Out now with a glorious Second Sight blu-ray is Chopper, which tells the story of Mark “Chopper” Read – a modern day Robin Hood (in Read’s version), a career criminal according to his criminal record. Written and directed by Andrew Dominik, the film takes its liberties from Read’s own autobiographical accounts of his time in and out of prison.
Chopper is a true dark comedy, starting with the haunting refrain of “Don’t Fence Me In” as we see the prison in which we first find Read, to the verbal sparring matches between Chopper and his associates. Alongside the darkly comic elements of the film we see how director Dominik manipulates our perspective, taking us from the cold sterility of prison to the saturated nightclubs and lurid homes of Read’s life upon release. This builds our sense of Read’s paranoia – always suspecting others of planning to do him harm, yet the fact that he has done many of his peers a mischief seems to escape his notice.
Read’s double standards, alongside his violence, rub us like a stone in our shoe, and while he paints himself as a charismatic bon viveur beloved by all, we see an alternate perspective. His peers hate, loathe and fear him, the police use him for his knowledge but are exasperated by his pomposity and, underneath the bravado, we uncover an isolated, institutionalised man. This isn’t a film that paints Chopper as an every man who gets caught up in some scrapes, but as a violent misogynist – revealing his true colours in a brutal scene of domestic abuse. He is the epitome of superficial charm, with a paper thin veneer that tears at the seams when he thinks someone is making fun of him. We also see that he is a man who doesn’t know why he does the things he does, becoming overcome with emotion, shocked by his rage and remorseful in the aftermath.
Much like Monster (2003), this biopic paints a complex picture of its subject, presenting the facts (or fiction, as Read was a pathological liar, or raconteur as he may have seen it), with an eye for context.
Dominik has said that this film is pro-Read, arguing that you can’t make a biopic if you aren’t on the side of the subject, and when faced with a choice between empathy and judgement, he states that he chose empathy. Much like Monster (2003), this biopic paints a complex picture of its subject, presenting the facts (or fiction, as Read was a pathological liar, or raconteur as he may have seen it), with an eye for context. Read clearly had a difficult life, as his interactions with his father indicate, but rather than absolving him, this film appears to try and simply represent him.
There’s something interesting about the desire to make a film about a convicted criminal as, much like Natural Born Killers (1994), it speaks to the dark fascination with true crime, and the celebrities we make of violent men who happen to be able to string a sentence together. Read is painted as a criminal with a heart of gold at points – which could feel problematic, however Dominik has pushed back against criticism that suggests that the film glamorises the life of a violent man.
Chopper is a story of the legend of Mark Read and it reveals the complexity of crime and fame, reminding us that there is no supply without demand. Read would not have been as (in)famous without public fascination, and as we leave him alone in his cell, the thrill of a TV interview fading with the slam of his cell door, we’re reminded that celebrity, infamy and self denial are no comfort when confronted with the cold reality of loneliness. Mark Read went on to become a successful author and public figure, but in the finale of this biopic we see a lonely man – cast adrift in a world he may have created for himself, but one he doesn’t understand.
Chopper is out now on Second Sight Blu-Ray
Megan’s Archive – Chopper (2000)
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