Chopper (2000)
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A volatile criminal navigates the brutal realities of prison life and the dangerous underworld of Melbourne.
The story
In 1978 Victoria, Mark "Chopper" Read is an inmate at Pentridge Prison. After a violent altercation with another inmate leads to a contract on his life, Mark finds himself embroiled in a series of dangerous maneuvers to survive within the prison walls. The film follows his life and time in prison, depicting the harsh realities of his incarceration and the volatile environment of the Australian criminal underworld. The narrative explores his interactions with fellow inmates and the consequences of his actions in a high-stakes, often violent environment.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1978 Victoria, Mark "Chopper" Read is an inmate at Pentridge Prison. After a confrontation over a territory line leads to a contract on his life by the Painters and Dockers, Mark attempts to organize a defense with fellow inmates. After a failed siege and a period of isolation, Mark is eventually released. Upon his release, he encounters his former girlfriend Tanya and a wealthy drug supplier, Neville Bartos. After a violent confrontation with Neville, Mark encounters Jimmy Loughnan, whom he claims to be working with the police. The tension culminates in a confrontation at a car park where Mark kills Sammy the Turk. While he avoids a murder charge for the latter, he is convicted of malicious wounding of Neville Bartos and sentenced to five years.
- First release year
- 2000
- Runtime (minutes)
- 94
- Production countries
- Australia
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Andrew Dominik
- Writers
- Andrew Dominik · written
- Cast and characters
- Eric Bana · Mark "Chopper" Read; Vince Colosimo · Neville Bartos; Simon Lyndon · Jimmy Loughnan; Kate Beahan · Tanya; David Field · Mandy
- Genres
- crime drama; biographical; black comedy
- Themes
- criminality; prison life; violence
- Tone and mood
- disturbing; paranoid; agoraphobic
- Premise and plot tags
- biographical; prison drama; crime
- Source material / true-story basis
- autobiographical books by the criminal turned author Mark "Chopper" Read
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews and has since garnered a cult following.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 76% · scale: percentage · review count: 80; Metacritic · score: 68 · scale: 100 · review count: 26
- Production trivia
- Bana spent two days living with Read to help him practice for the role.; The month-long break enabled Bana to put on the extra weight necessary to play the older Read.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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