It's a difficult task to try and condense someone's life into a movie and Dominik warns us at the beginning that he takes liberties. Although it was a surprise to find that some incidents I had heard about prior to the movie were either only reported or omitted as the film starts quite late in Chopper's life.
Perhaps Dominik's choices were valid but while we are clear what the character of Chopper is like we are not so clear as to how he got to be that way. Although the interaction with his father goes some way to explaining.
The tension is mainly about whether the paranoid Chopper will act on his paranoia and do someone in rather than in tension arising from the plot but the screen does crackle as you hear the cogs in Chopper's tiny brain whirl round.
The violence is realistically done and not for the squeamish. But it is far better it is done this way than the more dishonest cheerful cockney crime caper way.
Dominik remains non-judgemental throughout the picture - which is to his credit - but comments obliquely. Some focus is given to his popularity, perhaps another comment, by showing how his idiotic fans travel to the venue of his most notorious crime and pose with toy guns.
Eric Bana's extraordinary performance in the title role keeps you watching but as the closing credits rolled, I knew no more about Chopper than I did at the opening titles.
Perhaps Dominik's choices were valid but while we are clear what the character of Chopper is like we are not so clear as to how he got to be that way. Although the interaction with his father goes some way to explaining.
The tension is mainly about whether the paranoid Chopper will act on his paranoia and do someone in rather than in tension arising from the plot but the screen does crackle as you hear the cogs in Chopper's tiny brain whirl round.
The violence is realistically done and not for the squeamish. But it is far better it is done this way than the more dishonest cheerful cockney crime caper way.
Dominik remains non-judgemental throughout the picture - which is to his credit - but comments obliquely. Some focus is given to his popularity, perhaps another comment, by showing how his idiotic fans travel to the venue of his most notorious crime and pose with toy guns.
Eric Bana's extraordinary performance in the title role keeps you watching but as the closing credits rolled, I knew no more about Chopper than I did at the opening titles.