Rumble Fish
Tags: neo noir, murder, dramatic, violence, psychedelic, philosophical

Plot synopsis:
Set in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the film begins in a diner called Bennys Billiards, where local tough guy Rusty James is told by Midget that rival group leader Biff Wilcox wants to meet him that night in an abandoned garage lot for a fight. Accepting the challenge, Rusty James then talks with his friends — the wily Smokey, loyal B.J., and nerdy Steve - who all have a different take on the forthcoming fight. Steve mentions that Rusty James' older brother, "The Motorcycle Boy," would not be pleased with the fight as he had previously created a truce forbidding gang fights, or "rumbles." Rusty James dismisses him, saying that Motorcycle Boy (whose real name is never revealed) has been gone for two months, leaving without explanation or promise of return.
Rusty James visits his girlfriend, Patty, then rendezvous with his cadre and walks to the abandoned garage lot, where Biff and his buddies suddenly appear. The two battle, with the fight ending when Rusty James disarms Biff and beats him almost unconscious. Motorcycle Boy arrives dramatically on his motorcycle and this distracts Rusty James who is gashed by Biff in the side with a shard of glass. Incensed, Motorcycle Boy sends his motorcycle flying into Biff. The Motorcycle Boy and Steve take Rusty James home (past Officer Patterson, a street cop who's long had it in for the Motorcycle Boy) and nurse him to health through the night. Steve and the injured Rusty James talk about how Motorcycle Boy is 21 years old, colorblind, partially deaf, and noticeably aloof — the last trait causing many to believe he is insane.
The Motorcycle Boy and Rusty James share the next evening with their alcoholic, welfare-dependent father, who says that the Motorcycle Boy takes after his mother whereas, it is implied, Rusty James takes after him. Things start to go wrong for Rusty James: he's kicked out of school after his frequent fights. Despite Rusty James' desire to do so, The Motorcycle Boy implies that he has no interest in reviving any gang activity. Rusty James fools around with another girl and is dumped by Patty.
The two brothers and Steve head across the river one night to a strip of bars, where Rusty James enjoys being away from his troubles. The Motorcycle Boy mentions that he located their long-lost mother during his recent trip while she was with a movie producer, which took him to California although he did not reach the ocean. Later, Steve and Rusty James wander drunkenly home, and are attacked by thugs, but both are saved by the Motorcycle Boy. As he nurses Rusty James again, the Motorcycle Boy tells him that the gang life and the rumbles he yearns for and idolizes are not what he believes them to be. Steve calls the Motorcycle Boy crazy, a claim which the Motorcycle Boy does not deny — further prompting Rusty James to believe his brother is insane, just like his runaway mother supposedly was.
Rusty James meets up with the Motorcycle Boy the next day in a pet store, where the latter is strangely fascinated with the Siamese fighting fish, which he refers to as "rumble fish". Officer Patterson suspects they will try to rob the store. The brothers leave and meet their father, who explains to Rusty James that, contrary to popular belief, neither his mother nor brother are crazy, but rather they were both born with an acute perception. The brothers go for a motorcycle ride through the city and arrive at the Pet Store where the Motorcycle Boy breaks in and starts to set the animals loose. Rusty James makes a last-gasp effort to convince his brother to reunite with him, but the Motorcycle Boy refuses, explaining that the differences between them are too great for them to ever have the life Rusty James speaks of. The Motorcycle Boy takes the fish and rushes to free them in the river, but is shot by Officer Patterson before he can. Rusty James, after hearing the gunshot, finishes his brother's last attempt while a large crowd of people converges on his body.
Rusty James finally reaches the Pacific Ocean (something the Motorcycle Boy never got to do) and enjoys the shining sun and flocks of birds flying around the beach.

Review: Viewing the movie with a more mature mind now, I appreciated it much more than I did when I was nineteen.Based on the S.E. Hinton novel (Coppola also translated 'The Outsiders', which remains remarkable even today for its amazing cast), 'Rumble Fish' follows the story of one Rusty James (Matt Dillon, in full bad-boy mode) stuck in the middle of nowhere (Tulsa, actually), dissatisfied with his life but not really bright enough to know why.
Honestly it helps that Rourke has some of the best lines in the film, most notably one of my favorite quotes from any film: 'You want to lead people, you have to have some place to take 'em.' Motorcycle Boy is also something of a transitional hero, knowing he is damned to live, and die, in this hellish world but making sure the path to redemption (and escape) is secured for his follower (he even says of Rusty, 'His only vice is loyalty.')'Rumble Fish' is mostly an artsy character piece, the type of film that normally does not appeal to me, but Coppola displays such skill with the material and is so willing to subvert the very conventions of his film so that they further serve the characters and their development that the movie works, and works very well.
I read Susie Hinton's books afterwards and also sought out the Outsdiders (also from a Hinton novel) which was made at the same time and was a good film with some of the wistful intensity of teenage life so strong in Rumble Fish but was like the straight, conventional brother by comparison.
I saw Francis Ford Coppola's Rumble Fish in a film class, and it was interesting to see how certain scenes were made (seeing transitions and shots in slow motion, stopping to point out things), among the plot.
There's also keen supporting work by fresh faces- Nicolas Cage, Chris Penn, and Laurence Fishburne as friends and sometimes followers of Rusty; Diane Lane (wonderful even in her youth) as a sweet/sour love interest; and Dennis Hopper as the father of Rusty James, who appears just enough to get the psychological points across to the viewer.Coppola tends to use his symbols rather thickly, and it's arguable if he may show things too much, or maybe if he shows them just enough (i.e. skies darkening, clocks).
Hinton novel, tells about young street tough Rusty-James (Matt Dillion) who idolizes his older brother known only as 'The Motorcycle Boy' (Mickey Rourke).
Those who wonder why Mickey Rourke is so revered by cult film fans need look no further than his almost-hypnotic performance as The Motorcycle Boy. But Matt Dillon is just as good as his younger brother, and when you also have the likes of Nic Cage, Diane Lane, Dennis Hopper, Laurence Fishburne, and Chris Penn in the supporting cast, you know it's a once-in-a-lifetime movie.
It should be made clear that this author also comes from that midwest and identifies with this theme, so there is some bias in this review, but this may apply to other "midwestern refugees" as well.Fans of S.E. Hinton, on who's book the film was based and who co-wrote the screenplay, will appreciate the film, as well as fans of Tom Waits, Stuart Copeland (of the Police and little known project Klark Kent- which closely resembles the soundtrack), Mickey Rourke, or any of the (then) young, up and coming actors like Matt Dillon, Nicolas Cage and Diane Lane.Rourke is at one of the peaks of his young career here, a cool rebel without a cause type, vaguely reminiscent of young Peter Fonda or James Dean- a striking character.
The film has memorable scenes and lines, one of which is Dillon's character saying to the fatalistic older brother- "Motorcycle Boy" played by Rourke, something like- "People would really follow you anywhere, why don't we do something?", to which Rourke responds- "Yeah, they'd probably follow me right down to the river...and jump in."Similar scenes and numerous references to time passing away seemed to summarize the hopeless stagnation of growing up nowhere and proceeding to go nowhere.
Groping in the dark for everything or anything meaningful in the context of a forgotten, lifeless irontown where even the young seem more like ghosts trying desperately to become tangible in some sense, and the middle aged are already on some other world.Other films that come to mind- James Dean films; "Reckless", another Hollywood film released a year later, with Aidan Quinn (as "Rourke"- coincidence?), and Daryl Hannah, was semi-successful in making the occasional reference to a similar blighted steeltown theme, though overall it was spotty; "Dogs in Space" with Michael Hutchence of INXS was a punk classic, and had some of that "nowhere with style" appeal with an Australian twist; two other 1980's films the author never saw- "Down by Law" and "Rivers Edge" probably fit somewhere in here as well..
It is the flip side to "The Outsiders"; and in my opinion, the more mature work of the two (although both are very good).Matt Dillon gives his best performance as Rusty James, a 1950s street punk whose alcoholic father has all but walked out on him, and whose older brother (an enigmatic figure known only as The Motorcycle Boy) has left and moved to California some time ago.We are led to infer that The Motorcycle Boy was a sort of rebel hero - a type of Robin Hood, as Rusty James says - and the entire town loves him.
He rescues his kid brother from a violent underground fight with a group of thugs and takes him back to the safety of their home.The Motorcycle Boy has come back in order to make amends, one supposes; or at least because he feels as if he has an obligation to see his father and brother again.Meanwhile, Rusty James - in a desperate intent to match his brother's reputation - continues his downward spiral of street fights and violence, resulting in more than a few bloody brawls."Rumble Fish" is displayed in grainy black-and-white, and the soundtrack itself is surreal, often featuring fragments of distorted audio matched with hazy visuals.
An all-star cast includes not only Dillon and Rourke but also Diane Lane (who was also in "The Outsiders" with Dillon), Dennis Hopper, Diana Scywid, Vincent Spano and Nicolas Cage.Dillon's performance is key to the film because essentially this is his story, but it's being narrated to a certain effect by The Motorcycle Boy (at least insofar that it's his problems taking form in the narrative) - and Rourke gives a terrific performance.
It all depends on how far you want to look into it."Rumble Fish" may not be Francis Ford Coppola's best film, but it is one of his most sadly underrated movies and is probably worth mentioning in a list of the best films of the 1980s.
I was surprised about how many people wrote good reviews about this movie.I thought I was the only only one who appreciated the artistic value of Rumble Fish.It's my favorite movie and it finally got the special edition DVD it deserves.Most people don't get the deeper meaning of the film because nowadays people don't wanna think too hard watching a movie.It's a piece of art just as much as it is entertainment.You can get lost in the film for the visual and musical boundaries it pushes.I've watched it a thousand times and I never lost my appreciation for it's beauty.It's groundbreaking and a masterpiece in film making..
The film was shot in black and white and it had an expansive cast of talented actors including Matt Dillon, Mickey Rourke, Dennis Hopper, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Tom Waits and Nicolas Cage.
Dennis Hopper stars as Rusty James and the Motorcyle Boy's dad, Diane Lane stars as Rusty James' sweet friend, Tom Waits stars as the grill master in the town's diner, and Chris Penn, Laurence Fishburne and a young Nicolas Cage are featured as some of Rusty James' gang buddies.First of all, I adored the way 'Rumble Fish' was shot.
Matt Dillon gives his best performance as Rusty James, a 1950s street punk whose alcoholic father has all but walked out on him, and whose older brother (an enigmatic figure known only as The Motorcycle Boy) has left and moved to California some time ago.
Rumble Fish is a strange and hypnotic film that follows the character of Rusty James, a young punk growing up in a small sleepy mid-western town, shackled to a drunken father, a group of fickle friends, and continually in the shadow of his enigmatic brother, The Motorcycle Boy. The film, although seemingly set in the present day, uses the style of the old 50's melodramas to great effect, referencing the likes of Rebel Without a Cause and The Wild One with it's stark, stylised black and white photography and it's bizarre compositions, whilst director Francis Ford Coppola uses a number of audio and visual effects familiar from his previous films, most notably, The Conversation, Apocalypse Now and One From the Heart, to give the film a strange, hypnotic and dreamlike quality that lingers throughout the film.As with many of the other films that it references, the plot to Rumble Fish is quite simple, with Coppola building the film around the enigma of The Motorcycle Boy and around the ideas of family ties, small-town ennui and personal redemption.
Here, Rourke possess all the cool and feckless attitude of Brando and James Dean, but he also brings that damaged, somewhat alienated quality to role, which suggests so much about the characters and his past and also, about the possible future of the younger Rusty James.The cinematic style of the film is exquisite, with Coppola invoking a real period feel through the use of photography and production design, which jars beautifully against Stuart Copeland's very 80's, very anachronistic score.
The sound design is purposely muddy, attempting to convey along with the images that skewed, slightly alienated view of the world that these characters possess, whilst Copeland's music also merges with the sound design to heighten the overall atmosphere of the film.The acting is strong throughout, with Rourke coming across as the real standout, although the performance of Matt Dillon as the hotheaded and arrogant Rusty James is also impressive.
Now for Francis Ford Coppola that must have been really painful but those people who walked out had no brains."Rumble Fish" is a very visual stunning adaptation of a novel which has everything to make it a great film: actors who are now great stars of Hollywood and have went on to do huge films, a great score, atmosphere,editing and direction which gives it a 10/10 rating..
Its main character, Rusty James (Matt Dillon) tries hard to be a gang leader, and to live up to the days when his elder brother (Mickey Rourke) led the rumbles in the streets.
Mat Dillon, Mickey Rourke (in the ONLY significant role of his career), Nick Cage, Diane Lane (still the ultimate teen babe for me), Dennis Hopper, Tom Waits (with the famous "finger" scene), Lawrence Fishbourne and Chris Penn - incredible acting by all in this (sadly) forgotten masterpiece by F.F. Coppola.
I can certainly see the arguments against this film: style over content, pretentious, mannered acting, unnecessarily arty shots,  etc., etc.It's just that, for me, these arguments don't matter.Generally, for the majority of people the reasons why they would like a film is either because its entertaining or it tells a message.Well, in the case of "Rumblefish" what I like about it is the way it confirms the best cinematic traditions of creating the magical out of the mundane in the way it mythologises its lead character, Motorcyle Boy (played by Mickey Rourke at the height of his powers).The story doesn't really matter.
The film is a biker homage, taking it's lead from such films as `The Wild One' and `Rebel without a Cause', and gives Mickey Rourke the chance to put his mumblings to good use, as the ultra cool Motorcycle Boy. The film deals with Rust James (Matt Dillon) a young man who idolizes his older brothers charisma, and the respect he seems to gain from everyone in the small Kansas town where the plot takes place.
Francis Ford Coppola's Rumble Fish is an underrated classic that's filled with great direction,amazing performances from the cast,visually stunning cinematography and a masterful music score.
It's one of my favorite films and is one of Coppola's best.Based on S.E Hinton's novel of the same name and set in Tulsa Oklahoma,Rumble Fish tells the story about a teen named Rusty James(Matt Dillon),a street fighter who loves gangs and gang fighting who wants to live up his older brother The Motorcycle Boy(Mickey Rourke)who is a legendary gang leader and is respected in his hometown,but has been in California and gone for two months.
Dillon and Rourke are both very good as they get deep into these two brothers and bring out the sense of lost time, jealousy and admiration there is between Rusty and Motorcycle Boy.Visually, the film is brilliant in its use of black and white as well as the minimal use of color.
The soundtrack CD, even in isolation, is great music.The film is beautifully shot entirely in black and white, with the exception of the Rumble (Siamese Fighting) Fish, of the title, a metaphor for Rusty James (Matt Dillon) and his brawl-prone friends.
He lacks his brother's intelligence and is too stupid to understand that this is why he will never be like The Motorcycle Boy who, for his part, now regards the "rumbles" as childish.The performances of Dillon, Rourke, Nicolas Cage, Vincent Spano, Diane Lane etc - are excellent.
Rated R for Language,Violence and Some Sex and Drug Content.I am a big fan of S.E Hinton's books.She is one of my favorite authors.I have read most of her novels.I saw The Outsiders movie which everyone praises and did not really like it.It was decent but the acting was pretty bad and it was not very faithful to the original novel.Though I heard there is a new DVD edition of that film called "The Complete Novel" with plenty of new scenes.I might check it out sometime.Anyway I rented this film about a year ago and I want to watch it again.It was a very good movie.It is a bit like Sin City which was filmed in Black and White but with some color.Most of this film is in Black and White with the exception of some Rumble Fish you see in a pet store which are shown in color.Francis Ford Coppola director of "The Godfather" trilogy disappointed me with "The Outsiders" but he did well with Rumble Fish.Rumble Fish has much better acting than the outsiders.It stars Matt Dillon and Diane Lane who were both in the outsiders together and it is much more faithful to the book than Outsiders was.The film is about a young teen punk named Rusty James.He is a gang-member who is the younger brother of a legendary gang-member named "The Motorcycle Boy".The motorcycle boy is colorblind and is slightly deaf.The film basically shows Rusty James's life after The Motorcycle Boy's return along with his friend Steve who is somewhat a nerd and not at all like the people he is friends with.The film has small roles from Nicholas Cage and Lawrence Fishburne.If you liked the book I recommend this film.You will not be disappointed..
I don't know many people who like it, but I've always loved the odd, dreamy story of Rusty James and his big brother, the Motorcycle Boy.Rumble Fish was Francis Ford Coppola's second S.E. Hinton adaptation of 1983 after The Outsiders, and it was generally derided as a silly, pretentious, self-conscious "art film for teenagers".
But it's really good, too".Among the good things are the beautiful cinematography, the outstanding but neglected soundtrack by ex-Police man Stewart Copeland, the best-ever performances by Dillon and Rourke, and not least the stunning Diane Lane, back in the movies recently after an up-and-down career.It's a film that oozes cool and which Coppola apparently regards with considerable affection.
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.
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..
Like that previous film, Rumble Fish deals with teen angst with an almost film noir texture unusual for a teen flick of the time.Matt Dillon plays Rusty James, the punk brother of town legend "The Motorcycle Boy" who was played by Mickey Rourke.
Based upon the novel by S.E. Hinton, Rumble Fish follows the misadventures of the dim-witted Rusty James (Matt Dillon), younger brother to the legendary Motorcycle Boy (Mickey Rourke).
Matt Dillon and Mickey Rourke are nothing short of perfect as Rusty James and his older brother the 'motorcycle boy'and are also backed up by a strong ensemble cast featuring Nicolas Cage (in one of his first ever roles) Laurence Fishburne who had another early role after 'Apocalypse Now' and Diane Lane as Rusty's love interest Cherry.Now obviously most of the cast coming from the previous 'The Outsiders'which was another Coppola classic about growing up, but i have to say i liked this more.
It's based on the identically titled, and more satisfying, book by S.E. Hinton.***** Rumble Fish (10/7/83) Francis Ford Coppola ~ Matt Dillon, Mickey Rourke, Vincent Spano, Diane Lane.