Quarantine Watch #238: Romper Stomper (1992)

This film really is punk rock — its look, style, action, music, and themes — they all contain punk in their DNA. This film is really about Davey — he’s the Cameron from FERRIS BUELLER of this film — and his relationship with violence. Will he be able to leave a world of violence and by extension his almost-brother Hando? Russell Crowe really knows how to embody a psychopath. You can see it in his eyes and can see why this is what got him attention outside of Australia. I never knew there was such a large Vietnamese population in Melbourne, and it was nice to see a group of people represented in a way I hadn’t see before. I have a soft spot for epileptic characters, since I too have epilepsy. You get a sense of MEAN STREETS in here, especially how other characters react to it. The overall look of the film, the dark and blue hues as well as the anarchistic/grungy environment, reminded me a lot of Luc Besson’s LA FEMME NIKITA and I wouldn’t be surprised if inspiration was drawn from it, especially the violent natures of the characters.

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