Content Warning: The article below contains mentions of rape and sexual assault.

The Big Picture

• Dennis Hopper's raw and intense portrayal in Mad Dog Morgan shatters traditional Western molds.
• The film subverts the Western formula by offering a gritty and psychologically complex take on the genre as it tells the story of a real-life Australian outlaw, Daniel Morgan.
• Hopper gives an underrated performance, embodying Morgan's descent into violence with captivating believability.

Dennis Hopper has been associated with some of the strangest works in cinema. After his successful directorial debut in the 1969 Oscar-nominated Easy Rider, he made The Last Movie in 1971, an experimental Guinness World Record-breaking film that was a box office and critical disappointment. In 1976, Hopper starred in Philippe Mora's Australian bushranger Western Mad Dog Morgan. The title Mad Dog Morgan barely scratches the surface of the movie's strangeness, which uses unorthodox but distinctive imagery such as a character biting off a snake's head, and haunting music to paint a vivid and disconcerting picture.

Mad Dog Morgan is at the extreme end of Dennis Hopper's quintessential mentally complex characters. In this unconventional film, Dennis Hopper is as raw and intense as we've seen him before. The film shatters the traditional Western mold with a surprising twist. Far from the dusty saloons and tumbleweeds of the American West, Mad Dog Morgan presents a gritty and psychologically complex take on the Western outlaw, set against the backdrop of the booming Australian goldfields of the 1860s.

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'Mad Dog Morgan' Is Based On a Real-Life Australian Outlaw Daniel Morgan

Mad Dog Morgan tells the story of the real-life Australian outlaw Daniel Morgan, who was known for his brutality and erratic behavior while evading capture by the authorities. A bounty of a thousand pounds was placed on his head — dead or alive — for his criminal activities. While he is widely known as Daniel Morgan, the Australian outlaw was actually born John Owen; although his first conviction in 1854 for highway robbery was under the name "John Smith." By 1863, he began using Jack Morgan along with a slew of aliases, most notable of all was Daniel Morgan, the name with which he is now widely remembered by. Morgan's robberies gained attention, but it was his murder of a Sergeant that drew the ire of law enforcement, and the aforementioned thousand-pound bounty. His continued and unrelenting attacks on the police, and his violent robberies contributed to his infamy. After his death, his beard and the skin of his face were flayed, before he was beheaded in what has been described as "most unwarranted" and an abuse of authority.

Mad Dog Morgan begins its story at an interesting point of entry, with an unfeeling police officer flanked by disinterested colleagues against a rusty wall announcing Morgan's death — that he was shot by a sergeant, an obvious sign of victory for the local police, whose reputation Morgan had tarnished. The film then moves on to show how it all started for Dennis Hopper's Morgan, beginning with his days in the goldfields. While smoking pot in Chinatown, he tells his newly-acquired friend that it's his way of forgetting the hyped gold mirage. As they get high, a posse of locals attacks the town, massacring its Chinese residents and Morgan's friend for being friends with the Chinese.

Morgan escapes the attack and abandons the gold rush, choosing instead to rob people for a living. A judge (played by Peter Collingwood) who gives offenders long prison sentences hands him eleven years, but he is released on parole after serving six years of hard labor and enduring some of the worst human brutality, including rape. When he leaves prison, Morgan is a changed man. With his superior gunslinging skills, using elements of surprise, and teaming up with an Aboriginal man, Billy (played by legendary Australian actor David Gulpilil), Morgan goes on a "silver-or-lead" robbing spree or, as he tells his victims, "money or death, in that order"; with his preferred victims being rich. Mad Dog Morgan is a raw and unflinching portrayal of a broken man, offering an unflinching alternative counterpoint to the romanticized Western.

'Mad Dog Morgan' Subverts the Western Formula

Mad Dog Morgan's strange atmosphere comes from its intentionally uneven tone, stripping away the idealized notions often associated with Westerns and replacing them with an unrepentant portrayal of violence and psychological drama. Instead of heroic cowboys, Dennis Hopper's Morgan is not your typical hero – he's a broken man driven to madness by the harsh realities of the Australian frontier. He is both a bloodthirsty, murderous outlaw and a rebel against a rigged system. The film blurs moral lines, depicting Morgan at times as vulnerable and reflective, expressing envy towards a victim's beautiful family. However, Morgan is also perceived by some as fighting for justice. His alliance with Billy is akin to a revenge mission, confronting the white settlers who seized Billy's ancestral Aboriginal land. His rioting is also a form of revenge against a corrupt system that has treated him unjustly. While it has the harsh landscapes and gunslinging associated with the Western genre, Mad Dog Morgan offers a psychological thrill, showcasing the strange and disturbing events that warpped Morgan's mind.

Although not as non-linear as Hopper's previous outing The Last Movie, Mad Dog Morgan disrupts the traditional Western formula that builds tension towards a final showdown by starting with Morgan's death announcement. This inverted storytelling creates a sense of mystery and also reflects Morgan's troubled life. With the announcement of Morgan's death, we are introduced to the film's violent and cynical nature.

Dennis Hopper Gives an Underrated Performance in 'Mad Dog Morgan'

Dennis Hopper embodies Morgan's descent from a disillusioned prospector to a vengeful outlaw with captivating believability. In the film's early scenes, Morgan shows a flicker of idealism by beating up a racist bully he considers a cheat. At this stage, though his violent tendencies are evident, a glimmer of hope shines through his eyes as he believes that things could change if the wrong guys are eliminated. However, as Morgan faces brutality and injustice, Hopper subtly conveys a hardening of his features and a growing sense of despair. He gives money to the poor, not out of concern for them, but because he believes they will come to his rescue someday, perhaps by informing on the police who are chasing him down. Hopper embodies Morgan's horrific prison experience with chilling intensity, allowing the audience to witness the profound impact of these events on Morgan's psyche. As a brutal outlaw, Hopper's eyes blaze with manic energy, and his unpredictable outbursts create a constant sense of danger. One victim even calls out how his menacing eyes undressed her. Hopper navigates the character's complexities, revealing glimpses of vulnerability beneath his hardened exterior. Unlike some of Dennis Hopper's other iconic characters, like the carefree Billy in counterculture film, Easy Rider, or the eccentric art dealer in Basquiat, as Morgan, Hopper plunges into much darker territory. He showcases a man pushed to the edge, contrasting sharply with the rebellious spirit his other roles often portray.

Mad Dog Morgan is a wild ride through the Australian outback, diving into the dark mind of a guy who's lost all hope, charting his descent into violence fueled by a brutal frontier and a broken system. Part of what makes the movie a disconcerting but intriguing watch is the fact it is built on the foundation of a true story. Dennis Hopper delivers a commendable performance in portraying the complex character of Morgan. Mad Dog Morgan showcases Hopper's versatility and talent as an actor. While it may not be considered an A-list film, it provides a new dimension not only to Hopper's acting but also offers a fresh perspective on the Western genre from a different frontier. While Mad Dog Morgan takes liberties with the true story it is retelling, it is still a film worth exploring.

Mad Dog Morgan is currently available to stream on Tubi in the U.S.

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