Romper Stomper (Geoffrey Wright, 1992)

The film that gave Russell Crowe his first big break, Romper Stomper is a raw kitchen-sink precursor of American History X centring on a pack of Neo-Nazi skinheads in Melbourne, who pick the wrong target for their aimless rage when their local haunt falls into Vietnamese hands. Unlike in the American retread, there's little promise of redemption here: the pathetic lowlifes are too unanalytical to learn anything from their own suffering, let alone from that which they inflict on others. This is both virtuous by dint of being truthful and thoroughly depressing to the point of risking alienating a cinematic audience. The refusal to slap on gloss is admirable, but leaves little room for interpersonal drama when all the characters are so utterly devoid of saving graces. Still, some consolation is to be had in knowing it'll all end in tears.

5/10