Romper Stomper
Romper Stomper is an interesting look at the skinhead culture of Australia. Hando and Davey are best friends, having a great time hanging with their Neo-Nazi pals and beating up on members of the local Vietnamese population. Things go awry when they meet Gabrielle, a junkie with a dark past. The woman drives a wedge between the two men that is only deepened when their gang dissolves, leading to a final confrontation.
The film received high critical acclaim in Australia and features an award-winning performance by a young Russell Crowe.
Tropes used in Romper Stomper include:
- Bar Brawl: The skinheads corner a few Vietnamese boys in a bar and beat up on them, but one of them escapes and summons reinforcements. An entire factory of Vietnamese workers empties out and chases the skinheads across the city.
- Fan Disservice
- Knife Nut: The skinheads are all very impressed by a genuine Hitler Youth knife.
- Love Triangle
- Rape as Backstory: Gabrielle was molested by her father, who still pursues her.
- Those Wacky Nazis: The skinhead gang is very explicitely of the Neo-Nazi Davey and Gabrielle aren't as bad as the others, but they do nothing heroic.
- Zerg Rush: Just about every Vietnamese man in Footscray swarms the skinhead gang, overwhelming them and sending them scurring across the entire city as they're picked off one by one.