Rating: 
Summary: Ah, the fascism of youth!
Review: I remember the first time I encountered ROMPER STOMPER in high school. My friends and I spent many a weekend night shuttling between each others houses and watching kung-fu, blaxploitation and the occasional copy of EQUUS, often while stoned out of our minds. Eventually, someone found this skinhead movie at the local video store and we put it in for some laughs. Well, we got the laughs (I watched the film sober and found that it is indeed possible to make a funny movie about hate crimes) and so much more. The film has enough style, wit and fine performances for ten of the Hollywood vehicles Crowe has been in lately and actually does a good job of humanizing these thugs so that our identification with them calls into question our own views on racism and violence. Now, I don't think kids (i.e. me at the age I first saw it) should be exposed to this kind of filmmaking. This is an ADULT film dealing with its subjects in an ADULT way. It doesn't condone the acts of its characters but it could be misunderstood in the wrong context by a less than mature viewer. I didn't run out and shave my head after I saw this (well, actually I did-but only because I dug the hairstyle [or lack thereof]) but it did get me a bit hyped up in the mosh pit as a kid, if you take my meaning. Look, this is great filmmaking which offers no easy answers and doesn't give its audience a "message" to take home and for that reason it ain't for everyone. But if you feel brave enough to take the dive-do it. The rewards are many. This DVD package is great because it offers you a comprehensive look at the varied reactions to the film by the media and the director's and actors' takes on the influence of the film. The documentaries are good and the transfer makes a world of difference for the "look" of the film. Actually, it made me kinda miss my grainy old bootleg copy of the uncut version that's on this disc. But the restoration feature offers a little trip down memory lane for the film's fans. In the end if you want to see the best of a really crummy subgenre (the skinhead flick, epitomized by the shot on video masterpiece SKINHEADS:THE SECOND COMING OF HATE) then check out ROMPER STOMPER. And if you wanna teach the kids a lesson about the evils of racism rent AMERICAN HISTORY X, which borrows from this movie wholesale.
Rating:
Summary: Romper Stomper
Review: A fine example of Russell Crowe's wide range of acting abilities. Not for the faint of heart given the way the movie delves directly into the heart of fanatical Neo-natzis. While Russell's character, Hando, isn't going to win citizenship awards, Russell does bring him dividly to life. The female characters are rather annoyingly sterotypical. Gabe is simply, unusual, with her traumatic childhood and endless chatter. One of the best, and most controversial, movies Russell's made. Since it was filmed in Australia, he speaks with his native accent throughout. Highly recommended for those who can overlook the fact his character is highly unlikeable. Although rest assured this film does not in anyway glamorize or promote the skinhead mentality. Just watch till the end.
Rating:
Summary: Must see
Review: This movie was called a lessor version of A Clockwork Orange. The reviewer had it wrong. Romper Stomper is a nice updated version without the digusting scene. While Romper Stomper is in no way tame - the violence is showed in it's true context. The characters bleed and they are not immune to emotions. What really drew me in was the realistic manner in which all the characters where protrayed. You almost wanted a happy ending - but of course sick people who can't tell the difference between right and wrong don't end up happy.
Rating: 
Summary: Thought Provoking
Review: I remember seeing this film years ago on VHS and wondering if it would ever transfer to DVD. The wait is over and it's always a pleasure to see a film that doesn't follow some Hollywood "formula." It's worth watching Russell Crowe at his psychotic best as the detestable yet charismatic leader Hando. The DVD audio and video transfers are great. The features are interesting, but I was disappointed when I couldn't find the advertised documentaries. This movie's not for the sensitive Julia Roberts/Meg Ryan crowd (my wife actually walked out during this movie).
Rating: 
Summary: Deceptive Advertising!!!
Review: While I loved the digital widescreen transfer of this film (so much better than VHS), I do have a bone to pick with this DVDs' producers.This "Special Edition" DVD advertises on it's back cover a pair of documentaries...one about Skinheads and the other (it would seem) regarding the making of the film. On the surface this sounds like a great deal - something unexpected for such a small film. But after you've cracked the case - watched the feature you bought it for - you'll come to find out that the two "documetaries" that are listed to be on Disc 2 are actually interview topics with director Geoffery Wright. No documentaries. No lie. Well, that's unless you're talking about Fox, it's producer. It's sad when a sale closing device, like the DVD special feature is either abused or badly mishandled. While the movie is well-worth the price of the disc, it is a letdown when the cool stuff you've been looking forward to actually turns out to be bogus.
Rating:
Summary: Fails to Finish
Review: A lot of interest will probably be following Russell Crowes earlier movies , with the release of "Gladiator", and here his acting talents are pretty clear. A graphic and often disturbing depiction of neo nazi thugs in contemporary Australia, this movie is not for the faint hearted. The overiding message of the futility of violence is masterfully delivered without ever being patronising, and an excellent support cast bring the movie a freshness often missing in films today. Being something of a budget movie it was greeted with rave reviews but unfortunately, after building nicely it seems t the Director either ran out of ideas, or money and the storyline seems to end abruptly and almost unexpectantly - leaving you a little frustrated. This is a good movie, and worth seeing, but be prepared for some disappointments.
Rating:
Summary: Why does a movie need a moral?
Review: This is a gritty potrayal of Australian racists, and should be applauded for having the balls to let you watch the proceedings without shoving a message down your throat. If people are so stupid they can't figure out racism is bad without a film telling them so, then they probably won't be watching this, anyway. Romper Stomper is much, much better then the over-rated, over-hyped American History X that, despite great performances by Balk and Norton, still played like a cross between an after- school special and a straight-to-video prison movie If you get a chance, also worth watching is Wright's Metal Skin.
Rating:
Summary: Double DVD - Never Looked Better!
Review: The new double DVD from FOX of "ROMPER STOMPER" is a welcome presentation of this 1992 skinhead flick. The film has never looked better in this anamorphic 1.85:1 UNRATED version. The Pan and Scan VHS releases were really quite bad and washed out (and this DVD lets you compare the old prints to this newly mastered WS version and it's a revelation!). Even if you didn't care too much for the film previously, there's no denying that the DVD offers a whole new viewing experience. The movie itself is a somewhat hit & miss, but the parts that work are very effective. The harrowing assault on the skinheads' retreat by the seemingly endless Vietnamese attackers is high suspense at it's most extreme. Other moments seem more fabricated such as the love triangle and the somewhat calculated and inevitable ending. Still, it's an interesting indy film that's definitely worth a look. The double DVD features the movie on disc 1 with a commentary track by director Wright. Disc 2 is the "Extras" disc and it's a mixed bag... first off, the DVD touts a "Documentary called 'Skinheads - Reality and Fiction'" --- There is no such "documentary" on this DVD. It's just a 10 minute segment of director Wright discussing skinhead culture, etc. to an interviewer -- that's it! Amazingly DECEPTIVE advertising on Fox's part, I must say. There are also other Wright interview segments labeled subjects such as "Making the movie" which is also listed on the DVD case to make it seem as if it's a featurette --- but NOPE, it's just more talking by Wright as he sits there for 30 minutes. Why not just listen to the commentary track instead??? Maybe the most interesting extra is where you can compare clips from the newly mastered film side by side with the old VHS version. Besides that, there are some 1992 interviews of Wright and Crowe upon the film's release and some production notes, etc., but it's really kind of a letdown as far as "extra discs" go, especially since the case makes it seem like there will be lots of cool stuff on it. Scam! Buy it anyway, though, for the movie alone.
Rating:
Summary: No comparison allowed
Review: You've seen American History X ? Of course! who didn't! Well you can forget it. Even if Romper Stomper doesn't match your criteria of a fine well-done artistic movie, it's a must-see, no doubt. Enter an almost documentary approach of an aussie bunch of wild skinheads and forget about the romance plot; not relevant. Russell Crowe is an astonishing Hando, and there's in this part so much of the intensity and violence he gave us his following parts in either LA Confidential and The Insider. The whole film is just wandering along with these certainly dreadful guys, but no judgement, just the facts. Don't fail to get it in your video collection.
Rating: 
Summary: They've come to wreck everything and ruin your life...
Review: First things first, this movie invites obvious comparison with "American History X", so let's have it. "X" used all it's powers of rhetoric to portray interesting characters in tough situations, with the intent of giving us one central message: skinheads are bad. Okay, fair enough. "Romper Stomper" doesn't even go that far. Sure, its skinheads are pretty bad too, but so are its immigrants, its tourists, its pill-poppers, and even its parents. Now that I think about it, those are the only kinds of people we meet. Kind of a bleak worldview, I'd say. The skinheads just get caught up in all the anarchy, I guess (the whole thing made me think of The Road Warrior in that way; it had that same post-nuclear holocaust vibe to it). Sometimes I think filmmakers should leave objectivity to journalists, and let us know what they really think. Give us a chance to at least disagree. Here, even though all the characters are quite disagreeable, the movie makes no real moral stance to disagree with. It was quite frustrating. It also had the most romantic Nazi-love triangle since Casablanca. Kidding, obviously. Hando picks up Gabe (Gabriella) in a white-supremacist watering hole, has some fun with her, and loses her to his "best mate" Davey. Davey's a real sensitive racist, he is. He's moody -- you can tell by looking at his furrowed brow. The rest of the skinheads are so two-dimensional, they'd have a tough time battling a deck of cards to see which had more depth. They are no more than a collection of drunken knuckleheads. It got quite boring after a while. Needless to say, I wasn't too shaken up with grief when they started dying off. Most of the acting was fairly homogeneous, i.e., uniformly loud yelling and intense faces. I will say that Jacqueline McKenzie as 'Gabe' does a credible job, which is rather appropriate since she has the most material to work with. She is playing an actual character! I wonder how that one slipped by... Russell Crowe. What to say about him? Well, in my opinion he doesn't deliver an incredible acting performance, as most have said. Rather, he gets by on oodles and oodles of charisma. It's just off the chart, his star power. Maybe I'm working with the benefit of hindsight, but when he's on screen, you just can't take your eyes off him. He is the one actor who displays the most repressed brute rage (see the chair cracking scene in 'L.A. Confidential' for more of this). He's always ready to pounce, and knock someone's head off. Now, you may think that this scathing review is affected by the subject matter. Not so. I can watch a movie about kittens being tortured, if the story was engrossing and the acting was interesting. So that's not an issue. This is just a weak effort all around, only made watchable by the presence of Mr. Crowe.
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