Rumble Fish

Yes, this was an effective, well-acted and visually stimulating art-house movie - the forgotten masterpiece of Francis Ford Coppola. I just recently watched this again and fell in love with it. I was a big fan of S.E. Hinton's writings growing up and this film did it justice. It's interesting that author S.E. Hinton claims that the script to this movie was written "on one of the first personal computers" in less than two weeks. How technology has changed nowadays with Final Draft. Matt Dillon gives his best performance as Rusty James, a 1950s street punk whose alcoholic father has all but walked out on him, and whose older brother (an enigmatic figure known only as The Motorcycle Boy) has left and moved to California some time ago. Dig this one up again. It's a classic.

I saw Rumble Fish in a small a cinema in Dublin when it came out in 1983. It became a cult hit around town and was shown every Monday afternoon for for £1 for months. I bunked off work often to see it as did many people, I got to know. It's hard to say what made it quite so special, god knows I've tried over the years in those party/pub moments when the conversation is flagging and someone asks, 'what is your favourite film?' Obviously they want to know why when you come up with something they've never heard of, hate or are indifferent to. I read Susie Hinton's books afterwards and also sought out the Outsdiders (also from a Hinton novel) which was made at the same time and was a good film with some of the wistful intensity of teenage life so strong in Rumble Fish but was like the straight, conventional brother by comparison. I think Susie Hinton went straight to Coppola's heart and she worked with him on the two films, even appearing in cameo in both. It is amazing to me that her books were marketed as teenage fiction, they are to my mind mature American fiction and transpose beautifully to the screen. The plot is a simple one and necessarily so yet the implications are universal. The style, camera-work, casting and soundtrack work together so well. I don't think that even in the Godfather Coppopla ever got it so right. The dreamy quality of the film, the distorted imagery and the fantastic soundtrack reflect the physical and mental damage suffered by the James family, Rusty's brain damage from one too many rumbles, Dad's alcoholism and the Motorcycle Boys colour blindness, depression and death wish. It's like an elegy for the old west and the constraints of small town life, John Ford meets David Lynch. It also marked the beginning of the end for Zoetrope studios and we'll never know what great movies we lost when that motorcycle gang left town.

"Rumble Fish" (1983) Rated "R" by the MPAA for Adult Situations, Profanity, Brief Nudity, Some Violence, Minor Gore, Brief Drug Use & Underage Alcohol Use. Running Time 1hr&34mn. My Take: ***1/2 (Out of ****)

"Rumble Fish" just might be Francis Ford Coppola's most overlooked film.

This movie, based on the Susan E. Hinton novel, tells about young street tough Rusty-James (Matt Dillion) who idolizes his older brother known only as 'The Motorcycle Boy' (Mickey Rourke).

Rusty-James longs for the days of rumbles and being a part of a gang. His friends are somewhat reluctant to feel the same way. His girlfriend Patty (Diane Lane) goes to an all-girl prep school. She's supportive of Rusty-James' need for acceptance and wanting to be cool like his estranged brother. "You're better than cool", she reminds him. "You're warm!" That's also a warning. Will Rusty-James heed?

Subtly, this is a film about the failure of the 'American Dream' and making choices, whether right or wrong. After all, Rusty-James' family fell product of the socialization process. They live in the slums, but that may not always have been the case. The boys' alcoholic father, memorably played by Dennis Hopper, was once a well-to-do lawyer earlier in life. What about the enigmatic Motorcycle Boy? Is he truly crazy? Or does he have 'an acute perception' that drives him crazy?

Brilliantly shot in black & white, Stephen H. Burum's cinema-photography makes "Rumble Fish" feel like something out of a chaotic dream. Everything is surreal, yet relative to each other. Clouds stream by overhead symbolizing the passage of time. Clocks appear throughout the movie suggesting time-is-a-burnin'. The suggestion here is: don't waste the time you do have while you still can. Stewart Copeland's almost all percussion and highly rhythmic score adds to that effect.

In "Rumble Fish", Coppola skillfully addresses the need to belong, to lead, to have goals, to have vision and warns not to fall deeper into an urban trap. Will Rusty-James discover what it means to step out and become his own identity before it's too late? As The Motorcycle Boy points out, "If you're going to lead people, you need to have somewhere to go."

That's good advice.

Ambitious and experimental film with an atmospherical musical score and a luxury cinematography in black and white. Melodramatic and enjoyable Francis Ford Coppola movie with amazing cast, most of them made great career. It deals with Rusty James (Matt Dillon), he is the leader of a small, dying gang in an industrial town, he workships his gang-leading older brother, the only role model he's known. As Rusty lives in the shadow of the memory of his absent, older brother, The Motorcycle Boy (Mickey Rourke). Rusty wants to revive the spirit of the old youth gangs, following in the footsteps of his idolized older brother who was once the leader of one of them and who carries a legendary aura and a reputation as a rebel and untouchable. His mother has left, his father (Dennis Hooper) drinks, his relationships are shallow, school has no meaning for him, except for his student girlfriend (Diane Lane). From fight to fight, Rusty longs for the return of his brother who is coming back from California, and there are still city walls that say: 'Motorcycle Boy Kings'. When the missed brother returns home, the two go through a series of experiences and the older brother teaches him things about life and longs for the days of gang warfare. The Motorcycle Boy's Never Coming Back !. Rusty James can't live up to his brother's reputation !. His brother can't live it down !. No leader can survive becoming a legend !.

Crafted by Coppola into an important story of growing up on the wrong side of time. Stars Matt Dillon as absent-minded street thug Rusty James who struggles to live up to his legendary older brother's reputation, finely played by Mickey Rourke, and exploring especially the relation between them. Acting naturally from the wrong side of the tracks and concerning their rebel conflicts with the traditional society and each other. A cult and nostalgic movie with a lot of newcomer stars to have many of them a long and successful cinematic career, including the following: Vincent Spano, Nicolas Cage, Christopher Penn, Laurence Fishburne, Diane Lane and, of course , the two starring: Matt Dillon and Mickey Rourke who thanks to this film he ultimately achieved stardom. All of them made great prolific career strides , not even Francis Ford could have afforded such luxurious number of stars a decade after. They are accompanoed by other nice veterans, such as: Dennis Hopper, Tracey Walter, Diana Scarwid and Tom Waits. There are continuous drama and Coppola gets some stirring, exciting moments towards the ending.

A nice film for youth , including drama , agreeable relationships, sensibility and a large number of fiights and confrontations among bands tending to fall foul of the law . Based on the popular S. E. Hinton novel and Francis Ford Coppola himself, they adapted another Hinton book the same year : ¨The Outsiders¨ (original title) with Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Tom Cruise, Diane Lane, and being followed by a TV series.

It packs a good and sensitive soundtrack by Stewart Copeland. As well as evocative cinematography by Stephen H. Burum with plenty of brilliant and glamorous photography in black and white, exception for the rumble fish in significant colour. The film was compellingly made by one of the best filmmakers , Francis Ford Coppola . This director has made great films as "The Conversation", "Apocalypse Now" , "Outsiders" , "Gardens of Stone", "The Godfather" saga and of course this "Rumble Fish"that is deemed to be one of the best ones . Although overdone , and excesively melodramatic but adolescents still love very much this exciting yarn. A cult above average movie for fans of the various new stars that participated in this Coppola masterpiece. Essential and fundamental watching for Francis Ford Coppola enthusiasts and completists. Rating: 7.5/10. Better than average.

I saw Francis Ford Coppola's Rumble Fish in a film class, and it was interesting to see how certain scenes were made (seeing transitions and shots in slow motion, stopping to point out things), among the plot. From S.E. Hinton's novel, he assembles a breakthrough cast (a lot of teens) who show they can get into the characters quite effectively. And for those who love the technical side of a film- how it was made and what went into the shots and the meanings of shots- will have a feast that will turn them off or have them asking for more (or the rumored 8-hour cut, perhaps).

The story deals with characters who are struggling through life, stuck in a town where the environment seems nostalgically black and white, and only glimpses of color arise. We are given the story of two brothers- the one who takes a chunk of the story is Rusty James (an excellent, young Matt Dillon), a tough, sometimes ignorant teen who has all the strengths and weaknesses of the high-school 'rebel', taking after his AWOL older brother. The other is Motorcycle Boy (Mickey Rourke, perfect in his quiet and touching presence), who left his town and his reputation behind to go to California. He returns to find Rusty James getting in over his head, and all his best efforts to keep him cool are mired by old wounds (some wounds involving their parents, others by the effect the atmosphere left on him). There's also keen supporting work by fresh faces- Nicolas Cage, Chris Penn, and Laurence Fishburne as friends and sometimes followers of Rusty; Diane Lane (wonderful even in her youth) as a sweet/sour love interest; and Dennis Hopper as the father of Rusty James, who appears just enough to get the psychological points across to the viewer.

Coppola tends to use his symbols rather thickly, and it's arguable if he may show things too much, or maybe if he shows them just enough (i.e. skies darkening, clocks). Yet it doesn't stop him from creating indelible images- practically all the shots in the film could be put on a wall and look as great as any other by a professional photographer. With Stephen Barum and Dean Tavoularis (photographer and designer, respectively) scene after scene experiments with techniques (the fish is just a taste of this), and it's rather authentic in its respectfulness of the material. For example, in the gang fight, the style with which Coppola introduces characters controls the mis en scene, the editing and the use of shadows, all of this in this one sequence displays the tremendous directorial vision Coppola can have on a film.

It's not really a joyful film, and the downward spiral motif of the story may make some depressed with what they're seeing. But, if you want to see a very well-crafted film, the kind that gets better on repeat viewings (as with the Godfather films and Apocalypse Now), check it out- at least a viewer will get the sense of concise, complex film acting by young stars.