1992's Romper Stomper, one of the most controversial Australian movies ever made, surfaced in a year which also saw the landmark High Court Mabo decision regarding Indigenous native land rights, and Prime Minister Paul Keating's famous Redfern Park Speech on our racial history. It follows a gang of neo-Nazi skinheads led by Hando (Russell Crowe in his breakthrough role), in the Melbourne suburb of Footscray, who initiate a street war with the Vietnamese immigrant community who have no alternative but to retaliate. They soon acquire a new member in naive runaway Gabe (Jacqueline McKenzie), whom Hando and his more sensitive wingman Davey (Daniel Pollock) both fall for. When this sparks growing conflict between them and a house siege goes to shit, Gabe has a reawakening and leaves. Hando now takes a road trip to reel her back in, with tragic results.
Writer-director Geoffrey Wright prompted a national debate with Romper Stomper as to whether it was pro- or anti-racist. I don't actually think it was meant to be either; I've always interpreted it just as a reminder that, like them or not, white supremacists exist, and in contemporary Australia, and to counter them we must understand them. Most disturbingly, another of Hando's gang members is the preteen Bubs (James McKenna).
Naturally it's a very challenging watch, but Wright (who's since made the 2006 version of Macbeth set in Melbourne's ganglands, among other things) handles it with energy and authenticity that makes the suspense truly palpable, and Crowe is just frighteningly convincing, with solid support from McKenzie (who shows a lot of flesh). Another plus is John Clifford White's ominous score. Romper Stomper is an unflinching, powerful and daring achievement, and after events like the 2005 Cronulla riots and the 2014 Lindt Cafe siege, it's arguably now more relevant than ever.
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