Set a decade after a global economic collapse similar to the Apocalypse, the film follows a loner who encounters a trio of thieves who stole his car as he goes after them with the help of the thieves’ younger brother who had been left for dead following a robbery. It’s a film that plays into a man who is driving through the Australian desert as he is just passing through as his world collapse when his car is stolen as he becomes hell-bent on getting it back as he takes this slow-witted young man with him despite being wounded and guilty by association. David Michod’s screenplay has a straightforward narrative while it also plays up into the ambiguity into why this man named Eric (Guy Pearce) wants his car back as he finds the wounded Reynolds (Robert Pattinson) to accompany him.
Yet, they journey into a world of lawlessness where American currency is worth more than Australian currency while the military is the police of sorts as everything is done with some secrecy where people hide from criminals or the military. For Eric, none of that matters as he’s already lost so much since the economic collapse as he just wants his car back while not giving a fuck who he has to kill. Even if he has to drag Reynolds into the fray though Reynolds prove to be more useful than Eric realizes as it plays into Eric’s own humanity which he seemed to have lost. Especially as Reynolds is just someone who is innocent but knows his way to get around the lawless environment to help Eric.
Michod’s direction definitely echoes aspects of the western as it is shot on various locations at the South Flinders Ranges in Australia as well as areas nearby the town of Maree. Michod plays this world where people live remotely or hide in their houses as if things are dangerous yet it begins with Eric stopping at a bar where there aren’t many people as there’s a shot of a truck tumbling following an accident with Eric on the foreground taking a sip while the truck is in the background tumbling. It plays into the lawless nature of the film where the three men steal Eric’s car as sees it from afar as he also notices the truck which he takes and goes after them in a chase but there is this air of psychology into how Eric tries to approach these men but it doesn’t go well prompting him to play into the world of lawlessness. It is in this moment where he finds the wounded Reynolds as he asks for his help but Reynolds is in need of medical care. Yet, having access to guns and health care isn’t easy as the former requires money while the latter requires secrecy as it’s something Eric has to cope with. Michod maintains some unique compositions including a lot of gorgeous wide and medium shots in not just capturing the scope of the locations but also in how unsettling it is in this post-apocalyptic setting. There are these intimate moments in Michod’s approach to the close-ups and medium shots in the way it develops Eric’s relationship with Reynolds as first it starts off with Eric treating Reynolds with indifference and only using him to get to his destination.
Yet, Reynolds is someone that isn’t treated with respect at first but his innocence in the things he talks about but also his survival instincts does make Eric care for him following a skirmish involving a few military officers whom Reynolds, his brother, and the other thieves were stealing from. It does play into something that would happen in the second as Michod doesn’t stray from the brutality of the violence as it adds to the eerie nature of the environment the characters are in. Notably as Eric has been de-sensitized by the world due to the fact that he is someone that is carrying his own demons as it does bring a lot of reason into why he wants his car back. The film’s climax is violent but it’s more about Eric helping Reynolds confront his brother as well as bring some order back to the world of lawlessness. Overall, Michod crafts a chilling yet mesmerizing film about a loner who accompanies a young man to confront a trio of thieves who stole his car.
Cinematographer Natasha Braier does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of natural lighting for many of the daytime exterior scenes including some shots in the morning and in the evening as well as the usage of low-key colorful lights for some scenes at night. Editor Peter Sciberras does excellent work with the editing as it is straightforward with some rhythmic cuts to play into some of the suspenseful moments in the film. Production designer Josephine Ford, with set decorator Jennifer Drake and art director Tuesday Stone, does amazing work with the look of the motels, houses, and places that Eric and Reynolds venture into in their dilapidated state as it adds to the dreary look of the film. Costume designer Cappi Ireland does nice work with the costumes as it is largely straightforward and casual to play into the hot area of Australia.
Hair/makeup supervisor Fiona Rees-Jones does terrific work with the look of the characters to help play into the grimy look as well as usage of mist to play to their reaction with their hot surroundings. Special effects supervisor Angelo Sahin and visual effects supervisor Dave Morley do fantastic work with the some of the special effects such as the truck tumbling scene as well as some of the violent moments in the film. Sound designer Sam Petty does superb work with the sound in capturing the atmosphere of the locations including some of the quieter moments as it adds to the film’s eerie tone. The film’s music by Antony Partos is incredible with its mixture of ambient and brooding electronic textures to play into the suspense while music supervisor Jemma Burns provides a soundtrack that adds to the film’s tone with music from Colin Stetson, Tortoise, the Ink Spots, Frances-Marie Uitti, and an offbeat track from Keri Hilson.
The casting by Kirsty McGregor is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles from Nash Edgerton as a soldier who confronts Eric, Samuel F. Lee as a gun-toting acrobat, Anthony Hayes as a brutal soldier, David Field and Tawanda Manyimo as two of the thieves who steal Eric’s car, Susan Prior as a reclusive doctor named Dorothy who also shelters lost dogs, Gillian Jones as an aging opium den owner known as Grandma, and Scoot McNairy in a terrific performance as Reynolds’ older brother Henry who leads the gang of thieves as he also abandons Reynolds.
Finally, there’s the duo of Robert Pattinson and Guy Pearce in phenomenal performances in their respective roles as Reynolds and Eric. Pattinson brings this air of innocence as a young man wounded during a robbery and left for dead as he deals with what happened to him but is also someone that has some strong survival instincts despite his lack of social skills. Pearce has this air of chilling restraint as someone that just wants to drive through the desert only to have his car stolen as he’s a man willing to get it back by any means necessary. Pattinson and Pearce do have this amazing rapport as two men trying to reach their destination but also confront those that had wronged them as well as made them feel worthless in a lawless world.
The Rover is an incredible film from David Michod that features great performances from Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson. Along with its gorgeous cinematography, eerie music score, unsettling tone, and its modern yet visceral approach to the western, the film is definitely a film that isn’t afraid to be grimy and violent while also playing into two men who feel rejected by this dark world only to stand up for some kind of principle that the world had lost. In the end, The Rover is a sensational film from David Michod.
David Michod Films: Animal Kingdom - (War Machine) – (The King (2019 film))
© thevoid99 2021
Written and directed by Andrew Dominik, Chopper is the story about the life of notorious Australian criminal Mark Brandon “Chopper” Read and his exploits as a criminal. The film is an exploration into the life of a criminal as he’s played by Eric Bana. Also starring Simon Lyndon, Kate Beahan, and David Field. Chopper is a gritty yet fascinating film from Andrew Dominik.
It’s the late 1970s as Chopper Read is in prison still serving a sentence for kidnapping a supreme court judge in an attempt to get his friend Jimmy Loughnan (Simon Lydon) out of the maximum security Pentridge Prison. Serving at the notorious H division, Read manages to become notorious as he becomes the division leader but he ends up gaining more enemies than friends where Loughnan tries to stab him to death as a way to restore balance. Instead, Read survives as he later has his ears cut off by an inmate to be transferred where he is eventually released in 1986. Upon his return to the real world, Read isn’t sure how to deal with the new changes as he deals with old friends and old enemies where he’s not sure who to trust.
At a club with his old girlfriend Tanya (Kate Beahan), Read encounters one of his old victim in Neville Bartos (Vince Colosimo) who has now become a major crime figure. Read becomes uneasy about Bartos as he suspects that Tanya is having an affair with him as he goes to Bartos’ home to confront him as it leads to all sorts of trouble. A hit is then put on Read as he learns that Loughnan has already been released in prison as he later confronts him as Loughnan claims he has no idea who is putting the hit on Read. Yet, another attempt to kill him only makes Read far more notorious as he returns to prison more infamous than ever.
The film is essentially a loose story about the life of Chopper Read and his notorious exploits based on his books that recalled many of actions as a criminal. Largely as it is set from the late 1970s to the early 1990s as he becomes infamous but also a cult figure where he would become a best-selling author. A lot of it is told from his perspective as he talks to crime bosses and later a film crew as the film begins with himself and a couple of guards watching him on TV. The film’s screenplay does admit that it took a lot of dramatic liberties to help tell the story yet it is to explore who Chopper Read is as he’s a man that is very brutish but also sensitive as he’s willing to show concern for his victims. Yet, there’s also something sympathetic about him when he’s out of prison as he doesn’t know who to trust while he’s being looked on as irrelevant to some that forces him to do things to get his name back.
Andrew Dominik’s direction is definitely stylized in terms of its look as he goes for a very low-key, grainy film stock to maintain the sense of grittiness in the film. Notably as he maintains an air of intimacy with his camera work to showcase what kind of man Chopper Read is as well as his surroundings. In prison, there is something that feels more lively where Chopper can do whatever. Even if he’s confined to a cell as he seems to enjoy himself no matter how lonely he is. When he’s outside of prison, things are confusing where he has no idea what to do or who to turn to. He doesn’t trust anyone at all and those who were his friends are also untrustworthy as the direction itself is unsettling and unpredictable in its framing. There’s a sense of what Chopper might do as he does do things that are reprehensible and also makes him unsympathetic at times. Even as Dominik would recreate a few scenes to see how Chopper can talk his way out of it. Overall, Dominik creates a film that is uncompromising but also engaging about the life of a notorious yet charming criminal.
Cinematographers Geoffrey Hall and Kevin Hayward do amazing work with the film‘s very colorful yet grimy look of the film where it has an air of grain to showcase its grittiness as well as in scenes in night and at the nightclubs where it‘s very stylized to play out the mood of the film. Editor Ken Sallows does great work in the editing by playing up the sense of the action that occurs with some stylish fast-cuts and some unique montages to showcase how some moments are played out in different ways. Production designer Paddy Reardon, along with art directors Ben Bauer and Jeffrey Thorp, does terrific work with the look of the prison that Chopper lives in to the Bojangles club that he goes to where he would have one of his famous incidents.
Costume designer Terry Ryan does nice work with the costumes from the prison uniforms that Chopper wears to the more outdated 70s clothing that he arrives at the outside world where he feels completely out of place with everyone else. Sound designer Frank Lipson does wonderful work with the sound to capture the intimacy of the prisons as well as the chaos in the club scenes. The film’s music by Mick Harvey is superb for its low-key yet eerie ambient score to play out the drama that occurs throughout the film. Music supervisor Jackie Dennis creates a marvelous soundtrack that features all sorts of music from the Birthday Party, Rose Tattoo, Frankie Laine, Chain, Renee Geyer, Cold Chisel, The Saints, and the Loved Ones.
The casting by Gregory Apps is brilliant for the ensemble that is created as it features some standout performances from Dan Wyllie as one of Chopper’s prison friends in Bluey, David Field as the rival convict Keith George, Serge Liistro as the famed hitman Sammy the Turk, and Renee Brack as the TV reporter who interviews Chopper. Kate Beahan is wonderful as Chopper’s old prostitute girlfriend Tanya who doesn’t really know how to deal with Chopper’s alienation. Vince Colosimo is excellent as a former of victim of Chopper who has now become a top crime figure only to get himself into trouble with Chopper. Simon Lydon is superb as Jimmy Loughnan who tries to get rid of Chopper only for things to go wrong and his own fortunes going into a downward spiral as he is later confronted by a freed Chopper.
Finally, there’s Eric Bana in a truly outstanding performance as Mark Brandon “Chopper” Read. Filled with lots of charisma, a brutish physicality, and a sensitivity, it’s truly a performance that no one will forget as Bana brings the man to life in every way. Even as he is someone who knows he is flawed and at times quite despicable. Yet, it adds to the complexity of the character where Bana just allows the character to just be who he is without any compromise.
Chopper is a remarkable film from Andrew Dominik that features an incredible performance from Eric Bana. The film is definitely an interesting look into the life of a criminal that refuses to be pegged or be forgotten while taking in all of the infamy that he craves for. While it’s not an easy film to watch at times while it also has a look that is very dark. It truly plays to who this man is and why there’s people who are fond of him. In the end, Chopper is a marvelous film from Andrew Dominik.
Andrew Dominik Films: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford - Killing Them Softly - One More Time with Feeling - This Much I Know to Be True - Blonde (2022 film)
© thevoid99 2012
