This is the kind of film that the reactionary media love to get their teeth into. I remember when it was first released in the UK how the Daily Mail held it up as evidence of the failing moral standards of the nation, and called for it to be banned. They were unsuccessful, and the furore quickly died. Despite the Mail's publicity, the film only did limited business and was quickly forgotten. Chiefly notable now for an early starring role for Russell Crowe, Romper Stomper looks older than it actually is. It looks like it was filmed in the late 70s or early 80s, and the use of 16mm film belies the film's tiny budget.
Geoffrey Scott's debut story focuses on a gang of Melbourne-based skinheads who lead lives of aimless violent debauchery. Led by the fiercely intelligent Hando (Crowe), they savagely beat a couple of Vietnamese who have bought their local pub, only to find themselves besieged by half the Asian community and forced to hide from both them and the police. A sub-plot features a love triangle between Hando, Gabe - a rich girl who briefly takes up with the gang - and Davey (Daniel Pollock), Hando's best mate. Some subtle interplay between Hando and Davey, in which more significance is given to what is not spoken between them, provides the convergence of an entire homo-erotic subtext, but also serves to distract both the viewer and the film itself from its main subject matter. As this menage-a-trois is not particularly well-handled, the film suffers badly as a result, and the visceral energy and insight of its first half is lost by the time of its conclusion.
The use of music and the lawless street-gang milieu invite comparison with Kubrick's Clockwork Orange but, while there are obvious similarities, Romper Stomper pales in comparison. Crowe leads a cast that deliver surprisingly polished performances and he does well in a role that offers little in the way of character development once we learn Hando's dangerously skewed ideology, but he manages to suggest the intelligence that lurks beneath the brutish exterior with just a brooding look off-screen.
Romper Stomper will never be a classic, and will appeal to only a narrow audience but, if it is your kind of movie, it is worth ninety minutes of your time.
Geoffrey Scott's debut story focuses on a gang of Melbourne-based skinheads who lead lives of aimless violent debauchery. Led by the fiercely intelligent Hando (Crowe), they savagely beat a couple of Vietnamese who have bought their local pub, only to find themselves besieged by half the Asian community and forced to hide from both them and the police. A sub-plot features a love triangle between Hando, Gabe - a rich girl who briefly takes up with the gang - and Davey (Daniel Pollock), Hando's best mate. Some subtle interplay between Hando and Davey, in which more significance is given to what is not spoken between them, provides the convergence of an entire homo-erotic subtext, but also serves to distract both the viewer and the film itself from its main subject matter. As this menage-a-trois is not particularly well-handled, the film suffers badly as a result, and the visceral energy and insight of its first half is lost by the time of its conclusion.
The use of music and the lawless street-gang milieu invite comparison with Kubrick's Clockwork Orange but, while there are obvious similarities, Romper Stomper pales in comparison. Crowe leads a cast that deliver surprisingly polished performances and he does well in a role that offers little in the way of character development once we learn Hando's dangerously skewed ideology, but he manages to suggest the intelligence that lurks beneath the brutish exterior with just a brooding look off-screen.
Romper Stomper will never be a classic, and will appeal to only a narrow audience but, if it is your kind of movie, it is worth ninety minutes of your time.