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Proof of Life (2000)
One performance worth seeing
Unfortunately overshadowed by the tawdry headlines about Russell Crowe and Meg Foster, there is one excellent performance in this movie, that of David Morse as the kidnapping victim. The whole story was so inverted; it was Peter Bowan's refusal to give up, and his own cleverness which made his rescue possible. David Morse, who makes his character quite unlikable and self-centered early in the movie really develops him into a man of indomitable spirit who draws on his love for his wife to stay sane and unbroken during his captivity. Unfortunately, the movie focuses on Foster and Crowe who, for people having an off-screen affair, have literally *no* chemistry on film.
"Proof of Life" is the "Cleopatra" of it's day: a second-rate movie remembered because of the off-screen hijinks of it's stars. David Morse and his performance deserve better than that.
Proof of Life (2000)
One performance worth seeing
Unfortunately overshadowed by the tawdry headlines about Russell Crowe and Meg Foster, there is one excellent performance in this movie, that of David Morse as the kidnapping victim. The whole story was so inverted; it was Peter Bowan's refusal to give up, and his own cleverness which made his rescue possible. David Morse, who makes his character quite unlikable and self-centered early in the movie really develops him into a man of indomitable spirit who draws on his love for his wife to stay sane and unbroken during his captivity. Unfortunately, the movie focuses on Foster and Crowe who, for people having an off-screen affair, have literally *no* chemistry on film.
"Proof of Life" is the "Cleopatra" of it's day: a second-rate movie remembered because of the off-screen hijinks of it's stars. David Morse and his performance deserve better than that.
Romper Stomper (1992)
A truly disturbing film that is well worth seeing.
Romper Stomper is very difficult to watch, presenting an unsparing picture of a gang of neo-Nazi skinheads in Melbourne, Australia, obsessed with the danger they perceive in the growing population of Vietnamese immigrants. It is filmed in 16mm with a hand held camera, giving the movie documentary-style immediacy, and making it very hard for you to distance yourself from the horrific violence of many scenes.
Although the movie was criticized when it was released for "glorifying" skinheads and not taking a moral position against them, neither criticism is really well-founded. It is clear that the director and the actors made a great effort to get inside the characters, to make them human beings -- however repulsive -- and not simply caricatures. Still, the skinhead lifestyle depicted is mean, mindless, unromantic and, ultimately, pointless. For all their posturing, they are mindless bullies, ganging up on isolated victims, and they are completely undone when faced with victims who join forces and fight back with the same intensity. By the end, all but one of the gang members is in jail or dead, which seems to me to be a pretty powerful moral statement. The director suggests that, in fact, Romper Stomper did a great deal to de-mythologize and take the romance *out* of the skinhead movement in Melbourne, and he could well be right.
The movie is certainly not perfect, but it features a genuinely terrifying performance by Russell Crowe as Hando, the leader of the group, an intelligent, charismatic man totally twisted and misshapen by hatred, frustration and fear, yet capable of genuine affection and tenderness for his best friend, Davey.
That performance alone is reason enough -- but not the only reason -- for watching this film.