Good a. Peter Helly here, welcome to you. Ain't seen Nothing Yet the movie podcast where I chat to a movie lover about a classic or beloved movie they haven't quite got around to watching until now. And today's guests who spoke to me with my rather croaky voice. My apologies is my great mate, TV vet broadcaster photographer, doctor Chris Brown. Do you any think you have a chance against us?
Mister cowboy?
Open the pod bay doors.
Hell, I'll have what she's happen.
Happening right, don't see nothing yet. Doctor Chris Brown is one of the ad time great blokes in Australian showbiz, both on screen and off screen. He's much loved. He burst on our screens in two thousand and three when he appeared on Harry's Practice with Doctor Harry Cooper, and he was nominated that year for the most Popular New Talent at the Logis. But certainly it was his role as the Bondive Vet which sent him into the strata sphere. It became a global TV hit and Chris was obviously
the face of it. He actually did mouth the mouth to a dog once. Yeah, just keep that in mind. And when you look at his face and Remember how handsome he is. Just remember he passes docs. Just remember that I love Brownie. He's become a really great mate over the years. You've seen him, of course in the Living Room, A wonderful show with Amanda Cala. Also what a legend. Hopefully a guest on this show one day soon, Barry Dubois and of course Miguel oh mcgal, what a legend.
Also he teams up with his great mate and my great mate to hilarious Julie Morris and I'm a Celebrity, Get Me out of Here. Those two have formed a formidable combination, waxing, lyrical, just a great pairing and have really become not just because of the celebrities, but they're one of the reasons why people tune in to I'm a Celebrity, Get Me out of Here. Currently, you can see him on Channel ten's hit The Doghouse Australia. Brown is generous despite the fact, and this may come up
in the episode. Myself, Sam Mack and Brownie went to Chinatown in Sydney together and let us say he skimped when the bill came. He didn't do a runner, but he claimed he had no money on him. Really I mean, do you work on that many shows? The fon divet the living Room. I'm a celebrity. Harry's practice money will still becoming, and I imagine Brandy's become a great mate over the years. He obviously has co hosted and filled
him many times with us on the project. He was always such a pleasure hanging out with him again, both on screen and off screen. I love Brandy because he doesn't take himself too seriously. He's genuinely hilarious. He is a great mate, he really is. He is as genuine as they come, and I'm bloody stoked to be hanging with him today.
Well, hello, it's Chris Brown here. Dr Chris Brown's I'm not confused with the other one. My three favorite films of all time are with Top Gun.
You will screw up just as much.
You'll be flying a cargo plan full of Rubbert dog shit out of Hang Kong.
Sir, Dumb and Dumber Austria.
Well then Good Day Mate, and the.
Secret Life of Walter Mitty The Ace.
Jeez, she moves like a woman.
I'm like that. The film I haven't seen is Chopper, the Australian classic Chopper.
Donk sore at it, trying to be general made.
You're fucking rip into it, slash it off.
Yeah, the other one. I'm not gonna get me for this later.
Just get on with it.
Your fucking fairy into it. Get a screw, would you? I can bleed, chop.
Please, you gotta stop a bleeding. Okay, you can get any cob. What are you got to get yourself into the shower?
Right?
Are you talking to me now?
A Hey?
After all I've done for you, I took you from tears to fucking glory and you do this to me. I'm not angry at you, Jim, just broke my heart at all.
Yes, It's the movie that almost made us forget that there was once a time when Eric Banner was Australia's premier Ray Martin Impersonator two thousands Chopper took everyone by surprise the story of Celebrity hit Man. Yet that's right, that's inking celebrity hit Man Mark Brandon, Chopper read, who had become a best selling author despite being semi illiterate.
It not only marked the arrival of Eric Banner on the global stage, but also director Andrew Dominic, who went on to direct the assassination of Jesse James by the coward Robert Ford. Great film, starring with Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck and also killing me softly brad Pitt again. It became the highest grossing R rated movie in Australia until The Wolf of Wall Street came along. It's violent,
it's intense, and somehow really funny. This, of course is thanks to Eric Banner, whose performance is utterly mesmerizing and maybe one of the best screen performances by a local doctor. Chris Brown. Chopper was a big deal. Do you reckon? He could have made it on too. I'm a celebrity, Get me out of here.
It would have made the eating challenges a little interesting to pick which ear you were you were consuming at the time. You know, there's already a lack of sleep in the in the jungle camp, but I reckon if you were, if you were sharing a campsite and a number of hot pokers with with the Chopper, you probably wouldn't sleep overly. Well, what a what a character? And look, I want to say what a film, and we'll get to that. But I'm mesmerized by the fact that I
haven't seen it. I don't know how I judged this one.
Yeah, walk us through that, because I mean it's been nominated on this show as various people's favorite films for memory. Samuel Johnson nominated it. I think Hughes he may have nominated as well. Much Loved was made a lot of noise because of Eric Banner's performance, you know, succeeded around the world. You have dismissed it. Why why aren't you supporting Australian cinema and Eric Banner? Chris Brown?
You know me, I mean I despise all of those things. No, I think it just happened at a weird in time. I think it came out in two thousand and you know that for me was that was a very critical time in my veterory career. I was, I was in what fourth year of my my veterory studies. I was, that's pretty a pretty pretty tricky time to to really
sneak out and see a film. But at the same time it was it was one of those films that was so heavily quoted angst your mates, like the lines from Nevill Bartos, like the I've got no cash, mate, cash. Anytime someone didn't have money, you would say that line. I even used that line, but I didn't even know what it meant or the context.
I think I've been there when you've used that line as a certain incident in Chinatown with our good mate Sam Mack.
Yeah, look, it was it was unfortunate that I didn't have cash. I mean ironic really now, but I didn't have cash to pay for that meal. But you know, I would like to think you've got more than one hundred dollars worth of value out of retelling that story and insinuating to the nation that I am arguably astray as premier tighter, which which has been something you haven't even gone close to stepping away from in terms of an accusation.
No, no, but the already is that. So we had a meal in Chinatown and and there's the three of us are having a great time, and you did you didn't have any cash and in need of the cash, so you had no cash. You said your cards, they're
only accepting cash. And we have turned that into yes, you being the biggest Titus in the world, because the irony is the fact that we've made such a big deal kind of insinuates that where the tight ass is really because the mayor was probably it was probably forty bucks. That's probably what it was.
Yeah, I mean, you're not letting it go. I have felt many times that I would just like send you an envelope with cash in it just to put an.
End to this.
But I've started to enjoy it because it gives me an interesting peaking to your mindset and the fact that you just simply cannot let things go. And they were good Din Sims don't or dim sum don't get me wrong, get it right, get it right. Yeah, but we need to we need to move on. We need to find a way through this.
Okay, Well, let's move on to your three favorite films, and they respect to you, Chris Brown. Often people come on to this show and they feel the need to you know, big up there, hybrow, highbrow. You know there's no French classics here, no French new wave. Let's start with Dumb and Dumber. I mean to be honest, Dumb and Dumber has been nominated a few times. Actually, so you're not alone. I'm forgetting who nominated that. It's been quite a few guests have nominated that Dumb and Dumber,
So you're not alone. Tell us about your love of the of the of the classic.
So it's not just in my top three, it's actually my number one film right all time.
Okay.
I just I love it, and I love it deeply, and if I'm ever at a loose end, I will put it on because I love the absurdity, the complete stupidity, but I love the comedy and the setup to the payoff of some of the best visual physical comment you'll
you'll ever see. And I you know, there are some some really incredible moments in there, like the and and incredible lines, you know, like the John Denver's Full of Shit man is is just they're in a in the they're in a van shaped like a dog, which like a sheep dog, and and and they you know, they believe they're in the Rocky Mountains, and then they wake up and they're on the planes of like Idaho or something.
It's just just, you know, and it's not the rocky mountains that John Denver had sung about, so I and then the you know, the taking the motorcycle through the rocky mountains and the frozen solid to each other. It's it's a movie that it's it's tricky to explain and do justice to without it sounding so absurd that it's it's it's actually ridiculous. But I love I love the character arcs. I love Mary's Sampson, Sampson Ightes Wanson, I love I love the fact that it is a love story.
It's a story of unrequired love, but in the most
absurd way. And I love the endings as well, the fact that they get to the end and they're just trying to be somebody, They just want to have somebody, and the the the bus pulls up with the with the American Bikini Model team on it, and they they need someone to rub oil on them before they compete, and the guys don't realize that they're offering the opportunity to them, and they think that they're best served going to the nearest town because there's heaps of people there,
and it's you know, it doesn't have the class classic Hollywood happy ending. It goes off in a different direction. And I hear that Jim Carrey they wanted him to shoot the ending where they did with the two guys did get on the bus with the American Bikini modeling team and it all ended happily, and he would not even shoot the scene because he said, the studio will use it. These guys have got to be losers to the end and completely missed the opportunity. And so I
respect that. I respect the story, I respect the narrative, I respect that the costumes I respect. I just respect the whole thing.
I mean, I think we're getting a good look into your soul right now, but you know, before respect It's funny I chatted to Jim Carrey, had the honor of chatting with them just after the Oscars. Actually, it's quite an interesting week because of the Will Smith and Chris
Ruck incident. But what I learned about Jim Carrey in that interview is actually, to be honest, out of all the interviews I've done on the project, it was the most where I felt like I came away going, I reckon, I've learned a little bit about you, you know, like because what what what came out of it for me
was that Jim Carrey is an artist, you know. And I kind of knew this, like I knew he painted, and like I knew I knew that he considered himself an artist, but talking to him, I could actually see it made more sense to me, and he he would do things like when he was becoming famous, like sabotage his own stand up comedy gigs because he was like he goes in his mind, he was saying to the audience, you think you know what you're going to get, and I'm not going to give that to you. And so he'll, yeah,
sabotage his own gigs. And I think, and that's such a great thing that he didn't shoot that ending, because I mean, I've been in situations, you know, and I think Rove taught it to me where you're be doing a photo shoot and a photographer say, Okay, let's just get a silly one, and Rover was no, and they're like, oh why not, And he goes because you'll use it, like you know, like don't give him if you don't believe in some thing, don't give them the option to use it.
It's completely I had a really interesting lesson in that. A couple of had a really interesting lesson in that a few years ago, a you know, the end of the year, you have to give your You often get approached by the newspapers to give your news resolutions. Yep,
and they just want they just want to cut. They want one sentence, they want simplicity, because it has to be put next to a photo of you with twenty other people from neighbors, home and away or you know, and and you're like, okay, But I decided to try to like be a little bit out there and give them something unexpected. So my news resolution was was and and I quote because we always do the opposite of our news resolutions. My news resolution is to work less
and party more. And when it came to when they published that article, it had doctor Chris Brown news resolution work less, Hardy Moore, which raised a few eyebrows around the network.
Yeah, and less. People were bringing their dogs to be put down, you know by you. That is hilarious. Yeah, you gotta be careful. You gotta be careful. But the thing that I really got out of the Jim Carrey thing was he he knows that he lives in a crazy world, like he lives in Hollywood. Well, he works in Hollywood, and he knows he recognizes that it's crazy, so he does things to make sure that he is
constantly aware that it's a crazy world. Where Will Smith, on the other hand, I think it got to the point and I've interviewed Will Smith over the years a few times, and I've always come away from the interviews been really impressed with Will Smith. I'm not This is not me slagging Will Smith, but I think he maybe got to a point where he forgot that he lives in a will, that this is the things that happened around him and that orbit around him are not normal.
Hollywood's on a normal place. The things, the way these people are treated by the people around them is not normal. And I think Jim Carrey recognized that. And I think potentially someone like I'm just using Will Smith because he was the big story at the time, he maybe lost I guess it's the whole concept of losing touch. He lost touch with reality.
I think, yeah, rather than drinking the kool aid, it feels like Jim Carrey spikes it and and then sits back and watches the results. Almost He's an interesting guy and very clearly a very deep thinker, despite what his films, his comedy Dumb and Dumb and they suggest. But I think the thinking that goes into the stupidity is what I really like. And when you see it and you see the depth of it, and you also appreciate the
fact that he his role call of films. There are very few people who could have brought the characters to life like he did, you know, Cable Cable Guy, and you know, all of the mask and all those things, which a lot of people were sort of put off sometimes by the absurdity and by the level of performance. But he just he just gives so much.
Yeah. Yeah, it takes a lot, and it's genuine skills to do what he what he does, and I mean, I love I mean, Cable Guy was my introduction to Jim Carrey. For some reason, I was actually put off by the bigness of Jim Carrey. So it wasn't until Cable Guy, which I saw because I love Matthew Broderick,
and I thought, ah, I get it now. And then I kind of went back and watched those films again and kind of had a new appreciation for them and then his work obviously when he goes through his Robin Williams deep Pelt Society stage and you know with The Truman Show and Eternal Sunshine, the Spotless Mind, incredible, incredible performer.
The warm up sequence when in Cable Guy, where Jim Carrey's gone to play basketball with him and does a warm up sequence where he does the shuttle runs back and forth. It's one of my favorite scenes of any movie ever. It is quite extraordinary.
If you haven't seen Cable Guy, you get the bonus of early Jack Black, early Owen Wilson in that very funny film, kind of dark comedy. And I do remember the line I love was I learned the facts. I learned the facts of life by watching the Facts of Life. That was one of the sitcoms that was pretty popular now House growing up.
And Jim Carrey. Jim Carrey also gave I reckon one of the most authentic performances of rhinoceros being born in Acepentura Pet Detective too, that scene where he's stuck inside the fake rhinoceros and births himself in front of the tourists. That is I don't think you'll see a comedy performance better than that.
You're a vet. Was it accurate?
Like?
Were you watching it? They've nailed this, They've nailed this.
That's what I was drawn to it. It's remarkably authentic, and I mean they could have included that in the vetory science syllabus. It's that good.
Let's move on to a top gun.
My next typer Ow film.
I know it's yeah. We did this with Tony Martin had never seen Top Gun, believe it or not, and we watched it. It's funny when you watch it as an adult, and I watched it because I loved it as a kid, and I like and I'm not I'm
not turning my back on Top Gun. But when you watch it through the eyes of somebody you're watching it for the first time, particularly like a cinephile like Tony, you kind of go you see everything that's kind of silly and wrong about it, as opposed to when I watched it in the cinema in eighty six and then many times on VHS afterwards and just just loved it. You know, I was all on board the tom Cruise Express. It's it's a very different experience. So do you see it? When did you first see it?
I saw it in the cinema when I when I was a kid. And I mean I should preface this by saying that that as a kid, I all I wanted to do was be a pilot, okay, sex with planes, And still to this day, I'm I can you know if a plane flies over, I can tell you what sort of plane it is and probably where it's going. It's a it's a little bit, it's a little bit
rain Man esque. Another great film, but it's I've always been fascinated with with aviation, and and I've had a few flying lessons, but I've always been hampered by the fact that I am significantly color blind, and so I think a little bit of this film was me living vicariously through this this this film, this film, and this experience. So I when I watched it, I just fell in
love with the action. And it's an action film, but it's an action film at you know, ten thousand feet like it's and sure that the whole film is predicated upon the you know, the time that Tom Cruise is inverted upside down with a MiG and they get the polaroid shot between him and Goose, get this polaroid shot of them flipping the bird at a MiG pilot and the two canopies of the planes are about like ten centimeters apart, and it completely ignores the fact that the
tales of those planes are about twenty meters high, and like that was an aviation accident that should have occurred but didn't. And so somehow the tails are ignored in this, they get upside down inverted, they get they have this close contact. It makes Maverick Tom Cruise a star within the Air Force, within the US Air Force, and he's sort of propelled into Top Gun all based on a lie. If you could get past that, then then you're in for a rollicking good time.
I suspect Tom Cruise is also launched into the stratosphere based on his volleyball shirtless volleyball skills.
Have you ever have you ever tried to play beach volleyball on a summer's day in nothing but jeans?
I'm not sure why. Yeah, I mean put some boardies on.
It's it's it's so impractical, and you know, jeans limit your movements in every in every sense, the sand, the sweat,
it's it's so I watched that scene wondering why. And but then in the Top Gun Maverick sequel, they do it, they do it again, and I was just like wow, Like you're standing by your position on the on the denim on the beach, whereas you know where I'm from in Newcastle, you don't you don't wear you don't wear denim on the beach unless you are a Westie and you've never been to the beach before in your lot.
So like the even even in Bondi now, like if the lifeguards see someone turn up to the beach in jeans and go for a swim, even in jeans, like they start rolling on Bondo Rescue because they know they're onto They're onto something.
Immediately half of bond I Rescue people from the subcontinent who are swimming in Wranglers.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean it's it's I'd be surprised if there isn't some sort of secret Wranglers sponsorship of the program because there's so much branding that you see during during an episode of Bondo Rescue.
It is incredible Top Gun. It really is the birth of a megastar with with with the with Tom Cruise, like he just from there, he just explodes. He made I think a few films, you know, all the right moves and taps and the for them, but I think that kicks off, like you know, rain Man comes after that, and then the Born of the July and and it really did this. He exploded after that.
Jerry Maguire, Yeah yeah, And I think that the passion that he delivers his role with and but also he's just obscene cleanliness in every scene. He's always perfectly manicured, and and he's you know, the heart frog and the the you know, the Kelly McGillis character call signed Charlie she you know, is she's caught up in this. I mean,
it's an HR department nightmare. The fact that Kelly mcgillis's character, Charlie she is she's working at Top Gun as an instructor and as an advisor, and Tom Cruise is courting her at the same time. And you know, but all these things shouldn't happen in the workplace, but this is the eighties, so so they're allowed to happen in the workplace. And you know, the singing of you've lost that loving feeling in the in the air Force bar, which you know,
somehow miraculously impresses her. It's it's it's it's quite remarkable. But but I think just Bite, despite its sort of being this this incredible eighties action flick that's set in the air, it does actually bring you, i mean quite literally crashing back to Worth with the death of Goose. And that's that comes as such a surprise and and and really hits you hits. It's a real gut punch
of emotion. And and I think that that moment is is something that I actually I really enjoyed the film because I feel like it's it brings brings a bit of depth to the to the film, which which may
not have been there originally. But I just love I just love the action, and I love the adventure, and I love the excitement and and and I love the fact that when Tom Cruise is finally like it looks like he's finally won over Kelly mcgillis's character, he inexplicably decides he has to leave and go and have a shower. He's having drinks at a house. She's invited him to his to a house. They're like making out, and then for no reason at all, he just gets up and
leaves and goes and has a shower. Like what is That's?
To me?
Is the biggest story? Like what how bad is Tom Cruise's body?
Over?
How bad is Maverick's body? Odor that he has to leave and have a shower right when he's about to achieve his goal.
And the other big question is which we approach with Tony and nobody really seems to be able to answer this. In fact, I was able to interview Myles Taylor and I asked him, so I didn't get a chance to ask Tom Cruise. But who are they fighting at the end? Who is the enemy?
It's an unknown or unnamed com in a state because they have it's red. The helmets of the opponents are read. But they have a star like sort of that communist star, but it's never stated. No, and maybe maybe they don't need to know, maybe they don't want to know, like it's it's It is odd, isn't it that they've never well, they've never named.
It because if you follow the logic, and I think it's kind of smart that they didn't, you know, give it, you know, name the country. It doesn't need that kind of movie doesn't need that. But what but the inference is basically is America? Because these guys are you know, we're in San Diego. I think top gunanies. Yeah, basically this doesn't this mean America is basically being invaded? How far away does this happen?
Like?
It doesn't seem like it's a long way away. I kinda forget. Maybe in the graphics they explain where it is in the Indian Ocean. But yeah, that's the biggest story, that America is being invaded and they stopped that invasion.
Yeah, yeah, Yeah, it's a it's sort of a rogue state vibe. But you know, from from you never hear the enemy speak as well, so there's never any accent.
Yeah, it's a very conscious decision not to not to get themselves in hot water with any with any country by by not naming them.
And even the pilots when you when they cut to the cockpit of the pilots that they have visors down so you can't even like identify some sort of ethnicity. It's completely it's there's no reference to it whatsoever. But yeah, before I can tell it's it's kind of one of the sort of more this week invasion forces you've ever seen, because it looks like they've got three planes and that they decide they're going to take on the US with three planes and that's and that's it.
It's incredible. It's incredible, you know, you know what, I never thought of it at the time. It was only many many years later I thought, So, there we go. They made the right choice.
I mean, I know, I've kind of it sounds like I'm shitcanning it. But the reason I love it is because of the kind of similar to Dumb and Dumber. It's it's the escapism of the whole thing and the adventure and and that's what I get out of That's what I get out of films is I just love to be transported into this alternate universe and and and go on on a rollicking good time and feel like this is, you know, just a beautiful distraction from from
everything else. And you know, with Top Gun, it's it's the flying and the high speed sequences and and you know, and Goose Goose's demise and and and the redemption for Maverick. It's, yeah, I just I've just always associated with with just this feeling it gave me when I first watched it, and then as a tribute, I actually my twenty first birthday
party was Top Gun theme. Oh oh my god, I have photos of this and everyone came in like aviators and flight suits and I sang, you've lost that loving feeling. Of course at my twenty first oh my god, it was it was on. It was actually at a surf club in Newcastle, and which which which gave it that sort of San Diego vibe.
Yeah, it was.
It happened at night annoyingly, so we couldn't play you know, jeans clad beats volleyball. But it was just it was like we were We're at fighter school, and that's that's why it was just the perfect, the perfect thing.
I I am requesting that you provide a photo that we can put on Socials when this episode goes out. The Segaret Life of Waldemity. Ben's still a bit of a passion project, I think for Ben Stiller, but a
really really amazing film. And when I think about the secle for what a MIDI I think about sometimes you get a movie and maybe even this for the trailer where there's a song that marries up perfectly to that movie, and that song of monsters and Men, which is I think they I think they're Icelandic, aren't they?
They're from Rakvic?
Yeah, yeah, And that I remember thinking what a perfect you know, I mean, the trailers are so good and and the and that song I just thought fit it perfectly, and then the movie delivered as well.
That the soundtrack to the whole film is one of my most played things in you know, on my my Spotify because it is it's escapism music, and it's it's it's music that's a soundtrack to adventure. And I think that's what I love about the film is the fact that it is kind of the this ultimate adventure travel film where you are transported to this sort of magical part of the world, this mysterious part of the world where you know, Ben Steeler's characters is trying to find
this missing photographer and and and this missing photo. And I love photography, I love travel, and I love Scandinavia and and so all those elements. It's it's like my sort of dream trip combined into put into a film. And I just I love the the little sidebars of an adventure and experience that that that Ben Steller's character has along the way. So it makes it just a really aspirational watch.
Yeah, I remember really loving it. And because it's it's a it's a Kirsten Wig as well, isn't that She's Ben Stiller film because goes on this incredible adventure and if you haven't seen The cigare Life of Water Meta Get Onto It's it's a cranker. But at this time we should talk about the film that we are here to talk about. Written and directed by Andrew Dominic from the year two thousand, starring of course Eric Banner, also I mean Vince Colossimo, David Field, Dan Wiley, Kate b
and Simon Linden. The cast is incredible. The movie is Chopper, Doctor Chris Brown, did you enjoy it?
Be honest?
Yep, No I didn't.
Okay, I didn't like it.
I mean, this is this is a film. This is and I say this always on this podcast. People will watch a film and they you know, oft in the morning of the night before. I think, in this case, and it's a lot and this is a this is a film that is well, it is divisive, it's it's it's it's amazing in a way that so many people love it because it is it's it's a bit full on. It it's a bit full on. And and I always make the point that people are often still processing a film.
We've had example, and I'm not saying this is going to happen to you, Chris, but we've had examples where people have come on and the more we talk about the film, the more they may start to think about it, the more and enjoy it a bit more but this is this is that weird mix of violence and comedy, which it doesn't doesn't always work for everyone. But what what we what were your what were your thoughts?
Look, it's gritty, it's dark, and I don't know, you probably had had a bit of a scary insight into into the way mine my mind works. When it comes to cinema and into film. I like, I like escapism. I like to go on an enjoyable ride. And when the first half of Chopper is set in a prison, a very dark, sort of gray prison, the concept of escapism is not surprisingly a little foreign when you are stuck inside a prison, and it just the dark humor of it. I just I just found it a little,
I don't know, a little confronting. And I just find Chopper's character such so confounding, like he's so contradictory. But I know that's what made Mark Chopper read such and a enigma in a way, was the fact that he could combine humor, this dark charisma, but then this complete brutality and and this you know, bordering on being a psychopath where he just doesn't seem to feel pain or sense any sort of sorrow for anyone.
That you.
Just found and found it so so confusing, but not in a but not in a good way.
Well it's crazy and that's why I kind of highlighted it in my intro. It is nuts. And I know that celebrity and has almost gotten out of control with you know who. It used to be that you did something you apply to trade, whether it be whether it be comedy or presenting or singing or acting or dancing. And that's and then and now, of course you can get famous through a number of different things. And I'm
not that's not a complaint. Like you know, I think it's great that people can make YouTube videos and find fame through that because you know, like they're finding an audience and obviously people it's a response. But the idea that now, you know, twenty five years ago there was a guy who became a best selling author and a celebrity who was a hit man, yes, a Gang Lang Gang Lang figure. This is all before you know, the
underbelly juggernaut is still incredible to me. Like he was, and I remember he was on talk shows, you know, he was doing the talk show circuit, he was on the footage show, he was doing I think some stand up comedy like it was. It was bizarre and everyone, I'm sure there were some dissenting voices at the time, but everyone seemed to be going along with it. Now, Chopper was it was a Melbourne identity being in Newcastle? Did did did he permeate? They your your psyche? Did he did he?
Kind of?
Yeah? Was he as big in New South Wales or or Newcastle? Was he was in Melbourne?
Not not as as big? And I think that that underworlds, that Melbourne underworld was was quite far removed and was kind of seen as you know, what what was happening down there? And I was like whoa, like what what? What the hell? Like?
What?
How how they not got this this whole thing under control? But he was certainly a character that was a cult figure. And and you know a lot of a lot of mates, often poorly, would would do an impression of of Chopper. A lot of people did Chopper impressions, and and so you know, I think you had an appreciation for this, this searing character that had such a remarkable presence. But at the same time, like the darkness was never was
never too far away. What I found remarkable was was just how seemly and I think this is like part of the comedy of it. But the how contrive, how sorry he is, like, you'll pull a gut on someone and and and go to kill them on the spot, execute them in cold blood, and then something will make him not do it, and then he's like, oh sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. And it seems it seems
so real that he is he is apologetic. And I found that that that side of his character so is so intriguing the fact that he gives the impression of having such a deep conscience.
Yeah, I I I completely agree, and it's see And I do wonder if he was if he was contrite in those moments, you know, and he was remorseful and caring, or was it part of his part of his act was a performative, you know, the idea, because it's kind of scarier in a way that he can stab somebody and go, are you okay, mate? You know, like you're okay?
I mean, I mean, at the same time, it's probably it probably is real because there's a scene, of course, when he is attacked by Jimmy, and I figure, if if the mask was ever gonna slip, it would be when he actually has had a few knives. You know, the ship's gone in a few times. In fact, let's have a listen at at that scene where Jimmy Lafman played by Simon Lindon tries to take down Chopper.
Give me mate, sorry, top, that's all right, that's all right.
H shit, Jimmy, if you keep stabbing, you're gonna kill me? Right, terrific, snake gay, jim bloody terrific. You obviously listen and learned, well, didn't you always give credit where credit is due? Jimmy in the top mark for treachery.
I mean it's I mean, if it keeps stabbing, stabbing me, you're gonna kill me. I mean, there's genuinely great lines in it. But yeah, it makes me think that he was it was just part of his his DNA, that there was obviously a little bit of there was performance, I think, but the fact that he's being stabbed and he's still the same chomper makes me think that this was actually who he was.
Yeah, It's it's almost a little bit like Terminator esque where you just realize that you cannot kill him, and and the fact that he is so emotionless, to the fact that this. You know, he supposed best mate is stabbing him repeatedly, yet he's completely unmoved, unperturbed, and just carries on with with it. Doesn't break character, doesn't doesn't
it doesn't show any emotion and almost shows pity for him. Yeah, but I think it's it is quite chilling in a way that that he's able to do that, And you can see in that cell the mood amongst sort of Jimmy and Dan Wiley's character just instantly changed with the like, oh no, we've made a We've made a terrible mistake, because it would be easier if he fought back, or if he if he was if he was angry, to
continue and actually kill him. But the fact that he's just impervious to these attacks, they just become incredibly frightened by by that very thing.
The fact that his mood can can switch on a knife's edge does give an intensity when he goes later on to visit Jimmy because he suspects he's heard that he may be going to carry out a hit on behalf of Nevil Barchas, and he's one minute he's telling that the kid look look hello, hello, Hello. He's doing all of that, and then he's having a laugh and this is a bit swank, isn't it. This is a
great old laugh, I mean. And then to go into now Jimmy, I need to you know, and and he's serious and he's got the gun to his head, you know, like seconds later. It's that kind of those characters who you just don't know when they're going to switch a gold as far as you know, a writer or a director goes or an actor to be able to switch it up like that is just it gives a very because the audience a very intense feeling and experience.
And this is I guess this is the important thing that I think Eric Banner's performance is actually like actually remarkable. Yeah, you know, it's it's it's chilling, it's compelling, it it has it has humor. You know. He does give like one of the worst, one of the worst auditions for a role in The Wiggles with that scene with the kids, with the with with with Jimmy's daughter where he's doing that. It's that's so disturbing because it's his take on how hard a parent. But I yeah, I just I find
so many parts of the film so so challenging. That it's it's hard for me to relax into and enjoy. If you like it's it's a harder watch of a film rather than an enjoyable watch. It doesn't make it a I guess, a terrible It's just it's just for me. It's it's a harder film to watch.
Yeah, And I think we should point out for those who are too young to remember. You know, this came out of no seemingly came out of nowhere. Eric Bandal, I, I was about to use you about it. I remember when Eric Banner was cast. Before the movie came out, we just heard that Eric Banner was going playing Chopper. It was like he was the biggest sketch comedy star in the country. He was doing impressions of of you know,
Ray Martin was one of his famous ones. He had his character Peter, you know, and you know, this bogan kind of character. And then to hear that he was playing it took a while to get our heads around it, you know, like what And I remember doing a joke on stage that I said, Eric Banner has been cast as Chopper. I said. And in more breaking news, Mark Mitchell, who was from the Comedy Company, played on the Fruiter.
He's been cast as Martin Bryant. You know, like it kind of it seemed you know, like it seemed like there was a mix of excitement but also like, wow, this is going to be interesting and and your fingers crossed for Eric and then for him to deliver I think one of the great Australian screen performances is incredible and that and that launches him. Brad Pitt basically sees
this movie. He casts him in Troy. Then he then gets the director Andrew Dominic to direct, you know, the assassination of of just James, and everyone just goes from there and it's it's just it was an incredible performance and the charming you know, like it was really like I can understand. And one of the reasons I get people to, you know, tell me their top three films at the start of the show is you are giving us a little bit of an insight into what you
love and what you what you like. So to be honest, and I didn't really think about because I you know, I basically you know, heard your three films as you said them. But if you think about the three films you nominated, Dumb and Dumber Top Gun and the Secret Life of Walder MIDI. It's probably no shock that Chopper didn't sit well with you.
It's probably in hindsight, Yeah, it makes a lot more sense, doesn't it.
But you know, but it is you.
You do witness, as you say, a truly great performance. And and I never once questioned Eric Banner as Chopper. You know, and at a couple of moments you just assume you're watching Mark read like youtually feel like that that's that is actually him And it's almost a documentary, it's almost real life vision because it's so it's such a believable portrayal, and and he just commits so wholeheartedly that you you know, it's it is a tribute to him.
I did spend a lot of time in the film looking at his ears, though, and I really, I really wanted to know what they've done with the years. And I was at one point, I'm like, they've just stuck heir, They've just stuck hair over them to hide where like they haven't chopped off part of his ears prosthetic, Ye,
what's going on? I was so obsessed with the years, which are such a defining feature of the Chopper story, and continually are used, like as a as a punchline throughout the film as to why people don't like him because because of his the fact he's missing his ears and he's going to scare the children because of his ears, and you know that they constantly back reference the years and I'm like, which I think is a risky It's a risky play given given the relatively short views that
the Chopper has, but hey, they go there.
Yeah, I mean, the dad cheers big ears. I mean, there is absolute craft, you know, in this movie, and that's why Andrew Dominic has gone on and become you know this, you know, one of the most sort of after directors in the world. Not only does it look great before, he gets great performances. But yeah, I love where the movie starts. It's Chomper in e Cell watching
himself back do this interview. And I think that interview is which you know, I think he's almost verbatim in an interview he gave and he's you know, a couple of the screws are there watching and enjoying it with him, and it kind of tells us a lot from the get go. He tells us that, you know, he's charming, enough to you know, have the screws, you know, almost be entertained. He's on TV, and the stuff he's saying
in that interview I think actually rang true. And that's why when we talk about how was there a hitman celebrity, it's been because I think the feeling was and I think you kind of even sense it with the gang
land wars that go on now. I think the community are like, if you guys, keep it in your own areas, if innocent people aren't getting, you know, affected by this, we'll just watch on his entertainment, you know, like, but as soon as you can cross that line where a civilian and a civilian gets gets hurt or harm, that's when we're you know, that's when we're going to demand action in a way. But otherwise just keep it to yourselves.
Yeah. Yeah, And that constant through line of the fact that he's having these regular meetings with the police who are trying to just corral him into the place they want him to be, and he keeps on wanting them to admit the fact that he's almost running above the law with his operations. I did find that quite quite enjoyable thing to say, and I think You're right, that's
probably how the public assumed things were going. They probably didn't want to know the reality of the fact that he was he was killing people in cold blood ultimately, but these people were bad people, and so that was how it was. It was justified, and and so we were able to sort of sleep at night. And he does does talk about the fact that, you know, most people, most people shouldn't be worried about Chopper because he's not he's not he's not in their world, he's not them,
he's not coming after them. And I think that's a that that that would that would certainly that would certainly
explain it. You know, his his celebrity status, but but he you know, he does make for a chilling figure when you're taken front row two to what what are some some pretty robust killings of you know, Sammy the Turk for example, which when you're talking about the director Andrew Dominique and and what he does with that, that the dramatic reenactment of that killing in almost like a cartoon esque way is I found it's sort of maybe sit up and go what what is what is this?
But they almost make a comedy out of a cold bloody killing. It's but it's done. It is done beautifully. It's done very well and almost humorously.
Yeah. Absolutely, And we'll have a listen to the bow Jangers recital maybe soon. But it is like, it's those kinds of stylistic decisions that Dominic makes that propels this film into something else. It's it's it's bad its performance obviously, but it's also yeah, I love it when you get this situation where it's the director or the creative team just are all on the same page and and like this this is not necessarily a tragedy, like it's a
it's kind of a tragic comedy. I mean a lot of this is also about, you know, a man who who are more comfortable on the inside than the outside, and that's we've seen that many times. But sure Shank Redemption is very much about that. And it's that they don't overegg that point. But it's quite clear that Chopper runs the show inside, you know, H Division. But as soon as he gets out, he's looking over his shoulder. You know, he doesn't know, he can't shake he can
never shake H Division. It's always going to be part of him. And that's that's not a nice way. It's not a nice way to live.
It's not, but you know, he finds ways of spicing it up by catching up with his good mates, like like Nevil Bardos.
Yeah, well, let's just lean into Nevil Bartos for a second, Vince Colossimo. I mean, it's hilarious from the get go that Chopper can't remember his name, despite the fact he did actually shoot him in the leg.
In the knee, right, yeah, which he takes credit for because he could have shot him in the head, but he decided to shoot him in the knee. So he's looking for praise and thanks, yeah, from the.
Outset, because Chopper is the great think about the character I think and the way Eric plays him. He is, like he points out that he, you know, he can barely read or write, but he's become this great author. These you know, all these academics and intellectuals, you know, can't get published or trying to get get their books on shelves and they can't do it. But here he is in his cell So he's not well educated, but he sees himself as intelligent. You know, the way the
way he talks. You know, one of the early quotes is, you know, even even Beethoven had his critics, you know, name three, and Nevil Barts I think is a similar kind of thing. He sees himself as a businessman, you know, and he's you know, I mean Vince Colossimo. I've had the chance to work with Vince before. He directed him in an episode of It's a Date. You know. I won't say he's an underrated comic actor because I think a lot of people will realize how how good he is.
He's also really good dramatically. But he's so good in this. And then there's there's, of course a famous scene where Chopper goes this is this weird relationship they have and and you're not sure if Chopper is playing Neville. Is it a cat playing with a mouse, you know, or or are these this instinctive choices that Choppers making along the way we instinctive It's like, I need money now, Yeah, I'm gonna go see Neville. Then he's apologizing, and then
he's fucking him up again like that. The fucking around with Nevill Bartos's head by Chopper is quite incredible. But he finally goes to the house, and of course he wants some cash.
Never all.
Bloody sorry, mate, I've had a couple of dreams, so I get a bit bloody carried on. I've just been out you fucking sorry, atty bit of goy.
I don't know who you think you're talking to him, but you've been very rude. You understand, show me some respect.
We are very very rude.
You have money.
I'm very embarrassed. You know I'm fucking embarrassed. I'm fucking sorry, Nev.
I'm sorry. All right, apology accepted.
Now let it go.
We relaxed, take it easy.
Fuck, I'm trying to relax over.
But seriously, Nev, like how you holding for cash? I'm a big bloody break.
This the mate.
What are you talking about.
Cash?
There's no cash here here, there's no cash, all right, cash, no Robbie.
No cash.
I'll tell you what you try getting from where you're sitting to the front door, because I reckon I could shoot you from where you're sitting to the front door, because that's about as long as you've got to produce some money for me right now. I'll give you twenty seconds to produce some cash as a fucking shoot you.
One two.
I've got no cash, mate, for I told you to achieve this.
You come here, we shut that fuck down.
What fifth?
Oh god, what the fuck are you doing?
Mate?
Jesus Christ relaxed.
He's not any where fucking is now, wouldn't he?
And then and then supposedly drives him to the hospital, which is again a very funny scene when he explains that driving he's victim to the hospital defeats the purpose of shooting him in the first place.
Which is it's probably one of the main Chopper quotes, isn't it that that he that he gave and just explains sort of the absurdity and the contradiction of of his life almost perfectly in one in one statement. Yeah, yeah, you're pretty convinced he did he did shoot him. I mean he doesn't. He doesn't have a short views, he doesn't have a fews. It's it just flips so so instantly into into deciding he's gonna play this game with him and shoot him if he doesn't produce cash in
twenty seconds. But it's it's again, it's that chilling nature of the character where you never know exactly when it could turn. And I think that's what makes him so so terrifying.
Yeah, absolutely, because the only time he really seems to get emotional is with Tanya. He's he's he's sex worker a girlfriend, which I imagine, you know, like if somebody is prone to being jealous, and I think Tanya points it out, you know, you're seeing who are you fucking?
And she's like, I'm I'm a I'm a sex worker, you know, and it's and I mean there's that scene of course where he goes to her house and and and this is what the sharpest example of that, in a way, the tone of the movie of violence and you know, in a way comedy kind of going so closely he actually he's strikes it's off camera, but you see him kind of you know, striking Tanya, and it's really really hard to watch. It's it's horrifying and any
headbuts his mum, and that's really hard to watch. But then he and you know that he kind of tries to gather himself. He's apologizing, and then and then he says this line which like should not be funny. It should not be but he says, your mum's upset. Man.
It's it's like it's funny, and that is that is the movie in it like it should not this guy should not be funny, and and and and it's a really tricky balance because like I don't come in I don't come out of this going, oh I really you know, I really like Chopper or you know, I'm you know, I'm even condoning his actions because on top of yeah, he may have murdered some people that as a society, we may we may not care about the drug dealers
and you know, you know, getting murdered wrongly or rightly. But there is you know, like that that scene was there were innocent victims there, and and then he turns around and and it's kind, but it's also it's inherent in his character. He's you know, he headbuts at the mom and says, now, your mum's upset. But it's it's the same thing with with Neville, like he's he's basically
shot him in the leg some years earlier. He found out that he's got crime compensation for it, and then feels like he deserves some of that money because it's like we almost like we worked it out. This is you know, where's my where's my cut?
It's like he feels like he's been the greatest entrepreneur of his time because he's found his niche where if he if he maims people, they make money out of it. So he's the good guy in all of this. He he doesn't tend to own his his mistakes mistakes too much, but but more celebrates his his achievements has been the greatest gift in there in their life. And the fact
Nell never can barely walk is beside the point. I mean, as a side note, I think the fact that Nevill Bartos can't walk is more due to the fact he's carrying around sixty kilograms of gold chains around his neck at any given opportunity, which would surely hamper his mobility. But I think, yeah, it's it's incredible the way his mind works. I think that's what makes him so so compelling.
Yeah, yeah, the I wasn't sure if I was gonna actually talk about this or bring this up, and I'm not sure if I've ever said this. Probably I met Chopper really, he's a drink at my local pub in Collingwood. I was living in Collingwood for a couple of years.
I mean, I wanted to make the point that I think it's unlikely would have had such an open chat about him if he was still alive.
Yeah, no, no, And I was certainly gonna be telling this story. But it was basically, it was a pretty quite a little pub, and I was there with my mate who you know, we we were sharing a house together, and we're playing pool and look over at the other side of the bar and Choppers there with his girlfriend
and he, you know, maybe have a few drinks. And he recognized him, and he comes over and we start having a chat, and then we start we start having a couple of laughs, and I'm you know, Chopper was chopping like I was, like, you know, I started asking questions and some ball laughs, and then you know, a couple more beers, and I remember at one point going to the bathroom and maybe splashing a bit of water on my face, maybe metaphorically doing that, and kind of
reminding myself, don't get fucking too comfortable, don't get too cheeky. This guy has murdered people. You know, it's probably time to go home because, yeah, who knows he's drinking, you're drinking, Who knows, you might just get one of those wrong.
Yeah, had you seen the film by the time you did that this encounter.
Yes, I would have seen the film actually, because this is I saw it in cinemas as soon as it came out, and this would have been around about a year after the film came out. I reckon, so so I had I felt like I had, you know, reference points and things to ask about.
And then to not mention as well, well, yeah, exactly.
I kind of just went, no, you don't need to know if he's killed people or you know, in details, like just just kind of keep it light, keep it about footy, you know. But then what happened, like, you know, I bumped into him again. It was almost this very similar situation. He was like, there was a few more
people around, but he came up to me. He had a bit of a chat, and he came and then he went back to the bar and we went necessarily hanging out, but you know, we past each other as we go out to the bathroom or something, and he came up to me and he gave me this like clicklock bag of drugs, I'm telling you, like, and I, to my to my untrained eye, not not a drug user, but it seemed to be I would say, marijuana laced with speed, which seems like two competing forces to me.
I mean, at least call it at least call it goey.
I mean, just.
So, just give me the bag of goeye. And and I I I put it in my pocket at me because I was like, I don't want to get spotted with this, and and I kind of you really say much, And he goes out there, mate, that's some fun, you know, And I'm like, what, And then I remember going home, you know, I say, there for a while, going home, I had this bag and I don't know what to do with it. I said, not a drug user. And in no way I was going to you know, tending
or even give this to anyone. I was like, so I put it in my bedside table and it was around the stat at that time I was, I was, you know, seeing my now wife Bridge, and I took a little while for me to tell her. I said, oh, by the way, this weird thing happened that Chopper gave me this bag of drugs. As she goes, really, what did you do with it? And I said, I just this in my bedside table, and she's just what the fucking like, why didn't you get rid of it? And
I didn't really have an answer. I think the only thing I could think of was I just thought, what happened if Chopper says to me, do you have that bag of drugs for me? Like it was he giving it to me for me to use or was it giving it to me to hold until like it seemed to me, Yes, it seemed to me like a significant amount of drugs. It wasn't like a tiny little click bag with you know, somebody you see the tiny bit of drug like the little bagges what do they call
them with with cocone? It wasn't. It wasn't that. It was like a significant could you could fit you know, a decent sandwich into this into this bag?
You know?
Like my god, Yeah, it was a lot. So I said, you're right. You know, a few months had passed, I think since he'd given it to me, So I threw it out. You know, but I remember when he died. For those who don't know he died of I think you might have been cancer or it was a liver living cancer. Yeah, yeah, I think what liver related. But there was a part of it is like, Okay, well, thank god, he's not going to come back for the drugs. He's I'm not gonna get a tap on the shoulder.
I feel like you had. Yeah, you go to those charity options and they you can like money come by experience. I feel like you've got the Chopper experience. Someone someone at an option bid for Peter Hellier to have the full Chopper experience, and it was it included two drinks and a bag of Goeye with Chopper in a pump. And people would have bid, you know, sign like one hundred thousand dollars for that experience, and someone someone's bought that for you and you got to live like you
went on the chopper ride. Yeah, and very few people have done that and then lived or like or not had a life of drugs and addiction after it. So what what what an experience?
Yeah, it didn't get stabby, you know, I'm pretty sure it was the last time I saw him too, So I'm not I'm not sure when did the actually chop a dive thirteen?
I think in the because it says it at the end of the film.
Okay, right, okay, so it was it was a bit longer after that. So there's plenty of opportunities, perhaps for us to bump into each other. But fun times, let's have it. Let's obviously I did want to ask you. I mean, it takes a certain kind of individual, doesn't it to you know, to be having a quiet chat at a pub with the police officers and they get the Johnson out at the same time. I mean, that's.
That's I didn't want to know whether whether he got it out when you're in the public him and what was It wasn't as significant as as as it would appear.
No weird because I'd seen the movie. I got mine out and he noticed, nobody noticed, So it was very you know, how embarrassing it is to have it out there for fifteen twenty minutes and nobody's saying anything.
You thought it was like almost the way Chopper shakes hands and you just get it out and that's that's the greeting that you use. It is. I've never done that personally, but I find a remarkable way that I just to carry yourself quite literally in a pub. But yeah, I do find that it's again like just one of the many layers of the man.
What's interesting about this film its structurally it's a really impressive film because it just it gives you what it wants to give you, Like the idea that he gets taken out, he chops his years off, he gets taken to you know, another prison, because he knows that there's that they're coming for him. I mean, first of all, his plan to get out of the way was was nuts.
Like the reason that Jimmy you know, tries to kill him is because he knows that this this plan, this guy's insane and either he's going to get me killed or kill me or I have to take him out. The idea that they're going to basically basically knife everybody into you know, basically paralyze or make everybody paraplegics.
He was going to take multiple hostages and then use an ice pick to take out the spines of all of his rivals.
Yeah, which is when everyone in that prison like it's batshit crazy. That's what happens. So then basically you cut from him getting transferred, when he's gloating about getting transferred to mister Beasley and all of that, and then it just cuts to him walking down the street. He's obviously put on some kg. So that's all we need to know is time is obviously passed and now he's out. We have no I think it's even I think it's like a ninety four minute film that a lot of
people are talking about these days. I see even Netflix now has a category ninety minute films. I think people are kind of wondering why everything that needs to be you know, two two and a half hours now. But it tells us what it was. We don't we start in prison. He doesn't tell us. It tells us why
he got into prison. He kidnapped the judge. But you know, you know, there's a version of this film where you start with the kidnapping of a judge, and that you can imagine that being a pretty interesting and intense scene, but it doesn't. It goes exactly where Andrew Dominican wants to take us.
And that's why I think it's funny you touch on that because I watched it last night and I was watching it and it was it was getting late, and I just pressed the remote just to see. I assume that there must be an hour to go, because it was still very much in his crime phase. You know, he was dealing with Jimmy, in the fact, Jimmy wanted to killing And I looked at and it said the film had twelve minutes to go, So what how?
How?
How?
How are we here? How are we How are they going to wrap this up?
How is this?
How's this going to finish? And it was sort of it's it's a film that doesn't have a clear arc in a way or a clear resolution apart from the fact that Chopper Dog eventually died, but it's it's it's I like that, I do respect that, I know I'm doing what you said I might do, which is sort of coming around to the majesty and the magic of the film, But I do like the fact it doesn't necessarily follow the rules of a classic a classic crime drama, whether there's some sort of beautiful tied in a bow
resolution at the end. It's it's sort of it just continues to be dark, and the story of Sammy the Turk is kind of the lasting sort of legacy of the whole thing and the stats around how many people he apparently killed versus how many people he ever got actually charged and then acquitted for.
Yeah, it's fascinated because every film usually it's about a journey. It's about your protagonist journey and he starts, they start at a at a certain point and then they they may want something, but usually it's you know, we don't give them what they want, they actually get what they need. And that's and that's the journey with with with Chopper. There's not there's not really those there's not even really the traditional kind of obstacles you put in their way,
because he seems impervious to obstacles. He just walks around the obstacles. So there's no sense of this journey that Chopper has gone on from seeing one to you know, the final scene, it's he's not he's not rehabilitated. You know, we know he doesn't really you know, see the light and you know, and whatever comes out of his mouth.
To be honest, where can we believe it? I mean, the fact that even that there's you know, I think the opening you know, credits on the green like this is base of the paraphrase, it's something like this is based on the autobiography. But we had no idea if this is true or not. You know, it's I think the tagline of the film was the truth, the half truth, and nothing like the truth.
You know what's interesting about the film, when you have your ninety three minutes all about Chopper, you would think that it ultimately glorifies his character. But I didn't really feel that way. I didn't really feel like, by the end, you think the world of this guy, you're happy to sort of let go of the murderous, murderous ways and really love him. You don't come out of it loving him. You sort of come out of it intrigued by the
contradictions of his life. But I sort of came out of it with probably the same feeling about him that I had before, which is sort of just a bit more, a bit stand offish and a bit sort of confused by about how we sort of reach this celebrity status. Yeah, which is which is interesting in.
Yeah, And I think I think it's a beautiful final scene and we'll get the same same the turk in the second. But the final scene, maybe it is Maybe the journey is that he starts off it's almost a
reverse journey. It's he starts off being happy and watching himself on the TV, and we go back to that moment, you know, we see him give the interview to Renee Brack, and then he's he's watching it back and we you know, the bits of what we've seen before, but then you know, the screws, it's all laughed it's all like, you know, oh, this is great publicity. How much will that you know costs usually you know, and he's really wrapped with himself
and he's he's the king, he's living the life. And then the screw's kind of you know, leave him alone. They lock the door and he's in a he's in a cell by himself, and it's and then what a horrible way, what a horrible existence that is? So I think you're right in the same way that you know, somebody thought the train Spotting was glamorizing Heroin. It's like, how can you watch that movie and come away thinking that Heroin was a good option for any of those characters.
It's it's I feel the same with Chopper.
It's a it's a tragic end in a way because you see this man when there is no bluster and bluff and and performance that it's it's actually it's a front to what is a fairly sad existence.
Yeah. Absolutely, let's see send me to Turk. So he's basically a minor character up until the end.
Here.
You know, there's a few glances and I love those at first nightclub scene where Chop ends up shooting the place up because it feels like he's going through a haunted house and it's like he doesn't know who's out there getting there's never Bartos over there. There's this guy that sen me to Turk that's looking over him, and he's just he's scared. I actually see for the first time, even though there's no doesn't seem to be any imminent danger, like he's been in a much more dangerous place in
h division. But all of a sudden you actually see fear on his face for the first time, which I think is really interesting. But towards the end, Sammy to finally gets his attention and and takes him out to the car park.
Because you'll touch me for t you buddy, homosexual or something? Why are you scared?
I don't touch you.
I'm scared.
Just don't touch me, you buddy.
Where's your car?
It's not there?
Which one kick gowing?
Where? Hey? Here is that gun?
Huh? It's a gun.
It's fucking porn to act.
You know who's taming you on?
What?
Whose team are you on?
Team? That's great? Fucking comedian too?
Are you?
Yeah?
What'd you fucking bring me out here?
What? No? Chop?
You you you bring me here.
Huh, fucking good answer.
Yes, I'm good.
I'm friend to you.
Yeah, oh yeah, you're a fucking friend. Ancher bringing me out here in the middle of the fucking night.
Before sick line.
Huh, sick line.
What what's that mean?
You are? You want English?
Fucking English a slayer?
Fuck you and know it's English.
And then and then Chopper again goes into his like almost apologetic and you came out it's it's it's quite. It's yeah. I mean, he's himself to the end. And then of course we we we go to you know, we learn what actually was supposed to take place and and and what went wrong or right, I guess in Chopper's case with again Lovely you mentioned it before, Lovely Flourish from writer director Andrew Dominic. To do this like this, I think was a it was just a beautiful touch.
But this sometimes you can go for these. You have these ideas and these creative ideas, and you're seeing films and it doesn't quite fit. It's a bit jarring, but this is fit the mood and the vibe of the film perfectly. This is the Bojangles recital.
Jimmy and the Boys will be in the car.
You helped set up the big fella. It'll make you a star. They said they had it farmed out, they had it costed, but when I walked out the door, they just left me posted.
The game was for real.
It was no lark.
But the twitch took him out of the wrong car park. Silly boys.
That's all the chop I had to say, Poor little semi god, blown away.
The knuckleheads.
I could have shot him in both knee caps and finished a game of cards before this crew of retail It's got there.
Yeah, there's a bit of a chop referring to himself in the third person as well. He doesn't he doesn't mind doing that.
From the opening scene to the last that that is a recurring, a recurring theme of the third person. But but you're also he's almost poking it spends a lot of time in the film, I think poking fun of just the lack of intelligence of of most criminals and the fact that he does see himself as being above above that because he's a he's a smarter operator, and it stands out and that that's I think what he
enables him to endure through those moments. And that's one great example, where just bumbling fools a lot of the time.
Yeah, yeah, it's it's it's a mesmerizing performance by Eric Banner and everyone is so good. We had Jimmy Luffman there, Simon Lyndon, you know, Kate b And as Tanya I think is great. David Field as Keithy, you know at the start he's one of my favorite Australian actors. David Field is awesome that he's in the great One called Every Night, Every Night, if you ever get a chance to, if you're like a prison drama, it's seemed a bit more full on than than Chopper.
You know, Dan put boot polish, boot polish in your hair to hide a bald spot. That is a that is a master class in that as well.
It really is mate, mate, thank you so much. You are one of the busiest men in the Berz and for you to watch a movie about h division when you would rather be following Ben Stiller through the scenic landscapes of Iceland, it was quite quite remarkable that we chose this film.
You know what, I not two months ago I did actually go on a Ben Steller inspired journey through the fjords of Iceland almost retracing the secret life of Walter Mite journey.
So I look, this was.
Coming needed a reality check back to the underworld of Melbourne, and you provided it. And for that I will be eternally grateful. I had I feared nightmares last night.
I didn't.
I didn't have them. But but I am now so across the world of Chopper, of Bojangles and the fact that if someone asks you for cash, just give them the cash. That that is my advice.
And next time you see me, maybe you know at the logis you know, if I'm at a bar, just just cast your eyes downwards. I might have a little surprised for here.
Just look in the pocket in the skyrocket, Like when you said you throw it out. I don't believe a word of that.
I think.
I think it's it should be in a museum. That should be a museum piece somewhere. The bag that Chopper gave you, I think is the remarkable piece that I think. You know, how how is the Victorian Museum not snapping that up?
I wish I forget, which have been if I threw in the recycle being all the garbage, But yeah, I want to I assume it's it's been dispensed. Maybe somebody found it. I don't know. I certainly wasn't going to be responsible for giving it to anybody, but yeah, fun times, fun times with Uncle Chop Chop.
I had a similar experience in an LA nightclub with with Courtney Love and Lindsay Lowe and and a bag that was just was appeared in a bathroom that I just saw and took a photo of because I thought, you know what, that's going to be a fun story to retail one day. And I don't know who owned it, which are those people owned it? But one of them did, and that's enough for me.
I just I mean, I just remind you that both those people are still alive, at least at least Choppers there.
In hindsight, a terrible, terrible retelling story.
But you're a legend, and thanks for joining us and we'll catch up against so no doubt really enjoyed it.
Thanks so much, mate.
That was fun. And I think another episode where somebody maybe didn't love a film, but then maybe the more we discussed it maybe came around a little bit. Maybe not completely, but just a little bit. It's interesting when we actually get a chance to discuss films it's you know, we do find appreciation. And the fact is every week
on this podcast we're talking about a classic movie. So the you know, as my dad will say, they're classics for a reason, and so sometimes when you just do a little bit of deep diving, you start maybe appreciating it a little more, hopefully.
You know.
Chris well, I know that he enjoyed that. He said so, and I believed him. Thank you, Chris, and apologies for my voice being a bit croaky. We had some some farewell drinks from my colleague Curry bit More couple of days ago before this episode was recorded, so it's it's unblaming her. It'd be better for next episode. I'm sure Derek Myyers and Casways Studios dot com au is in the building of course, as he always is in the studio. Derek, you'd be a big Chopper Fanily.
Chopper was amazing. It was just that weird thing kubrick esque kind of vibe where there's someone you're kind of tricked into sort of barracking for who's just not good, not a good person.
I mean, I think with movies generally, I mean we always it's always a protagonist that we kind of root for you know, like I very rarely do you not root for the And there's a reason Tony Soprano. We love Tony Soprano. You know, there's there's a reason, you know what. We're white, you know, they're we We're okay with people doing bad things in movies, you know, like as long as we can see and understand them a
little bit more. Now, Chopper is a fine line with him, whether we how much insight we get as to why Chopper became Chopper. But it's a fascinating character study. And I think it's a brilliant, brilliant film, I really do. All the elements from production came together and and I think it's a cracker.
Yeah. Did the production team and the writers and the director and Eric Banner and the other actors in there you've seen years and years later doing amazing work I know their names. But did they make him seem funny? Did Chopper love this? Afterwards? I also ran in him in a bar he did, Yeah, And you just go. I wonder if he is that same a year or so after the film.
I wonder if he was a.
Real funny guy or whether they just whether the movie was just a genius. It was just really well made.
I think he was a pretty charming guy, you know, like he I think he certainly had that. I think he had a good turn of phrase as far as you know, the way he would put things. I think it was. I think it was pretty funny, you know, like whether that you know, there's probably a reason why it's down up comedy didn't take off for you know, you know, you can be funny at a bar, and that's a very different thing as being funny, you know, being professionally funny. I guess if you like, but a
fascinating guy, and yeah, you're right. The cast is incredible. You got Dan Wiley, you got David Field, kateb and Simon Linden, Vince Colossimo of course you're really really strong cast. And yeah, it's it's a real good one, all right. If you if you want to get onto us, you can send us an email at Jesney Podcast at gmail dot com. That's the that's one way you can do it.
What we would love is to hear your voice and you can get onto our speak pipe through the there's a link on the on the page and leave a message. But actually love to hear your voice with loving to speak pipes coming through, and I believe we have another one today, Derek.
We've got a great one here from Pete Davis from the lyrics of the Lost podcast.
Hello Team YASNI loved the podcast. Last episode with Dave Callen was great. Those stories of mistaken identity, the actors signing up with the wrong director and directors hiring the wrong actor with the same name. I have one for you from the same era. I heard it at a
film industry talk in the mid eighties. Rosanna Raquette was getting really big and she noticed this exciting new Australian director, George Miller, who had so far done a couple of brilliant Mad Max films plus the only good chapter in the Twilight Zone movie. She eagerly signs up to his next project, The Aviator, with Christopher Reeve of Superman. Oops,
she's got the wrong Australian George Miller. She got the one that did the Man from Snowy River, but also Les Patterson, says the world and Cybermutt the Bionic Dog. Hope she can laugh about it now.
Thanks Pete, bye, Well, thank you, Pete. That's I never heard that story. Before that is another great case of mistaken identity. I think Peter was referring to. I think we spoke with Dave about Joel Cohen, who Bill Murray famously signed up to do the Garfield movies, thinking that Joel Cohen, that Joe Cohen was the same. Joe Cohen is in one half of the Coen Brothers, the famous iconic legendary directors, the Coen Brothers, And it was only when he got to set that he realized that completely
different guys, completely different guys. So thank you. That's great lyrics a the Lost podcast. Yeah, I haven't heard that podcast, but I will to check it out. And yeah, fans, if you love movies, it sounds up Pete's loves his movies too, so check that out. And I believe we have a couple of emails. In fact, there's a debate that's not right. I won't say he's raging. It hasn't got too and that fun of Cello stages just yet.
But we had a conversation during an episode where we were speaking about Tom Cruise and it's actually with Todd Sampson when we short shak Redemption and we're talking about Tim Robins height, and we were saying I made off the carf remark because I had to shoot around Tim Robins height. It was quite tricky that this is why you'll never see Tim Robbins and Tom Cruise in the same movie. Somebody got in touch with me pointed that, of course they were in Top Gun together. They also
pointed out that Tim played Goose. He didn't actually play Goose. So I'm calling out a draw, but I believe we have another email on this subject.
Yes, the saga continues. This is called Tim and Tom from Christopher Hi Pete love the podcast. I've been stewing over the debate whether Tim Robbins and Tom Cruise had ever acted together, and then thought it was to be settled at the end of the Josh Lawson episode. Yes they were in Top Gun together, but they also had shared a pivotal scene in War of the World's thank you for doing what you do. Cheers Chris.
Oh, Chris, Jesus is getting bigger. We're through the looking glass now. I didn't realize it was a second film out there. Okay, so Tim Robins and Tom Cruise have actually appeared in Top Gun in our War of the World. I can't remember that scene. I think I've only seen the movie once or maybe twice. Yeah, I have to go back and watch. I mean, I take your word for it. I'm not disputing it, but I'll go back and check that scene out. I want it'll be interesting
to see how they frame that scene. Yeah, Okay, if anyone knows the third film that Tom Cruise and Tim Robbins have been starring in together, let me know. Let's crack this thing wide open. Thank you Chris for getting in touch. I'm very much amused by this next episode of You Ain't Seen Nothing yet. We complete the Holy Trinity. We have the third member of Nie Donna. We've had Broden,
who did each wonderful life, Mark did Citizen Kane. So next week Zach will be joining as Zach Ruan will be joining us to talk about film that up until recently, it was my favorite Australian movie ever, first strained film to win the Palm Dior at the Kahn International Film Festival, starring Edward Woodward, starring Jack Thompson, Brian Brown, Chris Hayworth, Olf Floody Stewart, Rod Malner, Bud Tingwell. They're all there, Lewis Fitzgerald in his film debut It is you probably
worked it that by now. Breaking Morant an amazing, amazing film that is still timely to this day. If you haven't seen Break Him Morant, check it out. You will thank me later. A little fun fact. One of the source materials i'musure I don't believe it was based on, but Kick Denton wrote a great book about Breaking Round, which formed some of the background for this movie. I believe Kick Denton is the father of mister Andrew Denton.
So there you got a little fun fact. But next week on the show, you won't say nothing yet Zach Formoni Donna Breaking Morant from nineteen eighty It'll be fun. Trust me, love Zach Love Breaking Morant. Until then, by for now, and so we
Leave old Pete, save fan soul, and to our friends of the radio audience, we've been a pleasant good name.