The title manages to perfectly express and synthesize the plot and the meaning of the film. The story unfolds around the figure of Rusty James (Dillon) who metaphorically and literally struggles to be accepted as a leader among the boys in Tulsa (Oklahoma) that fight is countered by the figure of the idyllic brother Motorcycle boy (Rourke) of the young, undisputed boss At the time of the repentant youth bands, returned after a period in California now grown and disillusioned by the dynamics of the small center of the province.During the film there is a symbolic passage of deliveries between the older brother and the smallest who will not be without consequences. They are the rumble fishes that fight in the absence of living space as a fish in front of a mirror. This image, which is presented to us in the fish shop scene, serves to frame Rumble James's rivalry against his brother. The film is stylistically very peculiarly shot in a fake black and white (only 3 significant shots are in color) with shadows and a photograph with strong references to expressionist cinema (blades of light and shadows stretching), The camera is often at the level of the ground by framing the characters from below or taking them to the top, but keeping the depth of field that allows us to keep the attention that happens in the background. The story is told through a multiplication of narrative points: the main one is that of Motorcycle Boy that is color-blind (in fact the film is in black and white), then there is Steve (Spano) who writes everything that happens and the Rusty James point of view through his process of growth and existential harm. The gang- fighting scenes are almost danced, a clear tribute to West Side Story movie. Another feature that affects the eye is the constant presence of moving clouds (representing the timelessness) of the story or the smog, the puff puffs or the fog in almost every scene of the film. All this is marked and rippled by the stunning soundtrack of Stewart Copeland (police drummer) that accentuates the suspense with timid, stingy, stingy whispers, whispers in the background. Inside the soundtrack we also find the beautiful "Don't box me in" (non-casual title) sang by Stan Ridgway. Although the little success at the time of his release has subsequently become a cult film thanks to the cast, which includes, in addition to Dennis Hopper and Tom Waits, a host of young actors who will make Hollywood's fortune from Matt Dillon to Mickey Rourke Vincent Spano, Nicholas Cage and Diane Lane as well as a very young Sofia Coppola.

Rusty James (Matt Dillon) is an aimless teen aged tough who lives in the shadow of an older brother (Mickey Rourke). The older brother is a legend in his own time, known only by his nickname, "The Motorcycle Boy". More than anything, Rusty James would like to emulate his cooler-than-thou sibling, who never has felt completely comfortable about his reputation.This was the third S.E. Hinton adaptation for young actor Dillon, who'd previously performed in "Tex" and "The Outsiders". It was the second for master filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, who had just worked with Dillon on "The Outsiders", and who ported over a number of the creative talent from that film. Coppola wrote the screenplay, with author Hinton (she also has a cameo as the hooker on the strip), and it's more adult than its predecessors, with a notable abundance of F bombs.Coppola pays tribute to the French New Wave and German Expressionism with this deliberately ultra-stylized production. He had cinematographer Stephen H. Burum shoot this in a high contrast black & white scheme, and creates a plethora of striking imagery. This is all accompanied by an experimental, sometimes percussion-driven music score by Stewart Copeland of The Police. The only problem for this viewer was that all this style tended to distance him from the story, which should have been a more interesting look at the perpetuation of myths, at a dysfunctional family, at loyalty, and at nostalgia. (Rusty James longs for the days of good old fashioned gangs and street fights, before drugs took over.)Most actors here do a creditable job. Both Dillon and Rourke are well cast, and ably supported by Diane Lane as a fed up girlfriend, Vincent Spano, Nicolas Cage, and Christopher Penn as Rusty James' circle of friends, Dennis Hopper as the alcoholic father, Laurence Fishburne as a character named "Midget", intimidating movie tough guy William Smith as a cynical cop, and singer Tom Waits as the diner owner Benny. Coppolas' daughter Sofia (billed as "Domino") gets an "introducing" credit for her role as Lanes' younger sister; character actor Tracey Walter has a bit as an alley mugger.This may not have been totally satisfying for this viewer, but it's still worth a look for fans of the cast, filmmaker, and author.Seven out of 10.

Francis Ford Coppola's "Rumble Fish" is ultra-moody, visually dazzling and criminally under-appreciated. Its story of gang fights, teenage delinquency and pointless violence reflects on some of the factors that contribute to a young gang leader's deviant behaviour and illustrates how it eventually leads to disillusion, despondency and hopelessness. The events depicted on-screen are presented in a way that avoids being preachy or providing simplistic solutions and in so doing makes a strong impact.Rusty James (Matt Dillon) is a tough, teenage gang leader who feels he has something to prove because his older brother, who's known only as "The Motorcycle Boy" (Mickey Rourke), is a local legend who also used to lead his followers into neighbourhood "rumbles". Rusty James is anxious to achieve the same status as his brother but is also saddened by the passing of his town's gang culture which declined due to the rising popularity of heroin. When he's told that a rival gang leader has challenged him to a fight, he enthusiastically accepts even though doing so means breaking an agreement previously made by his brother to ban any further fights between local gangs.Rusty James spends part of the evening with his girlfriend Patty (Diane Lane) before going with his other gang members to the abandoned garage lot where he takes on and beats his opponent just as "The Motorcycle Boy" (who'd returned from a two month absence in California) arrives on the scene. When he's temporarily distracted by the arrival of his brother, Rusty James is attacked and badly injured by his opponent who gashes him with a shard of glass. "The Motorcycle Boy" who is the epitome of cool responds by bringing the conflict to an end with devastating speed and efficiency.Things continue to go downhill for Rusty James as he gets expelled from school, dumped by Patty and disappointed that his brother is no longer interested in taking part in any gang activity and then to make matters worse, it's made abundantly clear to him that his gang members don't have any confidence in him as their leader.The visual style of this film contributes strongly to its offbeat atmosphere with high-angle shots, good use of fog and smoke and some magnificent expressionistic cinematography being particularly effective. Additionally, there are numerous visual compositions which feature figures or objects in the very near foreground that also work extremely well.Rusty James is the product of a dysfunctional home with an absentee mother and an alcoholic father but his own failure at everything he's involved in is also attributable to the fact that he's simply not as bright as his brother. Similarly, his flawed judgement leads him to hero-worship his brother and nostalgically believe that the town's old gang culture represented something noble and meaningful. His brother, however, is also consumed by the hopelessness of his existence as he tries desperately to distance himself from his past and like Rusty James sees nothing meaningful in his future.The influence of the past, the loss of hope and the relentless passing of time (represented visually by high-speed clouds and clocks etc.) are all important themes of this movie and the metaphor of the tropical fish in a pet shop that fight with their own reflection is also particularly strong.Matt Dillon and Mickey Rourke are both perfect in their roles and the supporting cast (which includes Nicolas Cage, Laurence Fishburne, Tom Waits and Diane Lane) is also excellent.

Releasing after the much less artsy adaptation of S.E Hinton's The Outsiders Francis Ford Coppola's Rumble Fish adaptation is prime example of where the once great director started to lose the plot and a product that shows the downfalls of trying to make a movie with the style over substance mantra.Filmed in a stark Black and White and filled with many a dream like quality Rumble Fish's presentation allows no connection to the story of Hinton's book which one feels would be ripe even this day to adapt if the approach was more grounded. Coppola set out to mimic artists and expressionism in his take on the disaffected youth of the 50's – 60's yet forgot to engage us in the plight of the characters who led by Matt Dillon as Rusty James do fine jobs in their roles. Rumble Fish is today mainly noteworthy for these early acting pieces by the likes of both Nicolas Cage and Dianne Lane. The weakest link of the film following the direction of Coppola is strangely the supposedly enigmatic Motorcycle Boy played by then desirable icon Micky Rourke.Rourke seems like an almost ghostly figure in the film playing Motorcycle Boy as a disinterested young man who barely seems to want to talk as witnessed in his irritating hushed tone and blank facial expressions. In a movie where the youth look up to this supposedly charming and charismatic bad boy it is a major miss-step by Rourke to play Motorcycle Boy as he does and Coppola to allow him to do so. Another flaw in the film is the seriously idiotic musical score by Police member Stewart Copeland who seemingly had taken the opportunity to experiment rather than craft an effective accompanying piece.Rumble Fish is not all bad but it's also a wasted opportunity to be a classic take on youth on family and the source material has a lot going for it that would work in a film format. Thanks to some novelty factors of seeing the young cast ply their early trade and an interest in what should be an affective story it remains watchable yet in the end merely showpieces as Coppola's beginning of his ever diminishing creative genius that at one stage was nigh unbeatable.2 foggy streets out of 5 For more movie reviews and opinions check out - www.jordanandeddie.wordpress.com