Rating: 
Summary: GOD SENT US...
Review: ROMPER STOMPER, the debut film of former film critic Geoffrey Wringht, stars Russell Crowe, in his break-out role, Daniel Pollock, who died in post-production in a heroin induced train "accident", and Jacqueline McKenzie, in her feature film debut. ROMPER STOMPER is the story of Hando (Crowe) and his gang of Mein Kamf spouting, violent, thug, neo-nazi skinheads, including his best mate Davey (Pollock). The gang lives in deep poverty in an abandoned warehouse, eating pathetic meals and drinking like sailors (not to mention swearing like them as well). Hando soon becomes involved with a young drug addicted ecliptic girl, Gabe (McKenzie). When the gangs secondary hangout, a local bar, is purchased by a Vietnamese immigrant and his sons, the gang starts an intense turf war resulting in the most violent, realistic 20 minutes fight scene in cinematic history. Once the cops come onto the gangs tail Hando leads them in a quest for money and guns, to get revenge on the Vietnamese community. During this sequence of events, Davey and Gabe become friends and soon more then friends resulting in a distorted love triangle. Rated NC-17 when first released this is one of the most provocative, intense, powerful films of the 90's. A stunning directional debut from Wright and an equally stunning acting job by Crowe. The DVD's bonus feature's were so myriad that it took 2 discs to hold them all. Included is a talking track by Geoffrey Wright, in which he discusses about the filming of ROMPER STOMPER and interesting tid-bits about particular scenes as they appear on screen. Also included on the first disc is a music track where the nazi punk rock songs, excellently composed by Clifford White, can be heard alone. On the second disc their is the theatrical trailer for the film, which is in my humblest oppinion the best trailer I've seen (it actually made me want to see the film again that night). There are the written reviews of major publications promoting the film and discussing how amazing and powerful it is. Biographies of all involved with project are included as well as over 60 minutes of interviews from 1992 when the film was first released and over 30 minutes of interviews with Geoffrey Wright from 2000, reflecting on the film and it's impact on society. As well as all those features a demonstration of how the film was restored from the first American edition of the film, which had 1/4 of the film cut of from sight and had the look of a 1940's television program. Finally there is a track of photographs from the film displayed accompanied by interesting facts about the film, it's battle with censorship, and about the stars of the film. All in all a fabulous film, and a fabulous assortment of extras make this DVD a 5 star (if not 6 star) hit.
Rating: 
Summary: not terrible, but not great either...
Review: Even though billed as a highly controversial portrayal of skinheads, this film really just uses skinhead subculture/violence as a backdrop; midway through it gets lost in a love triangle between the skinhead gang's leader (Russel Crowe) and his lieutenant/best-friend and a random blonde Crowe picks up in a bar. Crowe does a pretty good job in his breakthrough film, spouts neo-Nazi propaganda fairly convincingly every once in a while, but not quite the acting virtuosity of his later work. The violence is actually not all that atrocious---this is after all an Aussie production, and the Aussies just don't do celluloid violence anywhere as well as Hollywood does. (Bone-crunching, blood-splattering, in your face quasi 3-D violence on film is one of the few things America still does better than anybody else in the world.) You especially see this in the scene where the skinheads get overrun by a huge contingent of Vietnamese immigrants out to avenge their friends who were beaten up by the skins...the facial expressions, stunts, grunts, sound effects and fake combat often borders on comic cartoonish farce. Again, the main problem with this movie is it just doesn't stick to any one particular theme or conflict, but stumbles along from violence to sex to romance to drama and back to a little bit of violence. The last 10 minutes is more like a road movie than anything else. There is no consistent theme, tone, or focus. Overall it's a fairly entertaining 2 hours, but leaves you wanting. The director apparently lived with some actual skinheads for a couple of months prior to filming so he does try to capture much of their lingo, music, parties, etc. authentically...too bad the film as a whole just seems so staged and unreal.
Rating:
Summary: Romper Stomper: A Skinhead's Perspective
Review: Let me start out by saying that I am a skinhead. I am not racist in the slightest(though I'm not a SHARP). Romper Stomper is a very accurate portrayal of skinheads and the lifestyle(particularly that of racist skins). The music, the fashion, the attitudes are all very authentic. This is a far better researched movie when compared to American History X. It is true that Romper Stomper only portrays skinheads as racists, but that is the story it is telling. American History X explicitly states that skinheads are all racist and that Oi! is a racist style of music(whatever that means). American History X's major flaw is its generalization of the lifestyle. Romper Stomper doesn't refute that nonracist skins exist, it just doesn't show that side. In fact, I believe that in the extras it even mentions that there are organizations such as SHARP(Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice). The skinhead lifestyle(racist or nonracist) has not changed much since 1969. Skinheads still wear Fred Perry shirts, bomber jackets, 501 Levis, steel-toe Doc boots, and thin braces(suspenders). They still shave their heads. Skinheads love their Oi! music just as much as they did in the 70's and 80's. So, for me, once you peel away the backdrop of racism and the skinhead lifestyle, the skeleton of the story is a very Shakespeare-esque tale of two friends being torn apart by a common love to the point of tragedy.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful
Review: An extremly intense film, Romper Stomper pulls no punches. Shot in a kind of artsy blue haze, the movie revolves around a group of Neo-Nazi skinheads who are attempting to fight off a flood of Vietnamese immigration into Melbourne, Australia. The group is lead by 'Hando' - A strong and charismatic leader played by Russell Crowe. Crowe is amazing as he manages to convey a sence vulnerability beneath his uncompromising anger. A scene in which Crowe qoutes parts of Adolf Hitler's 'Mein Kampf' is mesmerizing. Things begin to disolve, however, when a love triangle begins between Hando, his girlfriend Gabe (Jaqueline McKenzie) and Hando's best friend Davey who is portrayed very low-key by Daniel Pollock. The situation is compounded when an attack on some Vietnamese immigrants back fires and the Skins are forced to defend themselves against a raging mob of immigrants resulting in the loss of their home. Writer/Director Geoffry Wright came under attack by Leftist critics for not hitting everyone over the head, like American History X, with an anti-racist civics lesson - His position comes across as neutral. Indeed, one can almost sympathize with the group as they are convinced Australia's future depends on its racial and cultural purity. Without a doubt, this movie is worth owning.
Rating:
Summary: Accurate and Brutal
Review: If there is one thing that ticks me off, it's rascism and fascism. Early Skinheads were definately like this. However over the years, less and less rascist skinheads have been surfacing. Anyway, this movie is a very accurate portrayal of the skinheads, but it also has more than one plot going at once. The epic struggle of the skinheads v.s. the japanese, a skinhead restling with "what am I doing?" question, a girl who has been sexually used by her father, and how that same girl has split two former friend skinheads. It portrays they old lifestyle of drinking, premiscuous sex, drugs, fascism, and the brutal hate crimes they commit. In today's world, where movies are entertainment before anything else, there are fewer and fewer directors who dare to tackle unpleasant subjects. However, the real test of filmmaker's courage comes when unpleasant issues are
approached from even less pleasant perspectives. Such efforts, especially in the climate of "political correctness", can often create public misunderstanding and controversies. Romper Stomper on the other hand is definately an accurate portrayal and does go after the unpleasant topics. The plot begins in Melbourne, town towards which flow the endless river of Asian, mostly Vietnamese, immigrants who gradually take over entire neighbourhoods. For many impoverished and unemployed white youths Asians are convenient explanation for their own misery, so some accepted the most extreme form of xenophobic racism and
became skinheads. The small group led by charismatic Hando(played by Russell Crowe) is just one of many that fight a war for racial purity by mercilessly beating any Asian unfortunate to be in their proximity. After a while, Vietnamese decide that they had enough so they organise and start fighting back. Hando's group is suddenly faced with superior numbers and starts to fall apart. Hando and his lieutenant Davey (played by John Pollock) are forced to run from Melbourne in order to save their lives. The only assistance comes in the form of Gabe (played by Jacqueline Mackenzie), epileptic young woman from well-to-do family, but her presence would turn out to be the reason of Hando's final downfall. One of the most disturbing things of the film is the fact that a 12 year old skin head is shot in the head, in full view of the camera! Wright takes the hard route and shows skinheads through their own eyes. In the process the viewer is not only in position to be acquainted with very authentic-looking subculture of skinheads and their way of life. I recommend this film.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting movie.
Review: First and foremost, let me note to the reader that I would fit in with what many other reviewers have called "the subculture" (that is, essentially, neo-Nazi) depicted in the film, so if you want to pre-judge the objectivity of this review, do so now. Well, to begin, I give the movie four stars because, although it may appear at first glance to be shoddily put together or rough around the edges, both in story and in cinematography, I believe that all these things lend themselves to the portrait being painted by this film, whether consciously or unconsciously. The jerkiness of the camera, the over-crispness of the sound and the very contrasting colours and levels of light in the movie help to psychologically reinforce the atmosphere being created for the film. The silence contrasted by the crisp yet quiet dialogue, the very colourless frames and the bland environments of a rundown Melbourne industrial give the feeling of cold, hard and dark. In my opinion, the rough-edge photography and sound, as well as the grungy sounding musical score may upon initial inspection give the impression of being second rate (even by the standards of the day) or unpolished, when in reality, to "fix up" any such aspect of the movie would be ruining it. The film depicts neo-Nazi Skinheads living in a slum old car shop, eating fast food and drinking away their lack of jobs and purposes in life; if anything, fancy camera angles and well done-over sound with a sophisticated musical score would detract from this vital image. Personally, I do not believe, as some viewers believe, that the violence, the unfulfullment, the ruination and the utter hopelessness of the whole film from beginning to end is (or should be construed as) an attempt to demonstrate the alleged fallacy of the particular philosophy depicted in this movie. I believe that it is simply to depict the fallacy of living life as these particular Skinheads choose to live it. I for one know (and should rightly be in a position to, I might add), that the group depicted in Romper Stomper is not in the slightest characteristic of even close to half of any given population of Skinheads, although some countries seem to be havens for more antisocial misfits than others. The single fact that, regardless of any other considerations, the characters lacked any faith in their "convictions" made their situation all the more hopeless. Any good philosophy, in the hands of any good people, regardless of the specifics, will incite those people to rise up and be the best they can be, and in this I believe that not even propaganda spouting Hando can claim to be truly "enthused" by what he reads to himself out of his little brown Mein Kampf every day. Without conviction to a cause, rhetoric is useless in face of the fact that, perhaps, you don't have a job, or a home, or you have a drinking problem. This aspect more than any made Hando's character and the character of his Crew all the more believable. They were social rejects who were just looking for a cause to feel big about, they needed to be preached to and Hando needed somebody to listen as he repeated over and over something he picked up in his little brown book. Whether you are on my side or against it, or just not sure, I think everybody can relate to that in some way. Many Christians, although financially much better off than poor Hando and his Crew, are not much better spiritually. They read their Bible, act interested, but do not see the real wisdom which they believe is there. I believe, ultimately, that this is a morality tale, and should be taken in whatever way the viewer wishes to take it. This is the beauty of the film as-is, as opposed to, for instance, American History X or The Believer. Some people may be (somehow) offended by a lack of any "moral stand" taken against the violence or rhetoric of this movie, but I believe that this is a good thing also. I believe any movie which will tell you in the end what you must think about a particular issue or lifestyle, such as American History X, is wrong in doing so, and thus, it would be wrong for me to tell you what you must take out of this movie. Accept it as you may, in the end it is a story of how to lose everything quickly. As I said, whether you are racist or anti-racist or neutral, a sure way to send your life down the tubes is to follow the example set by Hando and his Crew, and this is universal truth, so regardless of what else you may take away from it, you should take this. If you do, regardless of whether you liked it, loved it or even hated it, then I believe the movie has done what it was supposed to do.
Rating:
Summary: The Cold and Harsh Stare of an Unnerving Eye
Review: Wow. Four days after I viewed by copy of Romper Stomper for the first time, and thats all I can get out. Wow. This film dared to do what American History X was afraid to, even though the latter truly was the latter.
A harsh and almost documentary film style, very typical of the dirty grime look all too common in early 90's films, the film style lends a somewhat artistic flare to the film, by keeping it so rooted in reality, you often stop feeling for the characters and begin thinking "do people honestly live like this? ignoring all but hate?"
Crowe. THIS is what made people stand up and notice him, not playing a loveable schizoid (trust me, schizos are ANYTHING but loveable). I honestly felt he believed what he was saying. when he quoted mein kampf in the film, it was as if he really had those words pouring from his own mouth like it was a scripture... scary stuff, especially since i still like russell. at no point do you sympathize with their violence, their tactics...but at the same time, you want to do something...to help, or to stop... anything but just watch in silence. brilliant.
Rating:
Summary: Russell Crowe is horrific and powerful
Review: this movie will make your skin crawl, I mean literally. With the NeoNazi genre wrecking havoc. Russell Crowe is brutal and violent in one of his best roles to date other then A Beautiful Mind, Master and Commander, L.A. Confidential and The Insider. Raw and Explicit.
Rating:
Summary: Did American History X rip Romper Stomper off?
Review: Romper Stomper begins as a movie about racism. The Australian white people feel as though the Asian immigrants are encroaching on their homeland, so violence quickly ensues. After a mass retaliation by the immigrants, the neo-nazis are forced to flee their home. Their numbers plummet as members are killed in run-ins with both the immigrants and the police. The movie ends with a love triangle between the two male leads and best friends, Hando and Davey, and the female lead, Gabe. So, the question rises: Did American History X rip Romper Stomper off? No, it did not. American History X focuses solely on racism, whereas Romper Stomper seems to deal with a woman ruining a friendship between two men, with the backdrop of racism. This point explains why Romper Stomper takes a sharp turn for its second half in dealing strictly with the love triangle and why the scenes of violence involving the immigrants seem so neutral, as previously pointed out by other viewers. So, if you are looking for a movie that has a lesson on racism, this may not be what you are looking for. However, I still recommend it since it does have a strong message attached, even though that message could be considered somewhat controversial in itself.
Rating: 
Summary: Horrible film from beginning to end
Review: I saw this movie for a number of reasons. I had heard that Russell Crowe gave a stellar performance (it was mediocre at best), that the film was the Australian equivalent of "American History X" (it was no such thing), and that it was in Premiere Magazine's list of the most controversial films ever made. Unfortunately, the film was rather aimless. The first forty-five minutes or so concentrate on the neo-Nazis' war against Vietnamese immigrants, while the second forty-five minutes concentrate on a bizarre competition between Hando (Crowe) and Davey (Daniel Pollock)over an abused epileptic named Gabe (Jacqueline McKenzie). The sudden shift in subject leaves the viewer wondering if the film has a true purpose. The first half seems like a cheap attempt at grabbing the audience's attention, while the second half seems like a hurried attempt to make a point about the confusion of neo-Nazis. In addition, the cinematography was amateurish, with the camera frequently being jolted around to remind the viewer that the film is supposed to be violent. Also, the music is dated. In my opinion, this movie is not worth watching. I recommend seeing "A Clockwork Orange" if you want to see some violence or "American History X" if you want to see some neo-Nazis.
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