Straight Up Reviews: The Outsiders/Rumble Fish Movies

 

If you ever went to school between the late 60s to the late 2000s in North America, odds are you were at least assigned one or both of two books, by famed Author S.E. Hinton. The Outsiders and Rumble Fish.  Two coming of age stories about teenagers growing up in the gang life of the 1960s and 1970s. However if you're lucky enough to have fans of the stories in your own home like I was, from parents to older relatives, you'd see the movies first.

Myself I first caught wind of The Outsiders through the short lived TV series that picked up where the movie left off.

S.E. Hinton wrote the book when she was around 15 years old and much like J.K. Rowling after her, purposefully made her name more masculine, because she wrote it at a time when no man expected a woman to write about gang life in that era. However her gambit paid off and she's one of the greatest best selling novelists of all time.  The books themselves got adapted into movies in 1983 by Francis Ford Coppola, who was fresh off of Apocalypse Now and One From the Heart. While Outsiders became just as successful as the book, thanks to a stellar cast among most things, Rumble Fish wasn't as well received. With the exception of the late Roger Ebert, many moviegoer and critic alike were confused by the movie and compared it too harshly to Outsiders.  So to help better understand it, I decided to review both.

Outsiders stars C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon and the up and coming Ralph Macchio as the central characters, Ponyboy Curtis, Dallas "Dally" Winston and Johnny "Johnnycakes" Cade. Three friends who are a member of the Greasers.  A gang based on poor and working class individuals known for their beat up cars, leather jackets and long pomade styled hair.  They reside in the North side of Tulsa Oklahoma and are at constant war with the Socials or Socs (pronounced Sohsh not Sock) for short. Rich kids from the south side or Tulsa who hate the Greasers with a passion. The Greasers don't even have to pick fights with them as they would gang up on them every chance they get. Ponyboy and Johnny being the most hunted down out of them.  After Dally takes Ponyboy and Johnny to a drive in, they meet two Soc girls named Sherry "Cherry" Valance and Marcia played by Diane Lane and Michelle Meyrink.  Upon getting to know them, Ponyboy realizes that while they are the rich kids with all the breaks, the Socs have their own problems, no different than the Greasers. The whole thing coming off as a modern Romeo and Juliet.  However just when things get good with them, her boyfriend Rober "Bob" Sheldon, played by Leif Garret and his gang of Socs, show up drunk accosting the two for flirting with the women.  Cherry diffuses the fight and things seem cool for now. After hanging out all night with Johnny, Ponyboy realizes he was out too late and gets into an argument with his brother Darryl "Darry" Curtis. Which turns into a threeway fight between him, Darry and their brother Sodapop Curtis. Darry accidentally hits Ponyboy in the heat of the moment, causing him to run away with Johnny to the nearest park to cool off. As if things couldn't possibly get any worse, Bob shows up with the Socs and tries to drown Ponyboy.  Johnny, desperate to save his friend, pulls a switchblade on Bob, stabbing him to death. Rescuing Ponyboy and causing the others to flee. Realizing they'll be wanted for murder soon, they turn to Darry for help. Who gives them money, a gun and instructions to go to Windrixville and lay low until he meets them there. They do so, even going so far as to gut and degrease their hair to change their appearance. While they wait, Ponyboy, starts giving a suicidal Johnny reasons to keep on living. Reading him Gone With The Wind, teaching him poetry by Robert Frost and showing him sunsets. When Dally comes to check on them, he takes them to Dairy Queen for a bite to eat, while Johnny contemplates turning himself in so that Ponyboy doesn't get caught up in a crime he didn't even commit. Upon returning to the church, they see that it's on fire with kids stuck inside. Ponyboy and Johnny against Dally's orders go in there and save the day, however just as Johnny was trying to get out a beam strikes his back, breaking it and immobilizing him. Darry gets him out before the church collapses and they all go to the hospital to recuperate.  Ponyboy survived with only soot all over him, Darry got second degree burns on his arms. Poor Johnny however has third degree burns over most of his body, while paralyzed from the waist down.  Ponyboy reunites with his brothers and their daring rescue makes the papers, giving them some hope that the Judge would be lenient on them.  Two-Bit Matthews, played by Emilio Estevaz, takes Ponyboy to visit Johnny who laments his previous suicidal tendencies.  Realizing there are so much more to live for.  After a stressful fit regarding his mother, Johnny passes out, forcing Two-Bit and Ponyboy to leave, but not without giving him a new copy of Gone With The Wind, which he requested earlier.  Upon leaving they visit Dally who vows to get even with the Socs during the upcoming rumble.  A skin against skin free for all street fight, that was talked about throughout the whole movie. The Greasers win the Rumble and Dally takes the opportunity of Ponyboy being injured to sneak into the hospital to visit Johnny.  After lamenting the pointlessness of fighting, Johnny tells Ponyboy "Stay gold." before dying in his hospital bed. Dally, who cared about Johnny the most, loses his mind over the death and goes on a rampage.  Robbing a convenience store and having the cops after him.  He arranges it so the Greasers watch him die, when he bluffs the cops into shooting him using an unloaded gun.  The stress of both events causing Johnny to collapse in shock.  After recovering, Ponyboy finds Johnny's copy of Gone With The Wind and finds a note attached to it from Johnny. Who tells him among most things, his understanding of the Robert Frost Poem, how saving the kids was worth it and to introduce Dally to the little things in life that kept Johnny living.  Ponyboy takes the words to heart and as part of his school assignment writes the entire story. 

The movie itself in it's theatrical version, is not bad and was very successful, but I felt it left a lot of things open-ended.  Such as whether or not Ponyboy would face trial in Johnny's stead as well as how the Curtis brothers could patch up their dysfunctional life. However my prayers got answered when Francis Ford Coppola Re-Released the movie in 2005, calling it "The Complete Novel Edition". With the only major complaint from purest fans being that they changed the tracks from the score by Carmine Coppola to a bunch of stock 60s music, to better fit in with the theme of the movie. Personally I like the extended version for the following reasons:

1. It expanded on some key moments perfectly.

2. The music for the Rumble Scene was much better. The original version made it look like something out of a horror movie. (No offence to Carmine.) 

3. We get to see Two-Bit tell off Johnny's mother. 

All in all, the movie has put up a lot of high expectations for future adaptations of Hinton's works as followed. 

Which brings me to Rumble Fish. Now unlike Outsiders I never really fully seen or read Rumble Fish in my entire life until just a few days ago.  And I'm not gonna lie, while I love Outsiders, I kinda love Rumble Fish better.

The movie takes place in Tulsa in the mid 1970s around 10 years after the events of Outsiders. Despite it being labelled as the sequel to Outsiders, in both movie and book, there are no returning characters and very little references to the previous story.  Some of the cast from Outsiders do return.  Matt Dillon, plays the main character Rusty James.  A teenager whose brother, Motorcycle Boy, played by Mickey Rourke, is practically gang royalty in Tulsa. Rusty James struggles to live up to his brother's reputation, but often pulls reckless stunts. Such as starting fights, when his brother specifically forbade gang wars. They both put up with an Alcoholic father played by Dennis Hopper and a police officer named Patterson, played by William Smith (Not that William Smith) who has it out for Motorcycle Boy.  After being gone for two months and assumed gone for good, Rusty James assumes command of his gang, comprised of Midget played by Lawrence Fishburne, Steve a nerd childhood friend of Rusty James played by Vincent Sprano, B.J. played by Chris Penn and Smokey, played by Nicolas Cage. The latter of which in a surprising twist is the sane one compared to Rusty James.

Upon words of Motorcycle Boy's absence, a gang-banger by the name of Biff Wilcox, played by Glenn Withrow, challenges Rusty James to a fight. Which Rusty accepts. While he kills time for the upcoming fight, Rusty shacks up with his then girlfriend Patty played by Diane Lane.  So ya Dally x Cherry fans, Cherry did eventually fall in love with him.  He arrives at the fight, assuming it would be skin against skin. Only to find Biff has been popping pills and instead pulls a knife on him. After an intense fight, Rusty gains the upperhand only for Motorcycle Boy to arrive. Causing the gangs to back up and Rusty's guard to go down.  The latter of which causing Biff to cheapshot him with a shard of glass.  Earning him a well deserved rundown from Motorcycle Boy's bike. As Motorcycle boy and Steve help patch Rusty James up, Rusty James explains that Motorcycle Boy is partially deaf and colorblind. This becomes important in my review later on, so bare with me. He also notices that Motorcycle Boy is surprisingly dissonant since he last saw him.  Although he's happy to see his brother again, things start to fall apart for Rusty James. He gets kicked out of school, he cheats on Patty at a house party, causing her to break up with him and leave him for Smokey.  Whom is implied to manipulate the events, because he is tired of the way Rusty James leads the gang and worried he may get himself and the others killed. Motorcycle Boy also shows little interest in resuming his gang activities, despite Patterson thinking otherwise. Looking for any excuse to catch or kill him.  His behavior, leading Rusty James and many others to believe he's gone crazy. As they frequent the bars together, Motorcycle Boy explains to Rusty James, that the reason he left for 2 months was because he was searching California for their long lost mother. A person they both thought was dead.  After bailing Rusty James and Steve out of a mugging, he explains that he's grown disillusioned with the gang life even during the old days which Rusty James holds in high regard. At a pet store, he reveals the reason for his return.   Motorcycle Boy, shows him, his fascination with Siamese Fighting fish, the titular Rumble Fish that have been shown throughout the movie. The only thing so far in a mostly monochrome movie to be shown in full color. While the tank is separated to prevent the fish from killing each other, Motorcycle Boy theorizes that if the fish were given more room to move, like say being put in a river, that rather than fight, they'll leave preferring their own freedom.  Implying that's how he wants the gang life to be from now on. No more fighting, just making space for each other so they can be free to do as they please.  Upon seeing their father one more time, the father explains to Rusty James that Motorcycle Boy is not crazy. That he, much like their mother sees the world differently than most people and it comes across as crazy to others.  Motorcycle Boy robs the pet store in order to test his theory and Rusty James tries in vain to talk him out of it.  He frees the pets and grabs the tanks, demanding that whatever happens, Rusty James must take his Motorcycle to the pacific ocean.  The cops are alerted to the noise of the robbery and Patterson leads the charge against Motorcycle Boy. Shooting and killing him just as he was heading for the river with the fish. This part I hated, because while I understand Motorcycle Boy had a dangerous reputation, I could not for the life of me comprehend why a cop would kill an unarmed man.  It wasn't until I realized, that Patterson was gonna kill him no matter what. Doesn't make it right, but it makes sense, he wanted to end their feud one way or another.   Just when it seemed hope was lost for Rusty, he takes the fish and put them in the River. Proving his brother's theory right as each fish swims away from each other uninterested in fighting. The cops grab him with intent to arrest him as an accomplice and in a surprising twist of compassion, Patterson orders them to let him go. Rusty James rides the motorcycle fulfilling his brother's last wish and makes it to the Pacific.

To the average moviegoer, the movie would seem confusing, but to someone like myself, whom like Motorcycle Boy has a different perspective on the world, I understand the meaning of it and will take you through what most people found difficult to understand.  

First off Motorcycle Boy being colorblind.  Any average moviegoer would think it was some kind of in joke since the movie is mostly in black and white, with the exception of the fish.  Rusty James himself even tells a similar joke, by mentioning that the inner-city has no color to it. However it becomes a great plot point and an even greater meta point.  While the fish are in color, only Rusty can see the color between the two. Motorcycle Boy laments that he can't see the color. Which leads me to believe that rather than it just be an artistic choice by Coppola and Cinematographer, Stephen H. Burum, it also serves as a visual representation of Motorcycle Boy's perspective. When Motorcycle Boy dies and Rusty James is being pinned by the cops, he sees his reflection in the police car window. It is in full color, but when he attacks the window in a grief stricken rage, it goes back to monochrome. I believe this means that we get a brief glimpse of Rusty James' perspective, before he angrily rejects it, finally seeing things Motorcycle Boy's ways.  Further proven that when if you watch carefully after he runs by his brother's corpse, he gives him a brief fist bump salute before taking off. 

The second is the significance of the fish.  While in the original Novel the fish died and Rusty James doesn't make it to California, Francis Ford Coppola and S.E. Hinton, who screenwrote the movie on top of writing the book, made the conscious change of showing what would happen if Motorcycle Boy put his theory into play.  When Rusty James pours the tank into the river, all the fish swim off. Proving Motorcycle Boy right.  All of them except one lone red fish.  That fish, is Rusty James.  The fleeing fish representing everyone he knew that left in one way or another. His mother abandoning him, Motorcycle Boy fleeing for two months and eventually dying, his friend Smokey and girlfriend Patty leaving him for each other. Leaving him all alone.  One of his greatest fears as he mentions while spending time with his brother.  It showed that if he didn't try to break out of things like his brother tried before, he'd die alone. Which prompted him to heed his brother's last wish to go to the Pacific. So that once he goes to California himself, he may one day, try to reunite with his estranged mother.  

The third and final is Steve.  This one is minor compared to the others, but it deserves mentioning.  A running gag regarding this character, on top of being the only other sane person besides Smokey, is that he has a tendency to write down everything he sees out of habit.  Much like Ponyboy in The Outsiders, Steve is S.E. Hinton's author avatar.  If anyone's gonna survive long enough to tell the story, it'd be him. 

Rumble Fish is a severely underrated movie and I believe that most of it is the failure to understand what it's about, while being wowed by the visuals.  Yet once understood, as shown when it eventually developed a cult following, it gained a new love from those that do understand it.  

I understand the movie very well and I hope others would do the same. 

Also, if you don't like it for the story, watch it for the sole reason to say "I cannot believe Mickey Rourke looked like that back then. What the fuck happened?" 

Take care and Stay Gold.  

Oh ya I almost forgot. Anyone who says that S.E. Hinton is a homophobe is full of shit. Just because she said you were wrong about your interpretation of the characters, does not mean she's against Homosexuals or any orientation for that matter. It means that she has say on what her characters are regardless. You can interpret the characters however you wish, but that doesn't mean you're always right. And FYI, most of the people that complained about it, were not shipping Ponyboy and Johnny or Dally and Johnny. They were trying to promote incest ship by shipping Ponyboy, Darry and Sodapop and exploited LGBTQ outraged to do it. Anyone that agrees to that oughta be ashamed and owe S.E. an apology right fucking now. In the words of Rusty James, take a fucking swing at me if you think I'm wrong.