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Romper Stomper (1992)

play Coarse language – low ; Violence – medium
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clip This is our place education content clip 1

Original classification rating: R. This clip chosen to be M

Clip description

The skinheads rush to their local pub to confront some young Vietnamese men playing pool. Gabe (Jacqueline McKenzie), Jacqui (Janei Anderson) and Bubs (James McKenna) arrive late, having been left behind. Gabe tries to stop Hando from hurting the younger of the two men, but soon joins in. Jacqui enjoys watching, but the tide turns as Tiger (Tony Lee) arrives with a van load of Vietnamese reinforcements, ready to do battle.

Curator’s notes

by Paul Byrnes

Just before this scene starts, we have seen that a Vietnamese family has just bought the lease to the pub – something the skinheads don’t yet know. Their territorial ‘rights’ have already been lost, before the battle starts. This sequence goes on for almost 20 minutes and forms the film’s action set-piece. It ends with the skinheads completely routed, running for their lives, as the angry young Vietnamese, led by Tiger, trash their headquarters and burn it to the ground. Thus, the sequence moves from victimisation of a few, to the complete victory of the newcomers, which may be Geoffrey’s Wright’s way of avoiding a depiction of the migrants as powerless victims. It’s also his way of confusing and challenging our responses – which side do you want to see win in this fight? By the end, the skinheads look like the victims.

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