Romper Stomper
"Intense!" -The New Yorker
Those who saw Russell Crowe's mesmerizing star turn in Gladiator will be blown away by his breakthrough performance in Romper Stomper. Crowe plays the confused yet charismatic leader of a rowdy gang of skinheads, showcasing his undeniable power as an actor.
The controversial film drew rave reviews for its visceral look at how the seeds of racial hatred, fueled by fear and paranoia, can explode into raw violence. Winner of three Australian Film Institute Awards, including Best Actor for Crowe, Romper Stomper is "exhilarating and utterly brilliant" (Preview Magazine).
Member Reviews
Okay, okay, we get it... - RobBC
Well meaning but poorly conceived mess of a film lacking any real insight and taking itself far too seriously. A supposed statement on racism and violence, it tends to revel in the very thing it sets out to condemn with Russell Crowe shamelessly mugging for the camera and endless sequences of frenzied yobbos smacking each other and smashing things. The final scene with our little neo-nazi Romeo and Juliet rolling in the surf while a busload of Asian stereotypes look on was so poorly done it was laughable.Don't Let Your Son Grow Up To Be a Skinhead - LOPI
This is a very scary movie. Not a horror movie, just very scary. I have no idea whether the skinhead culture, as portrayed in Romper Stomper, really exists, but I sure hope not. The blaming of outsiders for whatever problems afflict a given society at a given time is an age-old phenomenon, and is probably genetically hard wired into the human brain. This movie shows what happens when these emotions are left to run peoples' lives. It's a terrifying insight into humanity's worse instincts and a primer on how things like nazism started.A raw, gritty flick - romo
Several of the other reviews complain about the production quality. Well that's fine because Romper Stomper isnt's an Hollywood flick, it isn't American History X, which it predated by six years. Both are great flicks looking at the topic if Neo-Nazis.
Romper Stomper is raw and low budget but that in many ways adds to its effect. Russel Crowe shines and you can see his potential in this, one of his earliest feature flicks. The supporting cast is solid, with a young Jacqueling McKenzie (The 4400) playing Crowe's gf.
Unlike Hollywood movies there is bashing the audience over the heads with a message in Romper Stomper and therefore some might see it as simply as Skinheads partying and beating people up. But there is much more below the surface and the movie allows the audience to make its own understanding of what happens in the film.
Member Reviews
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Okay, okay, we get it... - RobBC
Well meaning but poorly conceived mess of a film lacking any real insight and taking itself far too seriously. A supposed statement on racism and violence, it tends to revel in the very thing it sets out to condemn with Russell Crowe shamelessly mugging for ...Don't Let Your Son Grow Up To Be a Skinhead - LOPI
This is a very scary movie. Not a horror movie, just very scary. I have no idea whether the skinhead culture, as portrayed in Romper Stomper, really exists, but I sure hope not. The blaming of outsiders for whatever problems afflict a given society at a given ...A raw, gritty flick - romo
Several of the other reviews complain about the production quality. Well that's fine because Romper Stomper isnt's an Hollywood flick, it isn't American History X, which it predated by six years. Both are great flicks looking at the topic if Neo-Nazis.
Romper ...