Rumble Fish is one of Coppola's lesser-known films. Rumble Fish was written during days off while shooting The Outsiders in Tulsa Oklahoma and was shot in the weeks following The Outsiders.
Both films are adaptations of books by SE Hinton, about young people growing up in the early 1960s.
While The Outsiders is a more straightforward adaptation, Rumble Fish has been described (by Coppola himself) as an art film for kids. As a result, the film is crammed with symbolism and literary references.
Matt Dillon, Mickey Rourke, and Dennis Hopper make this film. Keep your eyes peeled for a baby Nick Cage and Vincent Spano, and Tom Waits.
The heavy percussive score by Stewart Copeland is intense.
This is truly a masterpiece shot in glorious black and white.
5/5