Ozploitation Royalty: Dennis Hopper Brings Mad Dog Morgan To Visceral Heights

In the autumn of 1865 the unique and notorious desperado, bushranger Dan Morgan, crossed the Murray River from New South Wales into Victoria to do battle with the law for the last time. What happened has been a secret for over 100 years. And so it should have been, if only to save face for the corrupt and hated colonial establishment of the day. This then is the fascinating tale, told for the first time, of the romantic and extraordinary villain they called Mad Dog Morgan. - Tagline from the film

Mad Dog Morgan (1976) follows the real-life exploits of John Fuller a.k.a. Daniel “Mad Dog” Morgan. The film’s truthful elements are skewered by critics and the citizens of the South Wales/Victoria Australian districts that Morgan once roamed. The police districts still acknowledge his crimes to this day, commemorating their fallen police officers with plaques and memorials at the locations of where the crimes occurred. The film gives great insight on the crimes and exploits of Morgan but ultimately go for a more dramatic appeal when closing the film with a staged rendition of Morgan’s death.

Directed by Philippe Mora (The Beast Within, Howling II & III), the film follows Morgan from gold rush miner to bushranger criminal. The opening scene of the mining camp and the subsequent slaughter of all the Chinese immigrants convey the sense of unlawful and racial scorn. And because Morgan is a purveyor of fairness and racial integration, he is deemed a lawless instigator and left to fend for himself in the wilds of Australia’s outback.

Morgan does what he has to in order to survive, but he never kills unless his life is threatened. Morgan’s thievery and criminal antics land him in prison where he is literally (as the film's tag line suggests) beaten, branded, and brutalized. Morgan is beaten randomly for insubordination, suffers a painful “M”(malefactor) branding on his palm,  and is brutally raped by the other prisoners in his cell.

After 6 years served of a 12 year sentence, Morgan embarks on a vengeful journey, with friend and savior Billy (David Gulpilil) which brings him to a path of righteousness among his peers and ultimately his death. Morgan also battles sorrow for having to become a notorious man on the run (spine-tingling scenes that Dennis Hopper portrays flawlessly).

In the character of Mad Dog Morgan, Hopper portrays some of his finest work ever put to celluloid. The impact of Mad Dog Morgan on the film world and Australian society in general is unparalleled. To this day,  the film still stings with the razor-edged bite that history has unveiled through times of peril and hate.

The film has many different releases via VHS and DVD but the Troma release is by far the superior.

Dennis Hopper was once quoted as saying portraying Mad Dog Morgan in this film was one of his "great life experiences". During the 6 week shoot for the film, Hopper was reported to have completely immersed himself in the character, going so far as to drink inordinate amounts of rum to properly portray Morgan in all his drunken stupor. After filming had wrapped, Hopper visited Mad Dog's grave to pay respects whilst simultaneously becoming very intoxicated. This lead to him being arrested by Victorian police.

Hopper was not the first choice to portray Morgan. The producers' first choice was Stacy Keach who had to turn down the role due to unknown disagreements. Martin Sheen and Jason Miller (Father Damien in The Exorcist) also were considered for the role, however, Hopper was eventually chosen to fill the legendary Bushranger's shoes.

Mad Dog Morgan will go down in history as one of Dennis Hopper's most prolific roles. His rabid intensity for pushing the boundaries of acting (method and otherwise) firmly cements his place within the hallowed halls of infamous actors. He was just as much feared as he was beloved.