Romper Stomper

Directed by: Geoffrey Wright

RS: Not Rated Average User Rating: 3.5of 4 Stars

1993 Drama

Romper Stomper

658 6-10-93
Rated NC-17, this pumping powerhouse from Australian writer-director Geoffrey Wright concerns skinheads, a subculture of illiterate, unemployed neo-Nazis who'd bash your skull in for a lark, especially if you're an Asian immigrant infringing on their Melbourne turf. The skinhead phenomenon is widespread. As this film shows, you can mock them, but you can't laugh the buggers off.

Gabe (Jacqueline McKenzie) is a rich girl from the suburbs who falls for the sexy, muscular head skinhead, Hando (Russell Crowe). To Gabe, he's a big improvement over Daddy, who's been diddling her since childhood. Crowe makes a mesmerizing monster (he won Australia's Oscar for Best Actor), but Hando's a nutso. Gabe turns to the gentler Davey (Daniel Pollock, a fine actor who recently committed suicide), and Wright holds out a glimmer of hope for their redemption.

Although the love story doesn't ring true, the violence does, as the Vietnamese community fights back. Few movies have shoved an audience so brutally into battle. Ron Hagen's camera work captures the delirium of carnage that drives out rational thought. Ignore the prudes who think you shouldn't make films about things that scare you. It's a first line of defense. This Aussie Reservoir Dogs opens up a brutal world that needs to be understood.

(Posted: Dec 8, 2000)

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Romper Stomper

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3of 4 Stars

Although this movie is about neo Nazi Skinheads and that the soundtrack is racist, this movie is actually good. The only reason that I am giving this a 3 star is because of the racist atmosphere in this movie (I actually rooted for the non-skinheads to kill the skinheads). Anyway, to make a good movie, you have to use your ideas to the fullest potential. In other words, If it's a movie about racist skinheads, then you have to makes brutal scenes of people getting their asses kicked and even 13 year old skinhead kids getting shot (even if they aim a replica gun at you) and for the soundtrack, sadly, put in Nazi Skinhead music in the film. there is kind of a few points to this film that make it so good and real. First of all, If their is a lot of certain people that are in your neighborhood (because that specific person is a racist) and you are out numbered, don't fight them because you never win and secondly, If you change your ways on racist views, make a public apology and turn yourself in for hate crimes.

for the film itself, Russel Crowe does a good job in this film. He really had the balls to put those (certain) tattoos on his back and he is still a big celebrity and not get beaten up for the role he played in. Danial Pollack (who is no longer with us) played as another important character in the film. His character played a much more sensitive Skinhead. He kind of changes his ways and views. Once he meets Gabe, he isn't as tough and doesn't get involved as much and takes off the racist badges.

Anyway, this film is good, but you have to be the judge to see if you have any guts to see it because of it's atmosphere.

Jan 4, 2007 17:52:47

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