Search - Romper Stomper on DVD

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 9/14/2022...

Russell Crowe in a much different radical role. Was not a fan of this one.

Jean W. from JORDANVILLE, NY
Reviewed on 12/6/2012...

this movie seemed slow to start and although it featured a young Russell Crowe which should be a huge boost, it was not as good as I had hoped it would be. Will watch it once more and then relist it, as it is not a keeper.

Steven H. (sehamilton) from BIRMINGHAM, AL
Reviewed on 12/12/2010...

I have to take exception to this film not taking a moral stand on the issues presented therein. I personally adhere to the belief that if evil is not opposed, then it is encouraged. This is my understanding of Romper Stomper. Perhaps the lead actors do give great performances, but I could not get past the unrelenting hatred spewed throughout the film. Even the so-called "hero" of the film does not deny his belief in white supremacy. No, instead, he is enamored by his brother's female "toy". The story is simple: Skinheads hating and attacking Asians without any provocation, until the tables are turned and they must run for their livesd. Period. The film has no redeeming values. I would argue the film is not amoral, but presents this horrifying subculture as a "normal" abeit fringe element in society. Personally, I'll take American History X any time over this movie. The one viewing left me wishing I could get my 93 minutes back.

Sandra F. (Sami) from ST PETERSBURG, FL
Reviewed on 11/27/2007...

While the subject content of this movie was so violent, the acting of Russell Crowe and Daniel Pollock was superb. I was impressed. I have this movie and have watched it several times and am still impressed.

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

One of Russel Crowe's All Time Best

The Hermit | Iceland | 07/08/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"1990's skinhead movies vs. 2000+ skin films.
There aren't that many neo - nazi skinhead movies out as of present , and we need desperately a skinhead movie which takes on the modern Russian skinhead situation. The story revolves around a failed skinhead 'leader'who has no real leadership talents whatsoever - and who seeks to cover that up as desperately as possible , and winds out in the end being caught up in a serious fear of the police and the federal powers and the very forces of those he hates - Asian immigrants who have decided to flee from their homelands in search of homes in Australia , as a result of problem - reaction techniques generated by illuminists. The official explanation for most skinhead movements is that they are seperate movements which are in almost no way connected to the police or government operations or even freemasonry lodges. Truth be known , many of those movements have been created so that a 'something has to be done'call would be heard and people would in turn aggree upon limitations of rights and personal freedoms such as the freedom to decide where to walk and when and even how to walk. The way I look at Romper Stomper , it is actually two films - Romper Stomper I stars Russel Crowe and the other actors in the Romper Stomper movie who decide to express the phenomenon of 1990's skinhead culture as realistically and as brutally as they possibly can , succeeding at every effort to portray a non - politically correct , non - mainstream film which becomes one of Russel Crowe's all time greats and perhaps his greatest success on the screen. What I term 'the sequel', to Russel Crowe's Romper Stomper , is a very little known skinhead movement which has barely begun to grow today - and which is set to become known , quite simply , as Sinister Skins. It may perhaps be very probable that perhaps Russel Crowe ought to consider the possibility of creating a sequel to Romper Stomper which will focus heavily upon Sinister Skins and 2000's plus skinhead gangs , especially skinhead gangs in Russia and perhaps even Iceland , because it's only a matter of time before skinhead groups be formed in Iceland to combat the consequences of the banking collapse which will not be perceived to be immigrants.
A 21st century skinhead movie will also have to deal with the current discussion of an immigration phenomenon which has become very much talked about at so - called 'exopolitical summits'- extraterrestrial immigrants because future skinheads movements will very likely turn away from focusing on earthly immigrants and will go more into the bussiness of the much talked about extraterrestrial immigrants of today's exopolitical litterature (provided there is truth to most of the stories about extraterrestrials attempting to infiltrate our societies). Thus , unlike any other skinhead movie ever made , Romper Stomper is actually two films - it's own chronological 1990's version , and it's horrifying sequel - that of 2000+'s skinhead movements and the way of life and philosophy they will adapt into their cultures. Imagine what was to take place if tens of thousands of skinhead movements would arise suddenly out of nowhere with hardly any political background or special interest connection whatsoever , whose leaders will be far more capable and will be seriously determined to succeed at their aims towards successful leadership among their ranks and who will have learnt from such films as Romper Stomper on how to create highly spirited , highly numinous as opposed to highly racial skinhead movements. And not all skinhead groups are neo - nazi , of course. I seriously urge that a sequel be made of Romper Stomper which does not necessarily have to focus on any of the speculations that I have raised above. For example , such a sequel could instead be about skinheads who focus on Australian banksters or perhaps an altogether new skinhead story which may focus again on asian immigrants. My friend also saw this film two days ago and says that he felt mesmerized by the scene involving the Asian majority group who attacked the skinheads. He said he supported the Asians in the movie. I said that whereas the film as a fictious portrayal of skinhead violence was concerned , I supported the Australian skins. As of present it is perhaps possible to create skinhead movements which have both Australian , Asian and so on members to increase diversity within their ranks and to increase number. Being a skinhead is not a decision to be taken lightly."

Mastering the art of simplicity. 94%

Duckman | Drifting in the Cosmic Sea | 07/22/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Romper Stomper is actually a fairly new addition to my "absolute favorites" in film. I got interested in this movie when I saw the trailer for it on one of the public computers in college, and after watching it, quickly bought a copy on the internet just because it looked so gritty and uncompromising. As the title says above, it shows you don't need super confusing storylines and multimillion dollar special effects to make a great movie. All you need is believable characters living believable lives and acting out believable situations.

STORY

Romper Stomper focuses on a gang of neo-Nazis in Footscray, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. Leading the gang is Hando (Russell Crowe) and his right-hand man is Davey (Daniel Pollock), where they lead brutal street attacks against the growing Vietnamese immigrants in their community, seeking to preserve the "racial integrity" of their community. However, things start to change when a troubled, seizure-prone girl named Gabrielle (Jacqueline McKenzie) comes between Hando and Davey, and their friendship begins to splinter as the love triangle is formed.

CHARACTERS

This is one of Romper Stomper's best traits since the characters feel very real. Since this movie focuses on a group of neo-Nazis, you see them as vile people, but not in a one-sided way that the politically correct folks in Hollywood would want you to see them as. Even the characters that are there to "push the story along," don't detriment the quality of the film since their believable personalities add to the quality of the film. Of course, Hando and Davey are the stars in this arena. Hando is the leader of the neo-Nazi gang and to me, is the most menacing neo-Nazi I've ever seen on film. He's really maniacal when in street combat and has a grip over his subordinates as to where they not dare defy him. Within the first several minutes, Hando and his cronies ambush a group of Vietnamese immigrants and Hando grabs one of them, and tells him "I'm gonna tell you something, and I want you to listen to me. This is NOT your country." Then proceeds to ruthlessly beat the helpless fellow. Hando's appearance adds to his menacing personality since he's covered with Nazi tattoos and on his left arm, has the skeletal structure of his arm tattooed in black ink and it makes him look like he has claws on his hand as well. However, Hando isn't a one-sided maniac. After the first night he spends with Gabrielle, he explains to her why he believes what he believes for pretty understandable reasons, particularly with how the Vietnamese immigrants are "cheap labor," and renders a chunk of the white populace unemployed (though this doesn't justify his awful actions). Davey is also an interesting character because while he believes in the Nazi ideology, he feels ostracized within Hando's gang and starts to feel that Gabrielle is his key out of that type of life. A good example of Davey's doubts about the gang are shown in a party scene where all of his pals are getting drunk and beating each other while listening to racist punk rock; Davey breaks away from the mosh pit and pummels a punching bag. Gabrielle shows some complexity because while she's a troubled "sex kitten," she's had a troubled life with her mother's death and implications that her father has sexually abused her in the past. Also, since these people aren't exactly "good people," I'm glad that there's no quest for these people to redeem their morality because in reality, these people don't conveniently "find the light" towards the end of reality, adding another layer of realism to the experience.

LACK OF POLITICAL CORRECTNESS

Writer and director Geoffrey Wright did a bold move by taking a neutral stance to the characters' Nazi ideology. Instead, Wright makes a gritty drama focusing on the decay of a group of violent hooligans who happen to be neo-Nazis. I'm really glad that Wright didn't bash the audience over the head with a "OMG!! Racism is evil!!" message like in American History X because I think most people old enough to watch this type of movie have enough cognitive capacity to make that decision for themselves. Another aspect to the lack of political correctness is that Wright immerses the audience into the neo-Nazis' world, which I find pretty refreshing since not many films did that prior to Romper Stomper's release in 1992 (with an exception being Made in Britain, which came out in 1982), and that it's not common that you get to see why they think the way they do. Partial spoilers ahead, what I love about this movie is that none of the characters break away from their racist beliefs at the end because in real life, hate-filled goons don't quickly change their ideology like in films such as Crash and the previously mentioned American History X.

APPEARANCE

It's pretty obvious that Romper Stomper is a low-budget film given how it looks. The film was shot with that was probably either a small or standard low quality camera, which causes the picture quality to look pretty grainy and hazy. I LOVE the picture quality in this movie because the visual grittiness adds a layer of uneasiness that's already present within the ultra-violent lives of the neo-Nazis. Since many of the locations take place in abandoned car shops and warehouses, it adds another layer of uneasiness to the viewing experience by showing how rough these troublemakers have to live.

SOUNDTRACK

John Clifford White did a fantastic job writing the music for RS because it further immerses the viewer into the neo-Nazis' world. The soundtrack itself is a mixture of racist punk rock and simplistic instrumentals. The racist punk songs do a great job in really making you feel like you're in Hando's gang because not only for their racist messages, but also for the fact that they really sound like music played by a bunch of racists in someone's garage, though I think the instrumentals are the best part of the music. Towards the psychotic end of the movie, there's a really creepy and psychedelic track with only the words "Fourth Reich Fighting Men" (taken from a racist punk song with the same title) being screamed in the background as the madness in the movie unravels. The ending theme "Dead Nazi March" is a simple and dark instrumental tune that perfectly complements the movie.

ACTION SCENES

Romper Stomper isn't by any stretch an action film, but it has probably one of the most intense street fights I've ever seen in a movie. After the Vietnamese immigrants get fed up with the neo-Nazis' ruthless actions, they retaliate. When Hando and his cronies assault the sons of a Vietnamese businessmen who just bought the local bar (which was the skinheads' hangout area), dozens and dozens of Vietnamese people swarm the skinheads and raging battle ensues. You see the skinheads and Vietnamese people stab, punch, and kick the snot out of each other. A really intense part of the fight is when a skinhead downs and proceeds to repeatedly kicking a Vietnamese guy in the belly, two Vietnamese people on a motorbike knock the skinhead down and a bunch of others swarm the skinhead and beat him to death. This makes the sparse street fights in Akira look like shorts from Sesame Street.

MATURE CONTENT

This is not a movie for the kids. The previously stated street fights are really violent and this movie has some pretty intense (for not being x-rated) sex scenes between Hando and Gabrielle and later on, between Davey and Gabrielle. However, the violence and sexual content aren't at all gratuitous because they add to the grittiness of the main characters' lives.

FINAL WORD

Romper Stomper really is an intense film and if you want THE skinhead movie, don't hesitate to watch RS one bit. If you want more after this, check out Made in Britain as well."

It's about philosophy, not Skinheads.

Stephen Gill | USA | 07/29/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Geoffrey Wright is one of the most unrated director/screenplay writers in the modern film age. Romper Stomper is not about Skinheads. It's about philosophy. Sure, it's packed with violence and racial demoralization. But so was the KIlling Fields and that really happened. After viewing this film several times, I always had the same conclusion. It's about philosophy. Hando (Russell Crowe) wanted to live in the past by adhering to the Nazi mantra of the Master race. Davey (Daniel Pollock) had a dream. One with a very different future. A future of hope, happiness and unrealized ambitions that were cultivated by the inception of Gabe (Jacqueline McKenzie). Her presence created a conflicting wedge that helped divide Hando and Davey. It's this conflict which fuels the film to it's climactic ending. Brilliant screenplay, casting, cinematography, editing and music score. A totally underrated film. A must see."