"God sent us. We came to ruin your life," smirks a skinhead to his prey, a wealthy old pervert who's holding an incestuous affair with his daughter. The scene is a prelude to one of many acts of random mayhem which have caused Romper Stomper to be dubbed as "the Clockwork Orange of the "90s". The analogy is largely correct, for though it lacks subtle tones of satire and stylization that Kubrick's masterpiece bore, this Australian import is a keen and often compelling look at fascist youth gangs who've forsaken morality for a life of wanton violence, sex and yet more violence.

Simple but not simplistic, the story revolves around the acceptance of a female "outsider" (Jacqueline McKenzie; the runaway daughter) into the gang and her subsequent tribulations as she's passed from the brutal leader (Russell Crowe) to his somewhat more thoughtful second-in-command (Daniel Pollack). .AI'.V viewers should note that the semi-explicit sexuality in this unrated version (frequently intercut with drunken brawls and the like) is not erotica in and of itself, but rather an extension of the skinheads' animalistic lifestyles, rightly captured as such in a naturalistic, almost documentary quality.

The film never shirks from painting a fully-rounded picture of the youths, who, within the confines of their own microcosmic society, are often engaging, even kind towards each other, which makes their irrational racism and sudden outbursts all the more human — and a searing indictment of our own suppressed attitudes as more "civilized" beings.

Exceptional performances abound; Romper Stomper's exclusion from '93 Oscar nominations is a real crime.