Romper Stomper
Genre: Crime/Drama
Cast: Russell Crowe, Daniel Pollock, Jacqueline McKenzie …
Director: Geoffrey Wright
Release: (1992)
One of the most common misconceptions among movie buffs is that it was his gritty portrayal of the skinhead gang leader Hando in 1992’s Romper Stomper that first propelled Russell Crowe onto the Hollywood scene as an actor to be reckoned with. In fact, however, true insiders will tell you that it was this performance, which also came out in 1992 (hence the confusion) that really first caught the attention of studio brass world-wide. But, as the clip speaks for itself, I guess I’ll just go ahead and review the movie since I’m already here.
Romper Stomper is about a group of disaffected Australian youth who find purpose and release in a skinhead brotherhood led by the charismatic sociopath Hando (Crowe). As more and more local businesses in their neighborhood begin being bought up by the growing Asian immigrant population, Hando rallies the group into a series of escalatingly violent attacks, until the backlash forces them to go on the run after their own abandoned building/home is destroyed and the cops are looking for them. Early along the way Hando picks up a troubled young homeless girl named Gabe (Jacqueline McKenzie) who starts to cause rifts in the group as Hando’s best friend Davey (Daniel Pollock), starts to fall in love with Hando’s new plaything. The second half of the movie pretty much sways back and forth between Clockwork Orange-like crime sprees and the unraveling of an almost love triangle that is very reminiscent of (though entirely less charming than) the one between Butch, Sundance and Etta in the eponymous 1969 classic.
One of the most interesting things about Romper Stomper, to me, had nothing to do with the story but was how it was full of little moments that remind us how insulated we can become by watching only American made studio releases too long. Like when you first hear the Vietnamese teens start talking with thick Australian accents and say to yourself, “Really?” Then you feel kind of bad about yourself because you realize you were just subconsciously presuming to hear something different, so you decide to never mention it to anyone and just try to remember to stay more open-minded in the future. Then you do just the opposite and mention it to everyone and still feel kind of surprised when you think about it. Then you blame society and feel better.
But, really, the bottom line is that this is a movie named “Romper Stomper”, and it’s main character is a guy named “Hando”. I mean, how wrong can you go with that?
Grading
Story: B
Acting: A-
Visuals: C
Originality/Innovation: B- (Some of the Clockwork Orange similarities were a little too close for comfort)
Enjoyability: This feels like a trick question …
Overall: B
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