Geoffrey Wright’s, Romper Stomper is gritty, violent, and at times, hard to watch. Though, at the same time, it’s damn important, displaying subject matter that most other Aussie films are too scared to touch upon.
Wright uses the inner-Melbourne suburb of Footscray, known for its diverse multicultural backgrounds, as the backdrop for violence. The Neo-Nazi “Skinhead” gang, feuds with the Vietnamese community of the neighbourhood, mirroring real life racial feuds of 1990’s Melbourne. In fact, the film was inspired by the real life crimes of Melbourne based Neo-Nazi Dane Sweetman, with Russel Crowe’s character, Hando, acting as a sort of stand in for Sweetman.
And though the film was inspired by the racial prejudices of over thirty years ago, Far-right groups staging white supremacist protests in Melbourne streets and shopping malls, showcases that Romper Stomper is still as relevant as it ever was, with the film forever able to serve as a reminder to the dangers of indoctrination, and the evils of xenophobia.
Geoffrey Wright’s, Romper Stomper is gritty, violent, and at times, hard to watch. Though, at the same time, it’s damn important, displaying subject matter that most other Aussie films are too scared to touch upon.
Wright uses the inner-Melbourne suburb of Footscray, known for its diverse multicultural backgrounds, as the backdrop for violence. The Neo-Nazi “Skinhead” gang, feuds with the Vietnamese community of the neighbourhood, mirroring real life racial feuds of 1990’s Melbourne. In fact, the film was inspired by the real life crimes of Melbourne based Neo-Nazi Dane Sweetman, with Russel Crowe’s character, Hando, acting as a sort of stand in for Sweetman.
And though the film was inspired by the racial prejudices of over thirty years ago, Far-right groups staging white supremacist protests in Melbourne streets and shopping malls, showcases that Romper Stomper is still as relevant as it ever was, with the film forever able to serve as a reminder to the dangers of indoctrination, and the evils of xenophobia.