Romper Stomper- Review
Incase I haven't already made it clear with films like American History X and This Is England being somewhere on my list of favourite films, I am very interested in Skinhead subculture. This Is England dealt with your apolitical, working class English kids who WEREN'T Neo-Nazis or racist in any way, shape or form. American History X on the other hand, dealt with right-wing political views and separated themselves as the superior whites, who were very very racist. Much like that film, Romper Stomper deals with the Australian adopting of Skinhead subculture and their racist views towards the multicultural population (namely Asian). Fortunately, the Neo-Nazism quickly died out here and is mostly unheard of these days, with the exception of racism as a general term...sometimes.
This film was insightful and I did get some enjoyment out of it, however I did have a few issues and I'd like to point these out in the performances. On a positive note, Russell Crowe did really well. He played the role of Hando, the leader of the Melbourne-based gang of Skinheads in question. I liked that the role was intended on being forceful and that you could instantly tell that he was the leader without the whole verbal self entitlement. There wasn't ever a moment of vulnerability with him, even towards the end. The main problem with the acting in this film is that it seems rigid and amateurish. In my most honest and blunt opinion, Russell was the only cast member who went above and beyond and actually pushed his character to be believable and hyperrealistic. I can't say the same for anyone else.
Daniel Pollock played the role of Davey, Hando's second-in-charge. His role managed to balance out Hando's rather large and overbearing personality and Gabrielle's flighty and spontaneous spurts of energy. Out of all the characters, his progression was the greatest. While it embodies that masculine wall that hides vulnerability, it was nice to see a little bit of humanity and conscience come to life. No, he wasn't as great as Russell in terms of characterisation and at times he looked staged, but he tried...even if it was a little "meh." Also, Daniel committed suicide prior to the release of this film.
Jacqueline McKenzie played the role of Gabrielle, an erratic woman who becomes Hando's love interest and accessory to the Skinhead gang. I wasn't crazy about Jacqueline here. Her story was a little jumbled and all over the place, kind of like her dialogue. Because of the lack of sense she made, it probably contributed to my disinterest in her role. Ideally she was important for the sub-plot but I felt as though she could have done more with the creative freedom she was given. Her acting was very strange and not memorable and so I really can't describe it other than that I wasn't a fan.
My main issue with the performances was the over dramatic violence sequences. Come on, this film was made in 1992. The violence should not look like cheesy 80s dramatisation. There was a serious delay between punches and slaps, making it look as fake as it initially was. There's crappy sound effects for the 'slap' and 'pow.' 1992 wasn't THAT long ago and I'm pretty disappointed with how that turned out, considering that this film is meant to focus on the violent disruption caused by the Skinheads.
Look, it's not better than American History X. Unlike AHX, I could not watch this over and over again. It isn't a hideous film and carries an important message, the general execution is what let it down. If everyone could be on Russell Crowe's level and present to the audience a really menacing piece of work, you'd take it a little more seriously. But it's average and I'm disappointed that I can't speak more highly of it.
Score: 5.5/10.