Movie Review: Rumble Fish

Rumble Fish 

Universal Pictures, AMLF, Hotweather Films, Zoetrope Studios, USA, France, 1983. 

Based on the novel of S.E. Hinton. 

Motorcycle Boy reigns. A blustery graffiti is written on many walls but Motorcycle Boy (Mickey Rourke) himself has vanished. Juvenile delinquent and Motorcycle Boy's younger brother Rusty James (Matt Dillon) has a fight coming with rival Biff Wilcox (Glenn Withrow). Rusty's girlfriend Patty (Diane Lane) does not like fighting but Rusty wants to be a legend like his brother. 

Rusty James

Patty

Motorcycle Boy

Rusty has geeky friend Steve (Vincent Spano) and a somewhat unreliable friend Smokey (Nicolas Cage). In the middle of the fight Motorcycle Boy suddenly returns. Motorcycle Boy has realized that he wasted his youth in gangs and he wants to get out of the gang live. But the hard life has left marks and he is quite messed up. Escaping his reputation proves to be impossible.

Smokey

Laurence Fishburne as Midget

Dad

The brothers meet their alcoholic dad (Dennis Hopper). Rusty's life starts to go downhill. He gets suspended from the school and Patty dumps him. Still Rusty dreams of being a respected gang leader one day. Officer Patterson (William Smith) is out to get Motorcycle Boy for any offence.

Officer Patterson

Rumble fish

With cast containing names like Matt Dillon, Mickey Rourke, Diane Lane, Dennis Hopper, Nicolas Cage and smaller roles by  Laurence Fishburne, Tom Waits and early role of Sofia Coppola this one has quite a legendary cast. The film looks like a French New Wave- cinema. The wild camera angles and black & white cinematography with occasional splashes of colour this looks like one of the Coppola's most experimental films. Probably Wong Kar Wai has taken some influences from this film. Especially “As Tears Go By" comes in mind. The characters philosophize, mess up their relationships and sometimes participate in gang antics.

Plotwise the film is very simple, and it is all about the mood and the characters. The bleak story still has a hopeful ending, maybe Rusty can still leave the meaningless gang life behind? Stylish cinematography with beautiful time-lapse scenes alone make it worth seeing.

Rating: Very good

Sterring: Matt Dillon, Mickey Rourke, Diane Lane, Dennis Hopper, Diana Scarwid, Vincent Spano, Nicolas Cage, Chris Penn, Laurence Fishburne, William Smith, Michael Higgins, Glenn Withrow, Tom Waits, Herb Rice, Maybelle Wallace, Nona Manning, Sofia Coppola, Gian-Carlo Coppol, S.E. Hinton, Emmett Brown, Tracey Walter, Lance Guecia, Bob Maras, J.T. Turner, Keeva Clayton, Kirsten Hayden, Karen Parker, Sussannah Darcy, Kristi Somers, Shannon Sukovaty 

Director: Francis Ford Coppola