This one was interesting. It is one that is not available for digital streaming in the United States so I had to find it elsewhere. It's a shame, because the material is so interesting.
It's based on a real-life criminal named Mark 'Chopper' Read who was a renowned criminal in Melbourne, Australia. He wrote an autobiography while in prison and claims to have killed nineteen 'bad guys', was only tried for one of the murders, and was acquitted on it. His prison time was for other reasons.
This is Nana's second film after The Castle (which I've seen but is on the upcoming list). He did a pretty fantastic job in the film and apparently spent a few days with Read to get down his mannerisms and such.
In a way, this film kinda reminded me of Scarface in the way it is about a criminal with charisma. Chopper seemed to be this way in life and, even though he had an emotional disconnect with reality, he seemed to be polite in his feelings about the criminals he killed.
This film is almost buried which makes me wonder why. It won quite a few Australian awards, Bana was excellent in it, and the content is a good combination of unusual with a touch of humor to it. It makes me want to read the autobiography which is one of the best selling books in AU.
I did have a problem with the director assuming his audience knew about Chopper and his story. In regards to this it is assumed that we know he worked with they police to provide insider information on criminal behavior. There could have been more clarity on the years between his time in prison and this stage.
Other than that, however, it was a solid film about a very 'unique' person. It also ranks in the top twenty Australian films of all-time.
Yes, I'd recommend it but finding a copy may be difficult unless you are in Australia.
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