Rumble Fish

"Rusty James can't live up to his brother's reputation. His brother can't live it down."

1983 1h 34m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 790

CrimeDramaRomance

Synopsis

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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.

“Rusty James can't live up to his brother's reputation. His brother can't live it down.”

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Cast

Matt Dillon
Rusty James
Mickey Rourke
The Motorcycle Boy
Diane Lane
Patty
Dennis Hopper
Father
Diana Scarwid
Cassandra
Vincent Spano
Steve
Nicolas Cage
Smokey
Chris Penn
B.J. Jackson

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Writers: S.E. Hinton, Francis Ford Coppola
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 25% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

43 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, shot by Stephen H. Burum. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Stewart Copeland. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Barry Malkin shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Matt Dillon and Mickey Rourke and Diane Lane carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Rusty James can't live up to his brother's reputation. His brother can't live it down.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0086216 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Francis Ford Coppola directs. Stephen H. Burum behind the camera. Stewart Copeland scores. Barry Malkin cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 25% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
243 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, shot by Stephen H. Burum. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Stewart Copeland. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Barry Malkin shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Matt Dillon and Mickey Rourke and Diane Lane carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Rusty James can't live up to his brother's reputation. His brother can't live it down.".
8IMDB entry: tt0086216 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 8 themes, including "street gang", "pool billiards", "gang", "thug".

The technical file

Cinematography: Stephen H. Burum
Original score: Stewart Copeland
Editing: Barry Malkin
Production design: Dean Tavoularis
Costume design: Marjorie Bowers
Makeup / hair: Tim McNally
Sound: Richard Beggs
Stunt coordinator: Buddy Joe Hooker
Runtime: 94 min · 1h 34m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $10,000,000
Box office: $2,494,480
Return: 25% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Rumble Fish (1983)

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Francis Ford Coppola

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What people are saying

Wuchak2022-05-17
★ 6/10
Artsy flick about lost souls wandering the city in the Midwest, trying to find answers In the Tulsa area, a teen delinquent (Matt Dillon) idolizes his charismatic older brother (Mickey Rourke), who had left the area a couple months prior. When his sibling suddenly returns he’s no longer interested in gangs or rumbling. They wander the town with their pal (Vincent Spano) hanging out at various places trying to find meaning and purpose. The peripheral cast includes Diane Lane, Dennis Hopper, Diana Scarwid, Nicolas Cage, Laurence Fishburne and William Smith with Sofia Coppola as the little sister. Filmed in B&W, “Rumble Fish” (1983) was the second of two flicks based on SE Hinton’s young-adult novels shot back-to-back by Francis Ford Coppola. The first one was “The Outsiders” (1983) and it was successful at the box office while this one failed to draw an audience. Unlike “Outsiders,” which takes place in 1965, this one is set in the modern day, 1982, the time of shooting (or at least the late 70s). Hinton, by the way, has a cameo as the hooker on the strip that propositions Rusty James (Dillon) and Steve (Spano). She was only 16-17 when she wrote “The Outsiders” and so that movie is from the perspective of a mid-teenager. By contrast, she was in her mid-20s when she wrote “Rumble Fish” and this is also reflected in the corresponding movie: The Motorcycle Boy (Rourke) has grown-up and is no longer interested in juvenile delinquency, which confuses Rusty James. Both “The Outsiders” and “Rumble Fish” are arty, but this one is more so. It’s a mix of “The Outsiders” and Coppola’s experimental “One from the Heart” (1981), along with bits of “The Warriors” (1979) and “Grease” (1978). Like “One from the Heart,” the story is very basic while the filmmaking is highly stylized, which results in a beautiful film that’s entertaining on a visual & audio level, but not very absorbing story-wise. What’s it all about? Some answers include: The challenge of unconventional people in a conventional world, living in someone’s shadow, the cult of personality, growing up while simultaneously giving up childish things, setting others free, how envy murders others (figuratively or literally), the potential corruption of authority, the resultant injustice and sacrificing oneself for loved ones. I can’t close without noting how Cage is in the prime of his life and surprisingly good-looking (speaking as a staunch heterosexual). Not that he later became Quasimodo, but I never viewed him as a handsome actor, like say George Clooney. The film runs 1 hour, 34 minutes, and was shot in the Tulsa area, as was “The Outsiders.” GRADE: B-

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