Chopper (2000)

Chopper tells the intense story of Mark "Chopper" Read, a legendary criminal who wrote his autobiography while serving a jail sentence in prison. His book, "From the Inside", upon which the film is based, was a best-seller.

Director:

Andrew Dominik

Writers:

Mark Brandon Read (books), Andrew Dominik

Stars:

Eric Bana, Simon Lyndon, David Field

12 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Eric Bana	...	Mark Brandon 'Chopper' Read
Simon Lyndon	...	Jimmy Loughnan
David Field	...	Keithy George
Dan Wyllie	...	Bluey
Bill Young	...	Detective Downie
Vince Colosimo	...	Neville Bartos
Kenny Graham	...	Keith Read
Kate Beahan	...	Tanya
Serge Liistro	...	Sammy the Turk
Pam Western	...	Tanya's Mother
Gary Waddell	...	Kevin Darcy
Brian Mannix	...	Ian James
Skye Wansey	...	Mandy
Annalise Emtsis	...	Shazzy
Johnnie Targhan	...	Paul the Bouncer (as Johnnie Targan)

Storyline

Chopper tells the intense story of Mark "Chopper" Read, a legendary criminal who wrote his autobiography while serving a murder sentence in prison. His book, From the Inside, upon which the film is based, was a best-seller.

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Plot Keywords:

prison | criminal | murder | jealousy | paranoia | 

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Taglines:

The truth, the half-truth, and nothing like the truth.

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Genres:

Biography | Comedy | Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 August 2000 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Chopper - A kegyetlen

Filming Locations:

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$15,044 (USA) (13 April 2001)

Gross:

$234,259 (USA) (20 July 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Australian Film Finance Corporation (AFFC), Mushroom Pictures, Pariah Entertainment Group

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Cinevex)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Eric Bana spent two days living with Mark Brandon Read so he could get a better understanding of how to play his character in the film.

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Goofs

At Tanya's house you see the car lights are on as Chopper goes to her front door. When he comes back and beats the car in frustration - they are off.

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Quotes

Detective Downie: [about Neville] So you took him to the hospital?
Chopper: No, I didn't take him to the bloody hospital. Now tell me this, right? Why would I shoot a bloke - BANG - and then put him in the bloody car and whiz him off to the hospital at a hundred miles an hour? It defeats the purpose of having shot him in the first place. What's more, it's bloody insulting, it's bloody insulting. I mean, am I the only bloody standover man in the country who provides a medical plan for some of these characters?

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Connections

Featured in 20 to 1: Magnificent Movies (2006)

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Soundtracks

"Bad Boy for Love"
Performed by Rose Tattoo
Written by Ian Rilen
(© 1977 J Albert & Son Pty Ltd)
Courtesy of Albert Productions

User Reviews

Bravura Film Making - With Aussies!!!!!

Mark Brandon Read (Bana) gains a fierce reputation as a hard man [and the sobriquet: Chopper] as a consequence of 'hitting people just to get himself a name'. A very accurate observation even if 'Chopper' himself maintains his only victims are 'low-life drug dealers' and their ilk.

Excellent example of film as story telling. I saw this 'indie' film on the same weekend as A Beautiful Mind and, my God, the lessons that shambles could have taken from this. Chopper is economically and crisply written with the sweetest doses of irony; marvellously directed with a plethora of techniques that only ever serve the film and it's grossly engrossing story and acted by an ensemble high on talent and clearly working for one another. Bana is a stand-out as the bright, troubled and dangerous hard man making a pathetic journey to emotional as well as physical incarceration; walking a dramatic tight-rope of comedian/homicidal-maniac as he does so with admirable skill and thoroughly believable integrity. Worth viewing by anyone who thinks they like all the ingredients of film and art to come together in the same project. Not worth viewing by anybody who thought the same things came together in A Beautiful Mind!