Dominik spent hours researching court records, police reports and forensic lab sheets before talking to the man himself. What he decided to put together, as a result, of all this, is the picture of a man who harbours all the virtues and vices each of us is prone to, with, however, somewhat fewer controls. This is Bana's debut into big time films and he manages to bring an intensity to the role which is as disturbing as it is convincing. Through the power of his performance Mark Read leaps to the screen less as the big time crim he so badly wants himself to be and more as the pathetic Pythonesque figure, he actually is. What is interesting here is that Dominik, true to his ambition, has cleverly used hot reds and cool blues and Mick Harvey's minimalist score to reproduce a feeling of paranoia and claustrophobia in the viewer.
Cinema is there to educate as well as entertain.
The fact for 94 minutes Chopper manages to pull off the fine balancing act between glorification and caricature is testament to the director's vision and the maturity of Australian film-making. Needless to say Bana won't be staying unknown for long, neither will Dominik be confined to directing only Australian films. In the meantime, in Chopper, we have the rare opportunity to enjoy a film which engages the mind as well as the eyes. He edits The Chronicle for the John Lewis chain of department stores. More Reviews Copyright to Trevor Lockwood 2000.