Rating: 
Summary: Chopper
Review: I just recently discovered this movie after seeing Eric Bana in Black Hawk Down and wanting to see more of his work. Chopper has turned out to be one of the most rewarding movies I have seen and is now in my top 10 all time favorite films. It is an amazing story about a truly fascinating serial criminal and is brilliantly portrayed by Eric Bana in some of the best acting I have had the pleasure of viewing. His performance is truly mesmerizing. The story is violent, but wickedly funny in a dark, warped sort of way. The accents are sometimes hard to understand, but stick with it for a few minutes and you will catch on and be very entertained. I have since shared this movie with several friends who have also become Chopper fans. We find ourselves continually using Chopper quotes from the movie. I highly recommend this movie if you are looking for something out of the ordinary. Sometimes difficult to watch, but absolutelt worth every second.
Rating: 
Summary: WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT
Review: I love films coming out of Australia in recent years. "Lantana" was a magnificent foray into human relationships, "Muriel's Wedding" was a hilarious romp through marital ones, and "The Castle" was a hilarious predicament of a by-the-airport family. Chopper on the other hand starts out without much point, and has most of it left until the end. There's little really to say about a movie where you find your attention held more by the "Uncle chop-chop" commentary included on the DVD than the movie itself. The script is very, very flat in its perspective, giving you only a small glimpse of Chopper's life, trying to potray him as a knuckleheaded tough guy. The director's stylistic tricks, like the painfully blue jail in the beginning or the dim-lit red or green effect for pretty much most of the rest of the movie, reek of B-Class cinematography usually seen in Jon Clod Van Dumb movies than the oh-so-cool look that the directors here were obviously going for. Not to mention that this offers next to no insight into the character of Chopper. He comes across as a press-hungry guy out to make a name for himself, who bumbles along avenging himself for his days in the prison. That's basically 2 guys, and that's it, that's the plot. As if that were not enough, a bit of pizzazz are attempted when this hick dangles his uncle pork chop in a bar sequence. A pretty good motif for the classiness of the movie overall. I guess the only claim to fame that this film could have gone after would be its gory simplicity -- the kind of Terentino-esque raw that made Reservoir Dogs the cult it is. Yet, frankly, Uncle Chop to me comes across as just another idiot who committed crimes that any other petty criminal commits (except for cutting off his own ears, a sign of idiocy to begin with), got caught, wrote a book about it, and lived behind bars anyway. I regreted the 1.5 hours of my life I squandered on this gibberish.
Rating: 
Summary: great movie
Review: I would have givin this movie 5 stars but some of the dialog was hard for me to understand due to their Aussie accents. I liked this movie enough to order the books, this guy is a hoot. I know it may sound weird because of the violence, but I think that having a guy get mad and complain to you about having to whip your ... is funny. Chopper, you are one of a kind, and I mean that as a compliment, stay yourself.
Rating:
Summary: Fearless earless Aussie Crim
Review: I'll be brief. This is quite simply one of the best crime films you will ever see. The acting - especially Bana - is superb, the direction and camera faultless. The story is taken from Mark 'Chopper' Read's many books and is based around his time in Prison as a young man till his big break as one of Australia's best selling authours - which is amazing when you consider that he can't even spell, he's 'semi-bloody-illiterate'! As opposed to Tarantino where the violence does sit comfortably with the comedy, 'Chopper' is charming and likeable one minute and in the blink of an eye he's suddenly a paranoid, sadistic showoff sociapath. It is funny and appaling at the same time and that is how I like violence to be portrayed. 'Chopper' seems like a nice guy, the sort of guy you could be friends with, but you get the feeling that if you left the sugar out of his tea he'd stab you thirty times with a rusty fork - the man cut his ears off to get a prison transfer for goodness sake!!!. The audio tracks feeature director Andrew Dominik and the real Mark 'chopper' Read as well as a 'weekend with 'chopper' feature, the highlight of which is Read's disbelief at the release date of the film. This film is easilly in a higher league than The usual Guy Ritchie-Scorcese wannabe crime thriller and as 'Chopper' points out: "I cut my ears off long before anybody had ever heard of Quentin Tarantino!" Australian films rule and this is certainly at the top of the heap of the last decade. Buy it and be blown away.
Rating:
Summary: Great for anyone who loves black comedies!!!
Review: If you liked movies like Resovoir Dogs, or Pulp Fiction, youll love Chopper!! I would have given this movie 5 starrs except some of the dialogue was diffulcult to understand, and they left out a few things that actually happened to the real Chopper, and I was looking forward to it. Other than that, its a funny, ulta-voilent, disturbing film. The somewhat odd Austrailian accents makes it all the more interesting to listen too. Its very well directed, and I like some of camera work. I saw it twice at the theatres.
Rating:
Summary: Perfection... Instantly in my Top 5 Films of All Time.
Review: In "Chopper", Australian Comedian Eric Bana gives the most Astonishing Performance by a Lead Actor since De Niro in "Taxi Driver". I have Never been as proud to call myself an Australian as when I Walked (while Weak at the Knees) out of the "Chopper" screening. I Held my head high and Recited Half the films dialogue in the Thickest Australian Accent I could do. (A Steady diet of American films since birth has virtually given me an American Accent) Mark "Chopper" Reed is to Australians what Martin "The General" Cahill is to the Irish. A True Anti-hero who has Evolved into an Icon as he Symbolises the Ideals our country was Founded on. Ideals we Cherish as Heritage. He is the "Loveable Larrikin". (like, to a much lesser degree, Russel Crowe and Mel Gibson A Notorious Criminal and Murderer turned National Celebrity and Best-selling Author, the film charts selected periods of Significance in his life, but as the opening title state, this isn't an Autobiography; because like Chopper says, "Never let the truth get in the way of a Good Yarn". Just how much is True or False has never been reveiled, but The Production of the film is, At All Times, Cleverly Grounded in Reality. While being Frighteningly Realistic and Graphically Violent, "Chopper" is also Unbelieveably Funny. Listening to a Theatre Audience, you'd Swear they were watching a Farrely Brothers film starring Jim Carrey and Eddie Murphy, (man, I'd like that) sure, it's Jet Black Comedy, but it's Laugh-Out-Loud, Hold your Sides comedy. Performance wise, "Chopper" is Oscar Calibre. In a Perfect world, Bana would walk off with the Best Actor Award with Ease. (but in a perfect world, "Best Actor awards would have gone to Christian Bale for "American Psycho" and Edward Nortin for "Fight Club", Brad Pitt will have to settle for the Supporting Actor award, which he deserved) Bana's performance is Award Winning, Star Making, and Legacy Leaving. Every Performance is Perfectly Fitting, they are all Natural Born Talents. Writing, Directing, Production.. All Expertly Polished. It has the Look and the Feel of a Martin Scorcese Saga. But Unlike alot of those sort of films, it isn't a Tough Watch, you Never feel like your being put through an Ordeal. It Too Much Fun.. I've seen it Countless times and it Just gets Better and Better, Funnier, Scarier. The film is Perfect.. What More can I say. A Perfect film, a Must See for any True, Self Respecting Film Fan.
Rating:
Summary: Best Australian movie by far
Review: Ive seen this movie countless times and love it every single time I watch it. So many memorable and entertaining scenes. Hilarious and disturbing all at the same time. The film looks great, stellar perfomances and great pacing. the lose one star just for being bloody Aussies. It doesnt get much better than this film. An absolute Aussie classic. This edition alos comes with some great features inclusing a full commentary with the real Marc Chopper Read, video diaries with the director and Eric Bana meeting the real Chopper before the film went into production.
Rating:
Summary: Never Let the Truth Get in the Way of a Good Yarn
Review: Never mind the fact that this supposed autobiographical story (the disclaimer notwithstanding) is written by a guy who once said "never let the truth get in the way of a good yarn." Never mind the fact that this movie celebrates (glorifies, even) a violent murderer and his crimes. Never mind the chaotic, choppy (no pun intended) plot and the abrupt, anti-climactic ending. The bottom line: "Chopper" is a fascinating and immensely entertaining film. The best thing about this film, without a doubt, is Eric Bana in the titular role. His portrayal of Mark Brandon "Chopper" Read is chilling and funny at the same time, and effectively conveys the unlikely charm and charisma of this career criminal. It is the most memorable performance I have seen in years, with the possible exception of Björk in "Dancer in the Dark". I also loved the stark, unpolished and minimalistic look of this film. Warning 1: This film is rated NC-17 for a reason. It does contain a lot of ultra-violent scenes, including an ear-cutting scene that will inevitably draw comparison to "Reservoir Dogs", but trust me, it'll make "Reservoir Dogs" seem like a walk in the park. It eventually enters the "Pulp Fiction" arena where violence reaches such an absurd level that it becomes almost comical, however. Warning 2: You might find the Australian accent a bit difficult to understand at first (remember the first time you saw "Trainspotting"?) but it's worth the extra effort.
Rating:
Summary: Never Let the Truth Get in the Way of a Good Yarn
Review: Never mind the fact that this supposed autobiographical story (the disclaimer notwithstanding) is written by a guy who once said "never let the truth get in the way of a good yarn." Never mind the fact that this movie celebrates (glorifies, even) a violent murderer and his crimes. Never mind the chaotic, choppy (no pun intended) plot and the abrupt, anti-climactic ending. The bottom line: "Chopper" is a fascinating and immensely entertaining film. The best thing about this film, without a doubt, is Eric Bana in the titular role. His portrayal of Mark Brandon "Chopper" Read is chilling and funny at the same time, and effectively conveys the unlikely charm and charisma of this career criminal. It is the most memorable performance I have seen in years, with the possible exception of Björk in "Dancer in the Dark". I also loved the stark, unpolished and minimalistic look of this film. Warning 1: This film is rated NC-17 for a reason. It does contain a lot of ultra-violent scenes, including an ear-cutting scene that will inevitably draw comparison to "Reservoir Dogs", but trust me, it'll make "Reservoir Dogs" seem like a walk in the park. It eventually enters the "Pulp Fiction" arena where violence reaches such an absurd level that it becomes almost comical, however. Warning 2: You might find the Australian accent a bit difficult to understand at first (remember the first time you saw "Trainspotting"?) but it's worth the extra effort.
Rating:
Summary: Bana Shines. Great Indy Film.
Review: 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.**
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