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Rumble Fish (1983)

Rate: 5
Viewed: 10/03, 8/07, 5/21

RumbleF
8/07: I've got to hand it to Francis Ford Coppola for assembling the largest group of hot young stars during the 80's in two films: The Outsiders and Rumble Fish.

Look at the names: Matt Dillon, Mickey Rourke, Patrick Swayze, Tom Cruise, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Diane Lane, Nicolas Cage, Laurence Fishburne, Chris Penn, Ralph Macchio, Tom Waits, C. Thomas Howell, Diana Scarwid, Vincent Spano, and Leif Garrett. It's staggering, and we're talking about big-time moneymakers.

Back to Rumble Fish, the first time I saw the film, I thought it was good but murky. The second time, my sentiment became "murky but good." Now, I must say the movie sucks. It's incoherent for the most part. To make matters worse, the topic of gangs keeps being harped on throughout, weakening any visible development among the characters. I'm not getting Rusty James' problem while wanting to know more about the Motorcycle Boy's history. My favorite part, which was completely new at that time, is the sight of colored fish.

It goes without saying everybody looks great in black and white. The only actor to appear in the first three S.E. Hinton films, Matt Dillon is just okay if somewhat annoying, but I liked him better in The Outsiders and Tex. Everybody else is more or less the same which is equivalent to saying they're forgettable.

All in all, Rumble Fish, a film about juvenile delinquency, offers no interesting points.

5/21: No matter how many times I've seen Rumble Fish, nothing makes sense.

Two things the film has going for it are the pretty black-and-white photography and the all-star cast. Beyond them, there's no plot; it's mainly two hours of Rusty James talking the big talk and the Motorcycle Boy being stuck in a dazed haze. The biggest mistake is not incorporating anything from the past to provide for the latter's larger-than-life reputation.

The cast is unbelievable in retrospective because many went on to bigger things: Matt Dillon, Mickey Rourke, Nicolas Cage, Laurence Fishburne, Diane Lane, Chris Penn, and Sofia Coppola. Dennis Hopper was on the cusp of a comeback after many alcohol-drug fueled years of erratic behavior. Diana Scarwid was already an established actress, but she didn't see her career improve much afterwards.

All in all, Francis Ford Coppola was the wrong choice to direct The Outsiders and Rumble Fish.