Review of Rebel Without a Cause (1955) by Caesar M — 15 Jun 2012

I often don't dive into drama involving teenagers since there's not many I could reflect on with personal experience. Rebel Without A Cause is a character driven drama featuring James Dean as one of the best characters to have ever been written.

Rebel Without A Cause is about Jim Stark, a rebellious young man with a troubled past comes to a new town and his struggles to fit in. The story is great and is still relevant today, even after over fifty years since it's original release. Jim Stark is a fascinating protagonist as well as a very well developed and deep. You feel for what Jim Stark's going through and have a real connection with him since he's a new kid in town, has issues with his father who never stands up for him, and is seen as a father figure through one of his friends eyes. Jim Stark is masterfully portrayed by James Dean who really sold me on his character that I forgot I was watching a scripted movie. James Dean acting is just that good and with a greatly developed protagonist helps Rebel Without A Cause to be a classic that still captivates.

Setting aside Jim Stark for now, the rest of movie is just masterfully made. It has terrific writing with many memorable scenes. The characters are among the most realistic and relatable I've seen in a long time. The dialogue is truly phenomenal and never feels it written. The pacing might be slow, but it's appropriate to guarantee every scene is just as important and flow correctly together. The same praise can be given to the movie talented cast, powerful direction, great music, glorious cinematography, terrific writing, and just about everything else. This is one of those movies that gets everything right and deserves to be call a classic.

Rebel Without A Cause has everything you look forward to in a drama from a captivating story to a memorable characters. Rebel Without A Cause is a classic in every sense of the word with one of best protagonist ever to be in a movie.