Review of Rumble Fish (1983) by Damion R — 22 May 2011

Yes, "Rumble Fish" is one of three, yes, three S.E. Hinton books I actually read and I remember truly enjoying the story of Rusty James and how he tries to live up to his brother's name at the end of the Gang culture.

What I didn't remember is how much the film fails at bringing about the same enjoyment.

Francis Ford Coppola's highly stylized black & white film lacks any real focus in trying to get across the hardships and sentiments of any of it's characters, resulting in a complete mess of a film that is brightened solely by some truly beautiful camerawork. I am sure one can only imagine how art and Gang culture just don't really mix.

As a few decades have gone by, I don't quite remember the details of the book, but there is no doubt that what I felt reading the words did not come close to getting translated properly into film. Rusty James is terribly characterized by a young, yet incredibly handsome, Matt Dillon. Mickey Rourke as Motorcycle Boy is an act in over-dramatic tedium and even Dennis Hopper is a vision of cliche as the drunken father. I remember this film being much better when I was a kid, but seeing it as an adult, is remains as the critics first pronounced it: an epic fail.

On a positive note, it also features Nicolas Cage back in the days when he could actually act.