Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 0024543048060
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
Label: 20th Century Fox
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: 20th Century Fox
Region Code: 1
Release Date: September 03, 2002
Running Time: 93 minutes
Sales Rank: 27539
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Theatrical Release Date: June 09, 1993
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Editorial Review:
Description:
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).
Amazon.com essential video:
The burning intensity of Russell Crowe (L.A. Confidential) first lit up screens as a hate-filled, Mein Kampf-spouting skinhead in this brutal Australian drama. Crowe glowers from under his deep-set eyes as Hando, the creepy but charismatic leader of a racist gang who declares war on the Asian immigrants pouring into Melbourne. His rage erupts in violent attacks on the local Vietnamese community, but when his victims fight back his gang breaks up, and Hando flees the city with his best buddy Davey (Daniel Pollock) and redheaded hellion Gabe (Jacqueline McKenzie), a rich girl runaway who turns the dynamic duo into a splintered love triangle. Writer-director Geoffrey Wright's matter-of-fact treatment of this subculture eschews social commentary for visceral immediacy. His portrait of white supremacist punks living like squatters on the fringes of Australian society is powered by coiled anger and simmering frustration, which finds its outlet in brutal fights and murderous rampages (the intense violence earned the film an NC-17 rating). The lack of moral position may bother some people, especially in light of Wright's sympathetic treatment of particular members of Hando's racist army, and the cold, hate-driven violence is sometimes hard to watch, but his vivid characters and richly drawn world create a compelling drama for adventurous filmgoers. --Sean Axmaker
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Savage and unjustified; a film that targets the senseless and exposes their sickness...
When `Romper Stomper' opens one is immediately drawn into the sick and twisted mind of Hando, leader of a group of Skinheads residing in Melbourne, Australia. This first scene depicts a harsh and spontaneous burst of violence towards a small group of Asians and is unsettling and disturbing and perfectly sets the tone for this brutal film.
`Romper Stomper' tells the story of this racist clan as they embark on a war against the Vietnamese community that is infesting their homeland. The raw and gritty depictions of violence and hatred are gut wrenching and fearless in that they don't beg to be justified or understood but clearly just want to be recognized. Director and screenwriter Geoffrey Wright manages to create a world so dark and scary that one feels almost compelled to investigate. I remember when I first witnessed this film I was appalled at its apparent lack of moral center. None of these characters are even given a sympathetic bone. I had just come down from the high that was `American History X', a film that manages to creep inside the disease of racism from an angle of understanding, and so when I saw the way their hatred was calloused and without remote justification I was taken aback. Then I realized just how brilliant this technique was.
`Romper Stomper' decides to target the senselessness of racism and it does so masterfully. As Hando and his clan fall apart from the inside out, their personalities breeding controversy and segregation from within their ... Read More
Rating:  - 1 Dimentional, but good for that
Lots of violence, but you don't really care. It's the bad guy skinheads against the perfectly innocent: Vietnamese, gay hobos, and rich paedophile. There's no attempt to understand the characters, just make 'em stupid-- it's enough.
That said, the pacing and structure of the film ARE interesting. I found my heart beating fast despite myself. The scenes are well done, and the main actors did what they could with the skimpy material. I recommend the VHS version rather than the DVD version which evidently censors the sex scenes. Those would be a shame to miss. --Mykel
Rating: - be careful which version you buy
This is an amazing movie of course, a must-see for any Russell Crowe fan, or anyone who loves independent film (the studio is listed as 20th Century Fox only because they bought the rights to it after the fact). You must be VERY careful however not to get the censored version- most of the earlier versions, usually listed as "Unrated" are the full movie. The 2002 re-release (with the chain link on the cover) and any version you buy at Wal-Mart (the protector of the almighty family values) will have the nudity and sexual content cut/altered. They leave in all the racism and violence, but I suppose they found sex intolerable.
Rating:  - Skins Down Under
This is a pretty good movie for the time and the budget. This is Russell Crowe before he was 'RUSSELL CROWE'. He gives a great performance as a dedicated skinhead/white supremacist. If you liked movies like American History X this is a good companion piece. It is pretty violent so not for everybody.
Rating: - Disappointing movie
I had heard of this movie and I am a big fan of Russell Crowe so I purchased it. Not a very good movie and a waste of time. Crowe does a good job but the story is rather weak.
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