Rumble Fish

For guys my age, reading the novels of S.E. Hinton was kind of a rite of passage in your pre teen years. The Outsiders is usually the favorite of most Hinton fans, but for me it was Rumble Fish. Not one of her more popular books,there was something about it that really drew me in. I was excited when her novels The Outsiders, Tex, and That Was Then, This Is Now were adapted into films. But I was ecstatic in 1983 when Rumble Fish made it's way to the big screen.

Matt Dillon stars as Rusty James, a not too bright teen who admires, and lives in the shadow, of his brother the Motorcycle Boy, Mickey Rourke. The Motorcycle Boy was a legend. A gang leader who knew how to throw a punch. Tired and outgrown of the fighting, the Motorcycle Boy called a truce between the gangs and wants peace. He has disapeared for a few months, and Rusty tries to take over the mantle of his brother. He arranges a fight with rival gang leader Biff Wilcox, Glenn Withrow, and gets together his own posse. As the fight between the two breaks out, the Motorcycle Boy returns. Biff slashes Rusty with a glass pain, so the Motorcycle Boy takes Biff down with his cycle.

The two brothers go home and the Motorcycle Boy nurses Rusty back to health. The Motorcycle Boy, who has lost some of his mind from the years of violence, tries to convince Rusty that fighting is not the answer. But Rusty wants to live up to his brothers former reputation so bad that the Motorcycle Boy's words fall on deaf ears.

I'll admit that when I first saw this film in my youth I didn't like it. I felt that it was too artsy and didn't do the novel justice. But when I viewed again in my later teens, I thought it was a beautiful masterpiece. Directed by the legendary Francis Ford Coppola in glorious black and white, Rumble Fish is not your average youth drama. Coppola has made it a teenage greek tragedy.

The cast is outstanding, especially Rourke who's quiet, cool charm makes you understand why Rusty James, and everybody else, would follow this guy. Coppola had Rourke read a lot of Albert Camus and a Napoleon biography to help him get in the mindset that he was looking for. The amazing supporting cast includes Diane Lane, Dennis Hopper, Vincent Spano, Nicolas Cage, Chris Penn, Lawrence Fishburne, Diana Scarwid, and Tom Waits.

The musical score was composed by The Police drummer Stewart Copeland. His first foray in film, and it's brillaint. The title track, Don't Box Me In, that Copeland did with Wall Of Voodoo frontman Stan Ridgeway, fits the tempo of the film nicely.

Coppola has called this his art film for kids, and I think it's his best work. It is a truly artistic and moving experience.

It's available on dvd.