Chopper Madness

After watching Romper Stomper, I got curious about other movies of the same type made in Australia. That is, movies about criminals; since the island itself was basically a repository for England to toss some undesirables into, I thought that they might have a strange outlook on crime in general. So, my search led me to Chopper.
It's the autobiographical story of Marc Brandon "Chopper" Read, who was in his own way a pretty legitimate badass. The film follows his life as an extortion artist and his trips in and out of prison, during which time some very Shakespearean stuff unfolds. He starts a gang in prison, but is eventually betrayed by his close childhood friend. His ears are chopped off, which is one of the theories behind his nickname, and he's thrust back into the real world, where he can no longer tell the difference between friend and foe.
One interesting aspect of it is that it follows his writing of an autobiography in the movie, and portrays peoples reactions to his fame there as well, which in a way puts him in a sympathetic light. There's no doubt that he is ways a gigantic asshole, knifing people in bars and other acts of violence anyone would expect in a gangster movie, but at the same it is meant to make you feel sorry for him. He is betrayed constantly, and is caught in harsh world he can't find any foothold in anymore, which is one aspect that certainly ties it to other movies we've watched in class, such as Mad Max.
The film has Eric Banna as Chopper, his breakout role and one that won him some acclaim and a ticket to Hollywood. It's also directed by Andrew Dominik, who went on to direct The Assassination of Jesse James. All in all, a film worth checking out if you want to see Romper Stomper taken to the limit.

Written by Brady Nelson