Review of Romper Stomper (1992) by Chris W — 09 Dec 2012

This is a grim and gritty slice-of-life look at the exploits and downfall of a rowdy gang of neo-Nazi skinhead punks in suburban Melbourne.

Starring Russell Crowe, this is the film that elevated from the position of just another up and coming actor with a music career on the side to international star...which in turn then eventually lead him to major notice a few years later when Hollywood came calling. As the gang's leader Hando, he's great. You could argue that this role is just a typical attention bait sort of thing, especially when it allows for some real histrionics, but he pulls it off well, and is pretty convincing and chilling. Daniel Pollock appears as Hndo's right hand man Davey, and Jacqueline McKenzie is Gabe- the troubled junkie that becomes the object of their affection.

The movie is fairly light on hard plot, but it's not totally aimless. It doesn't really give too much insight into the seeds of racial hatred, or have extensive character development, but as a glimpse into the Australian version of this particular subculture it is very successful.

The film can be quite chaotic and unpleasant, but it's fitting, and the film uses mise-en-scene to great effect to really make this stark and dark wasteland come alive. Seriously, the film plays out like a documentary at times, which I think is one of it's strengths. It does actually have character development, but it seems to mostly uses the neo-Nazi angle as just a thing instead of exploring it fully along the lines of something like American History X.

For a low-budget non-U.S. indie though, it is a decent piece of work. It's rough, but ultimately saved by good cinematography, good production/costume design, and great performances, especially from Crowe.