Chopper

An Australian film starring Eric Bana as the infamous Real Life Melbourne criminal Mark 'Chopper' Read.

The film portrays a portion of Read's storied life, beginning and ending in prison. The film begins with the incidents leading up to his famous self-mutilation, in which he had his ears chopped off in order to escape retaliation from a rival. Read is shown to be a violent and unbalanced man with a forceful and often gregarious personality. After serving his term, Read proves unfit for the outside world soon lands back in prison, where he can take only fleeting comfort in the tabloid fame that his antics and charm have brought him.

The film was a success in Australia and received some global recognition as well. The film launched Bana into mainstream success as a movie star after a career primarily limited to the Australian comedy scene.

This film provides examples of:


 * Affably Evil: Chopper is a two-bit thug, but he's incredibly charming when he's not killing you, and sometimes even when he is. This is Truth in Television, as Chopper became a mainstream celebrity in Australia by telling stories from his sordid life.
 * Anti-Hero: Chopper is a thug with no heroic qualities whatsoever.
 * Crazy Jealous Guy: Chopper over Tanya.
 * Foe Cooties:
 * Hair-Trigger Temper: Chopper is unbalanced and a danger to everyone around him, even people he's being friendly towards.
 * Major Injury Underreaction: Chopper's too pissed to notice he's been shanked several times.
 * Tattooed Crook: Truth in Television
 * Unreliable Expositor: Chopper claims to have killed 19 people, yet has only been tried for one murder, of which he was acquitted.