Rumble Fish (1983)

Youth alienation seems to be the obvious theme of this story about a high school kid named Rusty James (Matt Dillon), a big believer in rough, angry neighborhood gangs, and his long-lost older brother who unexpectedly returns. Perhaps at a more subtle level, the story's theme relates to the passage of time, in hours and years, as evidenced by the film's visuals of passing clouds and the presence of clocks in numerous scenes.The story is thin. Rusty and his "gang" hang out, talk, walk around a lot, get angry, encounter various characters that appear in some scenes, then disappear. Ultimately, the glue that holds the plot together is the relationship between Rusty and his enigmatic, somewhat intellectual older brother, no longer a gang leader, who now functions as Rusty's mentor who over time, wised up. The story's era is unclear.Casting is okay except for a disconnect between story location and character accents. The setting is supposed to be Oklahoma; yet, most characters, and especially Rusty James, speak with a thick New York accent. Director Francis Ford Coppola made the same mistake in "The Outsiders", using the same location and some of the same actors.The film was shot in B&W, except for a couple of scenes where aquarium fish appear in red and blue. Overall photography is interesting in that visuals have a look and feel influenced strongly by German Expressionism, and include low-angle, noir lighting, heavy shadows, smoke and fog, and a few weird camera angles. Visuals in many scenes convey a gritty, dingy, urban look.In the copy I watched, dialogue sounded muffled and hard to understand. Background sounds combined general urban clanking noise with the rhythmic based ticks of a clock and light jazz to create an interesting if perhaps contrived overall soundtrack.An art film that was not well received by audiences when it came out, "Rumble Fish" would appeal to an art house audience but probably few others. I found the story talky and boring, though the B&W visuals were interesting in a stylized sort of way.

It's a shame that Rumble Fish has gone under the radar for so long. It's a special film that I honestly think is a little bit better than Outsiders. Hold down the pitchforks! I still love Outsiders; I just feel that the addition of a couple cast members (Nicolas Cage in particular) really helped in elevating the material.

Rumble Fish is a little film talked about in Francis Ford Coppola's notable filmography, and one that everyone suffers from its lack of attention. Although a bold statement to make of the same director that The Godfather trilogy to life, a strong case can be made that Rumble Fish is Coppola's best. Rumble Fish was made in 1983, after Coppola's immensely successful Godfather parts II and III. Starring Matt Dillon and Mickey Rourke, Rumble Fish tells the story of a man who has been born in the wrong time, struggling to find his place in the world. A deeply exploratory film delving into the human conscience, Coppola proves himself, in a stunning way, beyond the mafia films he is best known for. The leader of a small gang losing its influence in an aging industrial town, Rusty James (Matt Dillon) is struggling to find an avenue for himself in life. Constantly trying to live up to the name his older drifter brother, The Motorcycle Boy (Mickey Rourke) created for himself, Rusty James seems destined to follow a meaningless path throughout his life. Rusty James' mother left her family, and his father (Dennis Hopper) became a drunk after departure. His brother constantly roamed about the world, leaving Rusty James to try to find his way in his town with little opportunity, with very few life skills. The only place Rusty James finds comfort and purpose are in the gang pursuits with his street hoodlum friends. Rusty James is met with a huge dilemma, however when it becomes glaringly obvious that the good ole' days he imagines where the street gangs ruled the neighborhoods is quickly fading into the past. There should be no question after viewing Rumble Fish that Francis Ford Coppola is one of the best auteurs of our time. Each aspect of the film comes together to make an incredible final product that will stay with the audience weeks after viewing. Shot in amazing black and white, Coppola illustrates his amazing directorial prowess. Making the decision to shoot a film about a kid who is living in the past in stunning black and white shows the genius of the filmmaker. The sounds he chooses were also incredible to the plot. The simple sounds that filled the film did well to emphasize the incredible story line as we follow Rusty James' search for meaning. The camera work in this film is the best I've seen in a long time. Coppola's use of foreground, middle ground, and background to each tell an integral part of the story was incredibly executed to bring the entire film together. I am a viewer that is sensitive to film lighting. I ascribe to the school of thought that lighting can make or break a film. The lighting in Rumble Fish takes on a character of its own, which is impressive for a black and white film. The shadows utilized in the film prove Coppola to be one of the best directors at capturing the subtleties of life and what they mean to the big picture of a film. In the striking scene in the pet store where we meet the rumble fish, we see that Spielberg was obviously influenced by Coppola, and borrowed from Rumble Fish for his Schindler's List. The beautiful ending of Rumble Fish brings to a close a brilliant period piece that doesn't try too hard, easily resulting in Coppola's best film.I can think of no ill words for Rumble Fish, and I am hard on movies as the art form that they are. Coppola truly shows his prowess as a director with this beautiful black and white, brilliantly scored film. The acting was wonderful, but you really don't notice it much because you're captivated by the film's production aspects from the very beginning. If you haven't seen Rumble Fish, do yourself a favor and watch it as soon as you can.

Rusty James (Matt Dillon) is a juvenile delinquent. He hangs out with his gang at the poolhall and gets into fights. His older brother gangleader The Motorcycle Boy (Mickey Rourke) returns home after leaving for California. He reveres his brother who is color-blind and partially deaf. He falls for school girl Patty (Diane Lane). His father (Dennis Hopper) is a drunk. He gets expel from school and falls further into darkness.Francis Ford Coppola goes experimental. The use of black and white is interesting especially considering Motorcycle Boy's color blindness. Some of his surrealism attempts look too cheesy. He uses too much smoke. He's simply trying hard at times when the smoke is coming from everywhere. The most problematic is the sound design. It's weird and annoying. This movie is screaming for a rocking soundtrack from the era. Matt Dillon has gotten pretty good as a delinquent. Mickey Rourke is too standoffish. He's capable of so much more power. Coppola tries for something usual but it doesn't really work.