Rent Rumble Fish on Amazon Video (paid link) // Buy the book (paid link)
Written by: S.E. Hinton (novel "Rumble Fish"), S.E. Hinton & Francis Ford Coppola (screenplay)
Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
Starring: Matt Dillon, Mickey Rourke, Vincent Spano, Diane Lane, Diana Scarwid, Nicolas Cage, Dennis Hopper, Chris Penn
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
Absent-minded street thug Rusty James struggles to live up to his legendary older brother's reputation, and longs for the days of gang warfare.
Verdict
It's experimental and artistic, but you could also summarize it as just weird. Still, there's something charming about a movie that lifts a story about teenage problems into some epic story exploring freedom and captivity against the expectations of others. The style is over dramatic, but that's also the point. You can't argue that teenagers aren't dramatic, and this embraces the idea. I like this movie not because I think it's great, but because it's curious. I wish it were both.
It depends.
Review
Coppola described this as "an art film for teenagers." I don't know if that audience wants such an endeavor, but he achieved what he was after. This is shot in black and white with the performances feeling very theatrical. Unfortunately, this is more of a curiosity than required viewing.
How many times will characters say the name "Rusty James"? The answer is every chance they get, and it will always be his full name. Rusty James (Matt Dillon) is in some kind of street gang. His gang schedules a fight for that night. They may be unruly thugs, but they're serious about their fights. Spending time with his girlfriend makes Rusty James late to the fight, but he's soon in a battle with the rival leader. Rusty James tries to live up to the reputation of his older brother, the Motorcycle Kid (Mickey Rourke). His return during the fight causes Rusty James to get distracted and injured before Motorcycle Kid steps in to save him by taking a kid out with his motorcycle.
 |
| Nicolas Cage, Matt Dillon, Chris Penn play Smokey, Rusty James, B.J. |
While the injured Rusty James recovers, we get in his head. It's a weird movie, and I wasn't sure it had a plot. There's definitely a performance element to this. The teenage gang presence seems very West Side Story (2021). This is a world divorced from reality, that or we're seeing this from Rusty James's perception. It would explain the hero worship the community has for the Motorcycle Kid as well as the way cops regard him. Everything seems shallow, but that might be the point. This movie talks about the perception of things, and what we're seeing might be just that. Motorcycle Boy is more of an idea that developed character.
Motorcycle Boy tells Rusty James a story about when their mother left and how their father went on a bender, his first. A young Rusty James was left alone in the house for three days. That's why he hates being alone. The way the story is told, the sound is mixed like some kind of voice-over narration. It's disorienting. As if this movie isn't strange enough already, Rusty James is beaten up and has an out of body experience, literally floating and observing characters. Motorcycle Boy saves the day because of course he does.
Only the rumble fish appear in color. The fish would fight their own reflections, and that has to be a reflection of the teenage gangs. They would fight even if it meant destroying themselves and the community.
 |
| Mickey Rourke plays Motorcycle Boy |
It's a movie about perception, but whose? This is in black and white as Motorcycle Boy is colorblind, though it doesn't work like that. Motorcycle Boy and Rusty James are similar but the elder brother wants peace. Rusty James longs for gang warfare so he can showcase his skills and make a name for himself. He's riding Motorcycle Boy's coat tails. This is melodramatic, but that's in part how teenagers are. The world is about how seems and how they want it to be.
This story could be the myth or epic of Motorcycle Boy. It's just that this subject matter isn't usually elevated to that kind of story, but overwrought and dramatic seems like the perfect way to capture the teenage struggle. They always think each situation is a superlative.
Motorcycle Boy wants to create peace but can't find it himself. Rusty James tries to carry out his brother's wish, setting the fish free. It's definitely an 'art' movie.
No comments :
Post a Comment