Romper Stomper

So this follows on from Russell Crowe's Romper Stomper which is a vastly underrated cult classic. Some of the original actors return and it follows the life of Andho's son as he descends into the same right wing politics.

Some of the acting (Blake and Jago) is a bit over the top but overall it is a thought provoking and scary view of Right Wing versus Anti Fac factions in Australia and how the politics of hate is encouraging these Nazi esque views.

It is a very topical and scary vision of the world we live in now.

Kane in particular is well acted and his intense performance is a masterpiece.

The score fits very well with piece and the only issue I have is the many storylines all trying to be woven together to the Ep6 finale - it feels like there could have been another 4 episodes to develop to the finale.

Overall though well worth a watch.

The series was better than I thought it would be. It's not without it's flaws; the portrayal of the anti-fascist group as violent provocateurs was fanciful, and the acting from some of the younger cast members was so wooden it was distracting, but once you get over that, it's a pretty compelling watch. Once I started, I continued to binge. It's nicely shot and put together. I've read other reviewers criticising its pace, but I think it's spot on. It maintains a sinister atmosphere throughout and, although that can become tiresome in some cases, it works well in this series. It's disturbing, as it should be. Cast from the original film (Dan Wyllie, John Brumpton and especially Jacqueline McKenzie) are excellent and David Wenham is, as usual, brilliant. I'm looking forward to a second season.

Most of the bad reviews seem to be from idiots who didn't watch past the first episode or are too used to big production CGI nonsense, the story has many falsities such as portraying the antifa as heroes(an embarrassment and I don't know what some reviewers are thinking) but I found the whole thing quite accurate and I binged it all in one day, not as good as the original film but a very compelling story none the less, just watch til the last episode and you will not be disappointed if you have even half decent taste in films and are not some over saturated fool who needs constant action and CGI to maintain interest, it could have done some things much better and could do with some more toned writing to trim the fat but the show does a very good job at not being cliche and it keeps you interested, very impressed with the ending and hope another series is made

This showed up on prime recently so I checked it out. It's interesting looking back at reviews from when it aired. There's all the mention of unrealistic events and characters. What is going on in the world now makes this look tame.

There definitely are some issues with the acting, and it's clearly low budget. But I don't believe it's worthy of one star ratings. Overall it's decent.

I think the show would have been much better off not using the Romper Stomper name. That also clearly has an effect on people's perception of the show.

The show provides many insights into racism, extremism, and their modern iterations, without apology. And I applaud it for that.

While delving into the modern far right and left wing, it doesn't succumb to the false equivalency they've been subjected to in recent times. "Anti-fasc" while anarchistic and occasionally violent, are shown to be at the very least compassionate (helping a homeless child), and respectful (when asking for support, offering to let them prove themselves first). On the converse Patriot Blue are shown to use tactics not uncommon to their real life counterparts. Intimidation and demands (not requests) of loyalty are common, and brutal. While they may be two sides of the same coin, one side exudes humanity, the other, inhumanity.

Further, the media does not get off lightly, David Wenham is (as usual) excellent. His depiction of a journalist clearly inspired by, shall we just say A.B. is accurate to a tee. While generally quite eloquent, when his facade has been challenged a different kind of monster emerges, and Wenham has nailed it.

Character development, while occasionally slow, is very well done, with the occasional twist. The tragic story of the main character had me feeling exceptionally lucky, and Toby Wallace does a fantastic job with him. A relatively nuanced performance, and the almost imperceptible tics he provides the character makes you feel as though you both do and don't know this person, and that's intentional.

Confronting for some, challenging for most, this show should be judged on its' merits, as such a recommended viewing for anyone (within the age restrictions obviously). But remember, if this show makes the hair on your back bristle, ask yourself; why?