemptive strike he contemplates with his associate Jimmy Loughlan (Simon Lyndon), Chopper finds himself on the receiving end of a shiv from his supposed friend. When informed he'll return to general population to face his would-be assassins, Chopper makes the extraordinary decision to have his own ears cut off, a self-mutilation calculated to secure transfer to a psychiatric facility rather than face certain death in prison—a moment that epitomises his reckless, theatrical approach to survival.

Following his eventual release in 1986, Chopper's volatile nature manifests in disturbing ways, including physical abuse of his prostitute girlfriend Tanya (Kate Beahan) and renewed conflict with Neville Bartos (Vince Colosimo), a powerful cocaine dealer he'd previously shot. What makes Chopper such a fascinating character study is his capacity for sudden, inexplicable shifts—appearing to reconcile with former enemies one moment, then engaging in utterly pointless violence the next. Simultaneously, he works as a police informant while indulging in fantasies of becoming a state-sanctioned anti-crime vigilante. This chaotic existence escalates to the fateful encounter at Bojangles nightclub where Sammy the Turk (Serge Liistro) meets his end—a killing that, depending on which version of events one believes, was either a senseless act of violence or legitimate self-defence during a botched assassination attempt. Though acquitted of this specific murder, Chopper's continued criminal activity lands him back in prison for several years before he finally begins his literary career.

Chopper was generally well-received by critics. However, the film achieved even greater success at the Australian box office, grossing an impressive A$5.9 million domestically despite its violent content and R-rating This commercial triumph can likely be attributed to Australians' longstanding fascination with their most notorious criminals—a tendency where Australian culture can't help but make icons and heroes out of some of the most notorious criminals, much like the mythologising of historical figures such as Ned Kelly.

As a biopic in the strictest sense, Chopper leaves much to be desired. Dominik clearly wrote his film with an Australian audience already familiar with Read's legend in mind, resulting in a script that largely ignores Read's early life or bothers to explain the specific crimes that initially landed him in prison. Instead, the audience must connect the dots through Chopper's consistent portrayal as an extremely violent man, both within and outside prison walls, as he interacts with prostitutes, dealers, addicts, and police detective who reluctantly use him as an informant. The film was based on the heavily fictionalised stories from Read's books and independent research, leading to events portrayed on screen that somewhat contradicted Read's version, with one notable example being Read's claimed aversion to drugs in his early books versus the film's portrayal of him as a casual drug user.

What elevates Chopper beyond mere exploitation is Eric Bana's extraordinary performance, which would become his breakout role. Remarkably, Read himself chose Bana for the part after being deeply impressed by his early work as television comedian in 1990s. Bana approached the role with remarkable dedication, spending time living with Read to study his mannerisms and meeting his criminal acquaintances. He also gained significant weight to authentically match Read's physical appearance. The result is a performance that captures Chopper's complex contradictions—a man who could be simultaneously charming and terrifying, delusional yet self-aware, remorseful yet unrepentant.

Another significant strength of Chopper is its relative brevity. While it necessarily leaves some details of Read's story unexplored, it mercifully exposes audiences to graphic violence in measured doses. Dominik's direction masterfully balances grim prison stabbings to absurd humour without losing its grip. The saturated colour palette and jagged editing perfectly reflect Chopper's chaotic psyche.

It's important to acknowledge that Chopper is neither a complete depiction of Read's life nor entirely factual. Dominik himself admits this with a disclaimer in the opening credits, acknowledging the film's partial fictionalisation. Read would later reappear in 2009 in an episode of the crime docudrama series Underbelly, portrayed by Renato Fabbretti, and again in 2018's two-part mini-series Underbelly Files: Chopper, starring Aaron Jeffrey.

RATING: 6/10 (++)

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