Rumble Fish Movie Review (1983)
A gorgeous black-and-white film that follows a small town guy who looks up to his legendary brother, Rumble Fish has an incredible cast and a captivating filming style. Definitely worth a watch.
Sometimes I’ll watch a movie and I will have no idea where it’s going or if what I’m watching is going to sink in. What seems like a minute passes, and then suddenly it’s over – and without knowing exactly why or how, it spreads over me like a warm blanket. I’ve connected to it and, somehow, it’s also now a part of me.
Rumble Fish is the story of Rusty James, a small town tough-guy whose brother, The Motorcycle Boy, is his hero. The Motorcycle Boy has a reputation for being mentally ill and also good at everything he does, and Rusty James strives to be just like him. If he can’t be just like him, he just wants to be with him. His brother used to rumble in the streets and lead the pack, and Rusty James is looking to bring that back.
Stylistically, this film is fascinating. Filmed mostly in black-and-white with the occasional pop of red and blue fish, the use of shadows is constant – in what I assume helps create the world as well as the figurative shadows within our characters. There are also snapshots that are reminiscent of West Side Story, with teens fighting under the highway and in dark and abandoned nooks and crannies, but with The Outsiders vibe, where these same lost guys are looking for themselves.
The cast of this movie is outstanding. With stars like Matt Dillon, Mickey Rourke, Dennis Hopper, Diane Lane, Nicholas Cage, and Laurence Fishburne, plus a small role by Sofia Coppola, you are always seeing a face that you know. And while Matt Dillon is the star of this film, this is Mickey Rourke’s movie. Playing The Motorcycle Boy with a quiet pondering confidence, the seemingly intellectual character never quite fits in in his town. He left his brother and alcoholic father to go off to California where he happened to see the mother who left them when they were little, but he is always thinking. Always plotting for something bigger, wiser, more aware. He is the one that you can’t stop watching.
One of my favorite moments of the film is when Dennis Hopper’s father character states that The Motorcycle Boy isn’t mentally ill. He’s merely miscast in a play. And with the entire film implying that maybe there wouldn’t be time for something like a rumble if there was more room to live (i.e. break out of this little town), you see a life for this young man that maybe he could have had if life was different. If he never came back.
Rumble Fish is one of those movies that I’m going to be thinking about for a very long time. It is very layered and presents a commentary on the differences between running on instinct and following your basic desires vs. marinating on a situation and planning for the result you’re looking for. It is visually stunning and Francis Ford Coppola makes some directorial choices that I haven’t seen filmed quite the same way before. It’s an excellent watch.
Runtime: 94 minutes
Motion Picture Rating: R
Languages Spoken In The Film: English
Should You Watch It? Yes
Did I Cry? Nope
My Rating: 4/5 Stars
Available: To rent on Prime Video or may be available for free on other streaming platforms
