A typical criticism of Rumble Fish is that it is style over substance, that the story just isn't as compelling as the style. That's probably true, but it also misses the point. Coppola set out to make an 'art film for teenagers', which is admittedly a rather odd move that was ultimately doomed to fail, but it certainly establishes from the outset that it's a film that is largely concerned with the particulars of form, with presenting a rather typical story in a highly unusual way. But the form does mesh well with the content, creating a vaguely surreal twilight world in noirish black and white with a suspended sense of time--time is a major theme--where impoverished youth grow up in a stark dilapidated environment and work out their conflicts through largely physical means. It manages to be gritty and 'poetic' at the same time, which isn't easy to pull off. It's hyper-stylized, but it still feels relatively grounded.
The acting is hit and miss. A young Matt Dillon is compelling in the lead role of Rusty James, a rebellious teenager living in the shadow of his older brother known as 'Motorcycle Boy', played by Mickey Rourke in full Brando mode. He doesn't give a great performance exactly--some of his line deliveries are outright bad--but he does capture the angst and restlessness of the character, while Rourke is tough and mysterious as his older brother. Nicholas Cage gives a fairly hammy performance though, and Diane Lane is just passable, although she looks amazing.
While it was shot in 1982, it looks like it was filmed later in the decade, and a few shots bare resemblance to films made by Spike Lee and Van Sant from the late 80's. It was definitely a little ahead of its time in that regard, anticipating the new independent movement by years, and it certainly doesn't get enough credit for it.
Overall critics and cinephiles are lazy when it comes to evaluating Coppola's work. The consensus seems to be that aside from The Godfather films, Apocalypse Now and The Conversation, there isn't much worth bothering with. Dracula has its fans, but it isn't universally regarded. Personally I feel like that his often overlooked films like Rumble Fish, Tetro, One From The Heart and The Rain People are actually representative of a particular aspect of his film making personality which is casually dismissed or plain misunderstood. No these films aren't as good as the first two Godfathers---I'd take Rumble Fish over GF3 though--but they are unique, interesting, even daring films from a director that refused to be pigeonholed.
The new
Criterion blu shits all over the Eureka one too. The blacks are richer and really bring out the noirish shadowy look of the film.
4/5
All countries
Argentina
Austria
Belgium
Brazil
Bulgaria
Chile
China
Colombia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Estonia
Denmark
Finland
Greece
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
Indonesia
Ireland
Israel
India
Latvia
Lithuania
Malaysia
New Zealand
Norway
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Singapore
South Africa
South Korea
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Thailand
Turkey
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
That would really be something
Linear Mode
