Australian cinema at its best
ROMPER STOMPER(1992)
Directed by: Geoffrey Wright
Writing credits : Geoffrey Wright
Cast:
Russell Crowe .... Hando
Daniel Pollock .... Davey
Jacqueline McKenzie .... Gabe
The DVD cover screams STUNNING and INTENSE. Romper Stomper is exactly that.
Directed by: Geoffrey WrightWriting credits : Geoffrey Wright
Cast:
Russell Crowe .... Hando
Daniel Pollock .... Davey
Jacqueline McKenzie .... Gabe
The DVD cover screams STUNNING and INTENSE. Romper Stomper is exactly that.
Russell Crowe(Hando) heads a team of neo nazi skinheads who are enraged at the influx of Asian immigrants into Australia. The story follows the grim events that unfold in the life of the gang members who get involved in a turf war with the immigrants. The movie is complete with disturbing scenes of hate crimes, graphic violence and sex.
Due to similarities in theme, comparisons with American History X are unavoidable. But it would be something tantamount to a hatecrime to compare Romper Stomper and American History X. (There are huge IMDb threads about it!)
AHX is polished, packaged and glossy, sometimes kind of sugarcoats the brutalities(there was room for a lot more).
Some minor flaws apart, American History X is definitely a good movie. Edward Norton is brilliant as the protagonist in AHX. However, towards the latter part of the movie, he is depicted as undergoing drastic changes in his beliefs after a stint in prison. The reasons for his menacing skinhead character reforming are quite weak and frankly, very Hollywood. Somewhere the directors wussed out. [sensiblystoned, Edward Norton rules as always :) . I was in total awe of AHX before I watched Romper Stomper. I could be wrong, but in my opinion, the movie didn't quite make the cut.]
Romper Stomper is raw and a relatively more accurate portrayal of the ruthless skinheads without being too preachy. It is dark, ugly and in your face. The lowbudget feel and the camera work add to the realism. The authenticity in costumes and dialogues are startling, maybe something you can relate to in your rebellious days(if you were/are one!). The creators have done their homework a lot better than the AHX guys.
If there was a flaw, it would be that the some of the characters are not well developed. Not much is known about Hando. Not much is known about the origins of most of the other characters either. They're just thrust on screen leaving the viewer to imagine their past, which I think is good in a way too. It doesn't hamper your viewing experience but a little more history on the characters would've helped.
Russell Crowe gives one of the finest performances of his lifetime. Its a wonder how this movie went unnoticed because it ranks high up there with Gladiator, Beautiful Mind and Master&Commander when it comes to his acting abilities. If you're a Crowe fan, this is a must see! The actors who play Davey and Gabe give out powerful performances as well.
To sum it up, if you're not too much of a prude to handle the theme, you won't be disappointed. You will emerge shocked, disturbed and sickened.
Verdict: Must watch.
P.S: Sorry for the image-heavy post.
Due to similarities in theme, comparisons with American History X are unavoidable. But it would be something tantamount to a hatecrime to compare Romper Stomper and American History X. (There are huge IMDb threads about it!)AHX is polished, packaged and glossy, sometimes kind of sugarcoats the brutalities(there was room for a lot more).
Some minor flaws apart, American History X is definitely a good movie. Edward Norton is brilliant as the protagonist in AHX. However, towards the latter part of the movie, he is depicted as undergoing drastic changes in his beliefs after a stint in prison. The reasons for his menacing skinhead character reforming are quite weak and frankly, very Hollywood. Somewhere the directors wussed out. [sensiblystoned, Edward Norton rules as always :) . I was in total awe of AHX before I watched Romper Stomper. I could be wrong, but in my opinion, the movie didn't quite make the cut.]
Romper Stomper is raw and a relatively more accurate portrayal of the ruthless skinheads without being too preachy. It is dark, ugly and in your face. The lowbudget feel and the camera work add to the realism. The authenticity in costumes and dialogues are startling, maybe something you can relate to in your rebellious days(if you were/are one!). The creators have done their homework a lot better than the AHX guys.
If there was a flaw, it would be that the some of the characters are not well developed. Not much is known about Hando. Not much is known about the origins of most of the other characters either. They're just thrust on screen leaving the viewer to imagine their past, which I think is good in a way too. It doesn't hamper your viewing experience but a little more history on the characters would've helped.Russell Crowe gives one of the finest performances of his lifetime. Its a wonder how this movie went unnoticed because it ranks high up there with Gladiator, Beautiful Mind and Master&Commander when it comes to his acting abilities. If you're a Crowe fan, this is a must see! The actors who play Davey and Gabe give out powerful performances as well.
To sum it up, if you're not too much of a prude to handle the theme, you won't be disappointed. You will emerge shocked, disturbed and sickened.
Verdict: Must watch.
P.S: Sorry for the image-heavy post.
posted by Vincent at
2:24 PM
7 Comments:
vincent: Firstly, *doffs hat* a wonderful analysis of two movies. I agree, that AHX might have been a softer version of RS, hollywood always wants to potray an ideal situation and would always want the protagonist to turn good in movies such as this. Yes, Norton was awesome but I loved the ending too, where the black kid would kill Nortons brother and his facial reactions suggest that he rues it instantly (quite subtle it was). Also, Crowe was one of my favorites before Norton (Spacey is fast moving up on the list too :D ). Im definitely going to get this movie asap. Awesome writeup dude.
Kaushik: I watched American Psycho.....awesome acting dude. Bale was outstanding. Best part was when he dropped the chainsaw from the top of the stairs to kill the gal......hehe.
By
sensiblystoned, at 7:15 PM
nice comparison. I've watched AHX quite sometime now for Ed.Nort performance. I like his movies quite a bit for his versatile action. But wud certainly look fwd seeing this ru.crowe flick.
Gud post here..and on "vincewho"
By
Φ, at 5:07 AM
sensiblystoned,
I know you like Norton [don't we all:) ] and AHX. I was afraid I'd offend the Norton fans here.
And thanks again for not throwing a chainsaw at me :)
Φ,
Thanks.
intern,
If you liked AHX, I highly reccommend RS.
By
Vincent, at 9:21 AM
vincent: i saw KPax this weekend. Spacey makes his character so believable....it was a good movie.
By
sensiblystoned, at 9:23 AM
sensiblystoned,
I agree! Spacey is totally convincing as a being from another planet and a mentally challenged person at the same time. Jeff Bridges was excellent as well.
Ok, what did you think about the ending? Do you think he was human all along or was he a vessel for Prot? :)
By
Vincent, at 1:40 PM
intern: i wudnt call a guy whos won oscars as underrated. jim carrey is underrated (for serious roles i mean), matt damon, laura linney, these ppl are underrated, IMO. yeah, spacey is really good.
vincent: i was pretty sure he was an alien and the ending jsut proves that he was one.
By
sensiblystoned, at 1:46 PM
Just watched Romper Stomper and enjoyed it thoroughly. To me the comparison (with AHX) is only the neo-nazis. The two movies are drastically different in both plot/theme and filming style. I agree completely with your suggestion for more character buildup. I think some people would like to believe that the members of these gangs just pop out of thin air (i.e. no ones son or daughter) and I would have like to see them humanized a little more.
I feel obligated to write one clarification. Not all skinheads are neo-nazis. In fact many neo-nazi (at least in the States) consider the shaved head a thing of the past.
By
spitzer, at 3:55 AM
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