Rumble Fish (1983)

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Directed by Francis Ford Coppola.

Starring Matt Dillon, Diane Lane, Herb Rice, Mickey Rourke, Diana Scarwid, Dennis Hopper.

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One of two S.E. Hinton novels Francis Ford Coppola directed in 1983, Rumble Fish is a stylized black-and-white film about the death of gang culture in a rough-and-tumble town full of stunted youths. The central character is the strutting Rusty James (Matt Dillon), a foul-mouthed lunkhead clad in sweaty tank tops, who passes his time at the billiards hall waiting for "something" to happen in his life. That something might be the return of his brother, known only as the Motorcycle Boy (Mickey Rourke), from exile in California. Charismatic and intelligent, the Motorcycle Boy once led numerous wide-eyed followers into battle, into the "rumbles" once commonplace in town. Rusty James wants to take over that role, but lacks the smarts necessary for leadership, nearly getting himself killed in an opening fight. The Motorcycle Boy stops the fight with equal parts efficiency and cool, and Rusty James seems delighted by his brother's return. But it quickly becomes clear that a local cop (William Smith) is still gunning for the Motorcycle Boy, waiting for him to slip up, even though the mysterious youth has developed a weary philosophy of life and a skeptical view of his former power. As the Motorcycle Boy seems more and more distant, lost in deaf and color-blind fugues, Rusty James gets into greater trouble, running afoul of his girlfriend (Diane Lane) and friends (Nicolas Cage, Christopher Penn, Vincent Spano), and seeming on the path to destruction. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide

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Reviews and discussions

Great music great images
by chrismorrell in chrismorrell Blog

loved it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
""Rumble Fish" is probably my favourite from that year...not least for the superb music by Stan Stansfield and Stewart Copeland..there's a copy on my shelf and i shall watch it again...If only Mickey Rourke could have stayed that way..( at least no facial surgery)...remembering it as i write,this is a classic : got to get out this small town coz it's killing us/rebel without a cause/wild one excursion...it's undercut by a whistful childlike quality in the Rusty James character(Dillon),looking to his big bad brother "The Motorcycle Boy" (Rourke) for answers ,but the "boy" can see himself turning into his alchoholic father (Dennis Hopper)... cheers HairyLime,you remind me about the Tom Waits cameo,then ,of course theres Nic Cage,who gets the girl..huh! I love it ... " [More]

Re:Re:Re: Top 5 Bands That Get ...
by chrismorrell in Top 5

loved it.

"Top five "from film" names..two i thought of straightaway from one film..(the) "Heaven Seventeen" and (the) "Sparks" ,from "A Clockwork Orange" Make that three "Moloko" who i rated,Roisin Murphy's old band ..again from "A Clockwork...""the Motorcycle boy" ,comes,of course,from one of my favourite Mickey Rourke movies "Rumble Fish"...they were an eighties Scottish indie band ... "Alphaville" are German Ultravox style synthpop .. So there's five for ya! As you have all said, "They Might Be Giants"fill the remit totally ...currently hear them every weekday evening ,playing the theme to" the /A Daily Show With John Stooowart" (better without the "writers" ) "Dog On Fire" by Bob Mould apparently... Uhuh? "Rumblefish" not listed on Spout? surely shome mistake? " [More]

Underappreciated Gem
by JakeStevens in JakeStevens Blog

liked it.

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"Francis Ford Coppola & S.E. Hinton paired together to make two films back to back in 1983, The Outsiders & Rumble Fish. This being the shorter of the two (and shot in black & white with hints of German Expressionism), I decided to watch it first. What a treat! I can see why it was not a hit back then, as it is very experimental (racing clouds, strange mists on the outskirts of town, flashes of color here and there: hmmm...Schindler's List, anyone?), slightly existential (the out-of-body experience comes to mind), and all a bit theatrical. I liked it quite a bit - it's very stylized. I would recommend it, but only for those who like to ponder their films afterward...there's a lot going on here, folks... " [More]

Imitation of Angst : Gypsy 83
by jlgdrd in Wicked Fun

loved it.

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"Often there comes a time when a bad (or inept, or failed) movie will unwittingly tip its hand. It could be a piece of dialogue that encapsulates a central flaw, or it might be a device that functions as damage control. In Gypsy 83, it’s a chapter when Gypsy and Clive, en route to a singing competition in New York, spend an evening with a more or less retired singer, Bambi LeBleau (Karen Black). She is congenial, down-to-earth, unperturbed and dishonest only in the sense that she is trying to put a brave face on adversity. Black has been acting for at least thirty years now (Five Easy Pieces, Nashville, Easy Rider) and her screen presence and skill are so effortless that they too often go unnoticed. Her performance appears to infect Sara Rue (Gypsy) and Kett Turton (Clive) who seem completely different in this sequence, and outshines them in the rest of the film. She’s invested in the role, but experienced enough to trust her intuitions. When they decide to leave Bambi b ... " [More]

A Thousand Clouds of Peace: Poe ...
by jlgdrd in Wicked Fun

loved it.

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"A Thousand Clouds of Peace is an ode to loss and yearning, an extended fever-dream or hallucination that we share with Gerardo (Juan Carlos Ortuño) as he carries Bruno's letter in his pocket, haunted by the words he used to explain why he can no longer see him. Sometimes he appears to be looking for Bruno (Juan Carlos Torres), for others he meanders and malingers, making contact with friends, clients, and strangers. There is something intuitive and almost preverbal about the way he connects, as if he knows them intimately and not at all, as if they can read each other's minds. It's a familiarity of attraction and repulsion that reminds you of Bergman. Like when you mingle drunk at a party where social conventions have been dropped and there's a kind of jovial, empty intimacy. It doesn't seem adequate or appropriate to describe Gerardo as a prostitute. He accepts money from the men he engages only grudgingly, as if looking for something else. His urgency i ... " [More]

If you're going to lead people, ...
by HairyLime in HairyLime Blog

liked it.

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"An 'under the radar' film for Coppola made in the troublesome early eighties, almost a companion piece to the more widely seen 'The Outsiders', based on another of S.E. Hinton's 'troubled teen' books. Much more surrealistic and dreamlike than the other film, though it shares a lot of the brat pack cast, the director really seems to be having fun playing with the medium in this one, odd camera angles and effects, playing with the audiences expectations -- some fun performances throughout, Matt Dillon's thick skulled 'Rusty James' the wanna-be gang leader, Diane Lane at her pouty best as his girlfriend, Mickey Rourke playing the legendary 'Motorcycle Boy', as a whispering sensitive bookish outgrown juvenile delinquent, Dennis Hopper as their drunken loser of a father, and Tom Waits in a fun cameo as 'Benny' from 'Benny's Billiards' (other future stars have early bit parts here, Christopher Penn, Vincent Spano, Lawre ... " [More]

Re: Top 5 black and white movie ...
by Risselada in Top 5

hasn't rated it.

"Huh, I've never seen the movie Lenny. I'd heard of it but never even realized it was in black and white. Would you recommend really listening to some recordings of Lenny Bruce before actually seeing the movie to get prepared?You say this is never brought up, but I thought I actually heard Smith himself claim that was the effect in mind even when he was shooting it. I could be mistaken though. I've definitely heard that security camera type of angle discussed before though.The movie If.... also switchs between color and black and white, and although it was commended by critics as some kind of artistic choice, it turns out it was merely due to their budget forcing them to swtich to black and white stock at a certain point in the shoot. " [More]

Re: Top 5 black and white movie ...
by BigJeffLebowski in Top 5

hasn't rated it.

"Manhattan's my favorite film, so that's obviously going to have to be my number one. Beyond that, though, the question must be raised: how much can the mere aesthetics of the film affect our selections? There are some black and white films which are beautifully shot, but are not as good as a Jarmusch or Clerks. Trying to focus on the film itself, I'm going to have to say:1. Manhattan (and also Stardust Memories and Broadway Danny Rose by Allen)2.The Last Picture Show3. Raging Bull4. Pi5. LennyThese are all films which I think are superb upon their own merits, but the fact that they are in black and white adds a new dimension.No one really brings this up when they mention the film, but I think the monetary restraints on the original Clerks (black and white, stationary camera) give the film a certain security-camera feel that really helps the juxtaposition of the mundane and the outlandish, and is part of the reason Clerks is able to assimilate the two so well.I really ... " [More]

Review by All Movie Guide

All Movie Guide

is neutral about it.

Rumble Fish is one of a number of projects Francis Ford Coppola has agreed to direct during his long career either to help finance a future project or cover for the excesses of a past one. But that doesn't mean it was just tossed off; in fact, Coppola comes across as downright ambitious, shooting in black-and-white with all manner of camera angles, close-ups, and extreme depths of field. The result is a stylized fairy tale about wasted youth, rebelliousness, and the desire to exude cool, which received critical attention for its original production design. Matt Dillon and Mickey Rourke are excellent choices to portray the central hothead delinquent and the detached brother he idolizes, both archetypes in a nowhere town that recalls the small Texas hamlet of Peter Bogdanovich's The Last Picture Show. Coppola was of course able to command a first-rate supporting cast that included some of his past collaborators (including Laurence Fishburne, then known as "Larry," and Dennis Hopper from Apocalypse Now) as well as early appearances from several future Hollywood mainstays (Nicolas Cage and Chris Penn). But the acting is hardly the focus in this film, as Coppola is far more interested in creating a fantasy world involving shadow play, time-lapse photography, and thematic bursts of color breaking up the chiaroscuro design. While occasionally pretentious, Rumble Fish is a visually interesting slice of dead-end America life, featuring a cast that will forever register it as a curiosity worth seeking out. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide

Tags: motorcycle , boy , near-noir , brother , gangleader
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