RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Found a Bug? Squash It! Report Bugs Here
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Chopper
Chopper

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Chopper (2001)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
70 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:64

Fresh:45

Rotten:19

Average Rating:6.4/10

Consensus: Eric Bana's performance as the charming but twisted Chopper is the highlight of this disturbing portrait about Australia's notorious author/criminal.

Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Australian comedian Eric Bana is Mark "Chopper" Read, a legendary criminal who wrote his best-selling autobiography, FROM THE INSIDE, while serving a murder sentence in prison. Beginning in the... Australian comedian Eric Bana is Mark "Chopper" Read, a legendary criminal who wrote his best-selling autobiography, FROM THE INSIDE, while serving a murder sentence in prison. Beginning in the blue-washed light of a maximum security Melbourne prison, Chopper establishes his dominance with the impulsive knifing of a fellow prisoner. Vaccillating between violence and regret, Chopper apologizes to his victim, but his good mate Jimmy (Simon Lyndon) later retaliates against Chopper in an excruciating contract stabbing, rife with sexual tension. Finally released from prison, the heavily-tattooed Chopper has lost the better part of both of his ears, as well as the ability to make any distinction between his own made-up stories and reality. At a nightclub with his prostitute girlfriend, Tanya (Kate Beahan), he runs into Neville (Vince Colosimo), an old victim who limps from the attack but glitters in drug-funded gold. In his paranoia, Chopper connects rumors of a new contract on his life to Neville, Tanya, and his old mate Jimmy, to whom he pays a visit and discovers a man rotting from drug abuse. Alternately wickedly funny and grotesque, CHOPPER gives no easy answer to the question of Chopper Read's motives, but his method is clear, "Ya bash people for no reason, just to get a name for yourself." [More]

Starring: Eric Bana, Simon Lyndon, Dan Wyllie, David Field

Starring: Eric Bana, Simon Lyndon, Dan Wyllie, David Field, Bill Young, Vince Colosmo, Kenny Graham, Kate Beahan

Director: Andrew Dominik

Director: Andrew Dominik
Screenwriter: Andrew Dominik
Producer: Michele Bennett
Studio: First Look

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Chopper

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Unsettling and at times uneven, but always fascinating material for anyone prepared for a grim ride.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Mark Dinning
Mark Dinning
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Eric Bana ... plays him as an engaging villain with a deft talent for grotesque behaviour and caustic one-liners.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
04/16/01
George Perry
George Perry
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

One of the most perplexing movies ever made.

Full Review Source: UK Critic | comment Comment
02/07/01
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
UK Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
12/10/01
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sight and Sound | comment Comment
12/02/02
Danny Leigh
Danny Leigh
Sight and Sound
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Whether or not you care if Chopper lives or dies, you simply can't take your eyes off him.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
05/11/01
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Dominik's perspective makes it a lot less incriminating to watch the film.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
04/11/01
John Anderson
John Anderson
Newsday

Chopper is never less than fascinating.

Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee | comment Comment
06/08/01
Joe Baltake
Joe Baltake
Sacramento Bee

Dominik's direction is fresh and lively, and the camerawork is exceptional.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
04/16/01
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

Like a lot of video-game violence, much of Chopper is meant to be perversely funny. But it's a different kind of perversely funny.

Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel | comment Comment
05/24/01
Jay Boyar
Jay Boyar
Orlando Sentinel

The excitement and tension comes from never knowing when Chopper is really going to lose it.

Full Review Source: Associated Press | comment Comment
04/12/01
Anthony Breznican
Anthony Breznican
Associated Press

At first it's shocking. For a while it's grimly amusing. After that it gets simply repetitive.

Full Review Source: Kansas City Star | comment Comment
07/20/01
Robert W. Butler
Robert W. Butler
Kansas City Star

The ways Read twists and embellishes the truth become progressively less interesting.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
05/31/01
Mark Caro
Mark Caro
Chicago Tribune

A stylish, arresting, disturbing film.

comment Comment
05/04/01
Jay Carr
Jay Carr
Boston Globe

there is an unexpected melancholy that raises this film . . . into the ranks of a classic tragedy

Full Review Source: Killer Movie Reviews | comment Comment
07/01/03
Andrea Chase
Andrea Chase
Killer Movie Reviews

The fact that Chopper is so engrossing and effective stems from the powerful performance of Eric Bana.

Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
08/02/01
Gary Dowell
Gary Dowell
Dallas Morning News

Engaging even as it is appalling.

Full Review Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | comment Comment
05/25/01
Duane Dudek
Duane Dudek
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

You cannot look away from him. The performance is so . . . strange.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
06/01/01
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

If not quite pornography of violence, it comes sniffingly close.

Full Review Source: San Diego Union-Tribune | comment Comment
04/27/01
David Elliott
David Elliott
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
all

Latest News for Chopper

November 10, 2006: "Jesse James" Test Screening Reactions
Well, you all know how I feel about press screening "reviews," but I must admit I'm a bit curious about "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert... More...

April 28, 2006: Brad Pitt's Jesse James Teaser
Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck star in "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford," which is presently scheduled for a September release date. But Yahoo!... More...

August 08, 2005: Casey Affleck Aims to Shoot Jesse James
Variety reports that Casey Affleck will play the infamous Robert Ford in Warner Bros.' adaptation of Robert Hansen novel "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward... More...

See All

More DVDs

Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
14% 14% The Ugly Truth
98% 98% Up
36% 36% G.I. Joe: The Rise of …
52% 52% The Taking of Pelham 1…
45% 45% Ice Age: Dawn of the D…

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
32% 32% Terminator Salvation
44% 44% Night at the Museum: B…
86% 86% A Christmas Tale
60% 60% Paper Heart

More New Releases…

What’s Hot On RT

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

5 facts straight from the cast.

Disney Animation

Disney Animation

We chart the studio's classics.

Avatar

Avatar

An exclusive look at the human hardware.

Eric Bana

Eric Bana

The Star Trek star talks cars with RT.

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • No Hobbit Until 2012? Source: The Wrap
14
  • Don't Hold Your Breath for Hancock 2 Source: HitFix
26
  • Peter Berg Talks Battleship Source: CHUD
1
  • Summit Ponders Twilight Finale Source: Variety
141
  • First Look at Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Source: USA Today
52
  • Jeremy Renner Talks Hawkeye Possibilities Source: Superhero Hype
14
  • Todd Phillips Talks The Hangover 2 Source: Entertainment Weekly
18
  • Tron Legacy Duo Heading into The Black Hole Source: Hollywood Reporter
9
  • First Iron Man 2 Poster Released Source: Yahoo! Movies
80
  • Ryan Reynolds Talks Green Lantern Source: MTV
16
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Ban Them All! 10 Infamously Controversial Movies
99
  • Friday Harvest: The Road, Avatar, and more!
96
  • 5 Facts About The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
91
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Vampires and Football Break Thanksgiving Records
37
  • Total Recall: Natalie Portman's Best Movies
34
  • Weekly Ketchup: Zombieland 2 in 3D?
28
  • Five Favorite Films with Jesse Ventura
27
  • RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Terminator Salvation and a Smithsonian Battle
20
  • Duncan Jones Reteams With Kevin Spacey
5
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
17
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
11
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
21
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
22
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
9
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
28
  • Duncan Jones talks Moon, Sam Rockwell, and Mute
14
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Chopper at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Chopper at AskMen

Fresh Links

Featured
RT on YouTube
RT on YouTube External Link

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

RT on Twitter
RT on Twitter External Link

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.