- 3 months ago
Here’s my review of the Australian film, Chopper.
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Short filmTranscript
00:00hey guys it's me Bo Carter back once again with another movie review in
00:18today's video I'm going to be taking a closer look at the Australian cult
00:22classic chopper from the year 2000 before we get into it guys if you haven't
00:29already please consider subscribing to the channel all the support from you
00:33guys is greatly appreciated so chopper directed by Andrew Dominic was a movie
00:41based on the real-life Australian criminal mark Brandon chopper Reed the
00:48character was betrayed by actor Eric Banner in his first big-screen
00:54appearance the actor who was 31 at the time fully committed to the part
01:02purposely gaining weight to emulate the size of the real-life chopper Reed the
01:09film itself delved into the dark and violent criminal underworld of Melbourne
01:15Australia showing how chopper became such a notorious figure I saw this movie many
01:22years ago in the early 2000s at the time DVDs were a new thing and my dad was
01:31building up his own DVD collection I remember randomly one day seeing the
01:38chopper DVD on his shelf and immediately I was intrigued with the cover art on the
01:46front you had actor Eric Banner tatted up guns out posing as chopper Reed I mean man he
01:55was he was built you know he looked very menacing so yeah I just remember looking at
02:03the cover and thinking yes I have to watch this and yeah pretty soon after that I did and I just
02:11remember being totally enthralled by the whole film another reason actually for my
02:17interest was due to the fact that Eric Banner was being cast in Ang Lee's new Hulk
02:23movie at the time there was a lot of hype surrounding the movie coming out I mean
02:30after all it was the very first time the Incredible Hulk was gonna have his first
02:35feature film me and all my friends were completely hyped about it and we were
02:41completely unaware of the time that the movie would feature an all-new CGI Hulk so
02:48naively I assumed that Banner would be painted green and be doing all the Lou
02:54Ferrigno parts given his size and stature in chopper looking back that was yeah very
03:01naive of me but I was only a kid so the film had this nonlinear narrative structure
03:09that I found quite interesting as an audience you're piecing all the
03:15information together and over the course of the film you're slowly building up
03:21this idea of who chopper really was and so with this nonlinear approach the film
03:28began in 1991 the year I was born with chopper back in prison serving time for maliciously wounding
03:38a friend Neville Bartos so the movie started with chopper watching a TV news report about
03:47himself with a couple of prison guards from the outset it was very clear to me that this
03:54guy was a dangerous man with a deadly past and I liked how director Andrew Dominic got
04:02that point across by using the news report to inform the audience after the
04:08title sequence we got transported back to the late 70s where we saw a younger
04:14looking chopper read certain time in Pentridge prison now this whole sequence
04:19really showcased choppers brutality a fellow inmate called Keithy George was one of choppers main enemies
04:28inside we saw chopper savagely attack George with a knife resulting in George bleeding to death chopper seemed to go into this
04:41this um this manic state as he was stabbing George and uh yeah I mean the blood was pouring out everywhere
04:51just a very nasty prison death and you know interestingly choppers demeanor soon changed from anger to regret leading me to think that the character clearly had some serious
05:09psychological issues going on you know to snap like that so quickly from one extreme to another was really unnerving to watch
05:22anyways the brutal death of Keithy George only led to more hostility towards chopper which in turn led him to get attacked by his so-called friend Jimmy played by actor Simon Linden
05:37the whole scene where chopper was getting stabbed you know that was really disturbing to watch
05:44and the reason for that was because you had this guy Jimmy you know stabbing chopper multiple times
05:51dah dah dah dah dah yet unlike most people choppers reaction was quiet and subdued as if the stab wounds were secondary to Jimmy's betrayal
06:03the fact that in that moment he was so calm and cold to the situation once again made me think about choppers mental state
06:14the reaction was telling and brilliantly executed by Eric Bonner there's a moment where we saw chopper remove his coat and we saw all the stab wounds all the all the blood just you know pouring out
06:30let me tell you this film does not shy away from its portrayal of prison violence
06:37upon its release here in the UK this movie received an 18 certificate and yeah it was certainly well earned
06:48chopper survived Jimmy's attack but the game was up chopper became public enemy number one he was the main target in prison
06:57a sitting duck with zero friends to back him up and with chopper having no luck negotiating a different prison
07:07he took drastic measures by allowing a fellow inmate to soar off the top of his ears the whole point being that
07:16Reed would claim insanity and be moved to a mental health wing away from Jimmy and any other potential threats
07:24you know I found that quite ironic because with all things considered chopper was actually crazy
07:32mentally unstable and from the looks of it not on any kind of medication
07:37he was a violent man that needed to be locked away for the crimes that he committed and he was he was imprisoned
07:47but clearly there was some sort of personality disorder that he was experiencing and I believe he used violence as some sort of coping mechanism
08:02and chopper wasn't even really that bothered about it you know he was just like you know get on with it get on with it
08:09he was so determined to leave h-wing by any means necessary and if that meant self-mutilation then so be it
08:19the film then cuts to 1986 with chopper finally out on the streets a free man
08:28now this part the 1980s segment was my personal favorite unlike the previous scenes in prison
08:37Reed had now gained weight and facial hair it was a it was a pretty drastic transformation by actor Eric Banner
08:46yeah I love that first shot that we saw of chopper walking the streets of Melbourne
08:53the camera was zoomed in on Reed from a distance and it all played out in slow motion
09:00chopper walking towards the screen the chopper theme by composer Mick Harvey subtly played along in the background
09:09and yeah it blended perfectly with the visual chopper returned to his girlfriend Tanya played by actress Kate Behan
09:20their relationship was this wild dysfunctional mess that only led to more unwanted drama
09:27the relationship was strained at times with chopper becoming ever increasingly controlling and jealous
09:35yeah at this point it was already clear that Reed was a madman a guy not able to be a functioning member of society
09:44and here he was drinking hard sniffing drugs just a complete recipe for disaster the paranoia slowly crept in for chopper
09:56who would ultimately end up beating Tanya and Tanya's mother during an argument at their house
10:03yet another hard scene to watch but you know wonderfully executed by director Andrew Dominic
10:11Tanya being beaten up like that her mother getting attacked I mean that whole scene beautifully summarized chopper's character
10:22initially he was told to leave by his girlfriend which he did but then he returned he burst through Tanya's door
10:31and he went absolutely berserk it's like it's like chopper just couldn't let it go he just couldn't calm down and it was like a switch had gone off in his head
10:42and I don't know once again just goes back to my thoughts on chopper's mental state something was seriously wrong with this guy and he should never have been allowed back on the streets in the first place if you ask me
10:58that's me as the movie continued we saw chopper involve himself with a fellow Melbourne drug dealer called Neville Bartos played by actor Vince Colomuso
11:09a guy who was a show-off a loud mouth and someone the chopper really didn't like more criminal activity ensued and it all resulted in chopper being sent back to prison
11:24the movie ends similar to how it began with chopper in his cell watching a news report about himself with two fellow officers the report ends the officers leave and we get this brilliant shot a slow tracking shot of chopper sitting alone in his cell a simple yet effective way to close out the film
11:51there was also this social commentary going on exposing the power of the media and how it can manipulate the narrative
12:02during the film chopper became more and more notorious leading to him becoming a best-selling author
12:10the media attention only hyped up the legend of Australia's most famous criminal
12:16I found the aspects of the film quite interesting and it made me think if chopper read hadn't of received the attention that he got
12:27would there have ever been a book in the first place let alone a film before we get into dislikes I have to take a moment to give credit to Eric
12:37Barna give him his flowers and rightfully so for his incredible performance here in this movie I don't use this word a lot but Barna in this role was completely mesmerising the movie was this independently made Australian film I've got no idea about its Oscar eligibility but Barna deserved an Oscar nomination for his performance
13:06Now the whole cast did a fantastic job don't get me wrong but it was Eric Barna's film the supporting characters came and went but chopper remained the main focal point and when I think about it us as an audience we were never really given enough information about the side characters to even really care about them
13:33like Chopper's girlfriend Tanya for example from the limited scenes that we saw of her we could conjure up an idea of what she was like but there was no real context or backstory given
13:48whereas when chopper was on screen he was the one that commanded all the attention just remarkable work from Barna and a great casting decision
13:58and so dislikes for chopper from the year 2000 my biggest dislike for the film would simply have to be that it just wasn't long enough you know as in chopper had such a crazy lifestyle sadly the film missed out quite a lot I understand that the film only had so much runtime to use
14:25but if you've read the film to use but if you've read the film to use but if you've read the real chopper read bio you'll be aware that he was involved in several robberies and you know assassination attempts prison escapes murders you know there was just so much more to tell
14:40given the film
14:43given the chaotic lifestyle that chopper
14:44given the chaotic lifestyle that chopper read had his story would have actually been better suited as a I don't know four part mini series
14:53it's like the film gave you a glimpse into the world of chopper then it's over and no sequel no follow up a simple one and done deal
15:07all I can say is if you love the movie like I did and you wanted more go by choppers autobiography it really does give you a more detailed overview of his life
15:22and so ratings for chopper
15:26I'm gonna be rating this movie a strong 8 out of 10
15:31no doubt chopper is one of the very best movies to ever come out of Australia
15:38and in terms of Australian cinema films like this and romper stomper really have stood the test of time I mean they are genuine cult classics
15:50I can rewatch those movies anytime and enjoy them thoroughly
15:56Barna's performance was truly mesmerizing capturing both the charisma and hostility the character had
16:07I think he's a very talented actor
16:11but sadly I don't think he's delivered anything as good as he did in chopper
16:20Barna's best role his best performance and I think it will be the role that he'll be most remembered for
16:29you know the film had this unflinching approach to violence and offered this raw unapologetic look at the life of a genuine real life criminal
16:41it was riveting as much as it was uncomfortable at times
16:48but you know all that said that that is a testament to director Andrew Dominic who also wrote the film's screenplay
16:58overall chopper is a compelling and haunting film that leaves a lasting impression on its audience
17:08I strongly suggest to anyone that hasn't seen the film go out and see it you will not be disappointed but please be aware
17:15there is a lot of blood it is violent and yeah if you are screamish you might not like it
17:24anyways that was all from me today guys in this review I hope you've enjoyed it
17:29don't forget to subscribe us it goes a long way to help me grow the channel and yeah I'll be back real soon with more cult movie reviews
17:39take care guys
17:41bye bye
17:59bye
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