“Romper Stomper” is a vicious movie about neo-Nazis. The movie stars Russell Crowe (“Gladiator”, “A Beautiful Mind”) before he became really famous. This picture is a lot like “American History X” as both show just how brutal these thugs can be.

Skinheads in Melbourne, Australia become increasingly enraged by the growing presence of Vietnamese in their neighbourhood. Hando (Crowe) and his cronies decide to engage in a savage campaign of violence to protect their country’s racial purity. They find their actions will not go unpunished as the immigrant community become tired of living in fear of attacks from the fascists.

Russell Crowe is great as Hando. You really believe this is a tough and aggressive man that wants to do serious harm to those that he considers to be impure. Hando is a devout neo-Nazi that reads “Mein Kampf” and his bedroom walls covered with Nazi memorabilia. The other neo-Nazis are also very disturbing. The Vietnamese characters don’t have much to do but I think that’s okay. This is a movie that focuses on the neo-Nazis and we get a good feel for what the Vietnamese perspective is on the situation without having to see all that much of them.

“Romper Stomper” was a controversial film when it came out in 90s Australia. It’s understandable why because it shows the reality of neo-Nazi violence and the tensions between white racists and the growing immigrant communities. This is a very violent film and I can see a lot of people being uncomfortable be subjecting to a lot of white nationalist imagery used throughout. However, this is a powerful and engaging movie that takes you into the dark world of white supremacists. It’s maybe not quite as amazing as “American History X” but it’s not far off and I really do recommend you check this movie out.