Rumble Fish

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Rumble Fish

R

Released Oct 21, 1983

1h 34m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

77%

Tomatometer

39 Reviews

80%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Disaffected and restless, Rusty James (Matt Dillon) is spoiling for a fight. Abandoned by his mother and living with his alcoholic father (Dennis Hopper), he hangs out with his girlfriend, Patty (Diane Lane), and his similarly aimless friends Midget (Larry Fishburne), Smokey (Nicolas Cage) and B.J. Jackson (Christopher Penn). When his brother, the Motorcycle Boy (Mickey Rourke), returns to town, Rusty hopes to gain guidance and wisdom from someone most people think is crazy.

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Critics Consensus

Rumble Fish frustrates even as it intrigues, but director Francis Ford Coppola's strong visual style helps compensate for a certain narrative stasis.

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Richard Brody

The New Yorker

A myth-infused coming-of-age story that's directed with a grandly imaginative visual repertoire to match.

Jan 4, 2021

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Richard Corliss

TIME Magazine

If Rumble Fish fails as a traditional movie about real people, it is beguiling as an exercise in hallucinatory style.

Dec 11, 2007

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Variety Staff

Variety

Overwrought and overthought.

Dec 11, 2007

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Alan Jones

Radio Times

The drama is extremely mannered and the symbolism a mite overdone, but it's a visually startling knockout, brilliantly filmed in moody black and white with some dashes of colour.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 1, 2025

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Megan Fisher

Loud and Clear Reviews

It’s a movie that is both mythical and intimate, grounded and stylized, external and interior. Every piece of Rumble Fish is consumed by the emotions of the characters, by the tragedy of their lives and the time that is passing.

Jan 11, 2025

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Sean Burns

Crooked Marquee

The coolest movie Coppola ever made.

Sep 26, 2024

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Kaleigh M

Thought this was gonna be better than it was, I was disappointed in it as it wasn't really like it was in the book. I love you matt dillon but this movie SUCKED HARD DICK. Half of the time I don't even know what was going on. The shots weren't bad nor the black and white wasn't a bad idea.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

06/02/25

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Stephen C

1 hour and 34 minutes of drama, based on the novel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/27/25

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Mason M

Rumble Fish could easily be labeled as cryptic or pretentious, but an experienced director like Francis Ford Coppola brings this film plenty of life. This picture was one of Coppola's most beautiful efforts visually, full of stunning smoke filled black and white imagery that brings out both the beautiful and the ugly in the everyday world. This film was also very interesting emotionally, making a melancholic atmosphere that could've been dry but was strangely emotional. And Matt Dillon gives a great performance as the main character who never exactly gets what's really going on. My only complaint about this film was that Stewart Copeland's score often sets the wrong tone for this dark and emotional film. But Coppola overall brings an emotional look on the confusion of being a teenager.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/19/25

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Leprechaun K

Coppola's experimental movie is the avant-garde version of The Outsiders. Stars a young Rourke that steals every scene. The score was also an interesting choice. A good effort by Coppola to give the audience something different and new.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

04/06/25

Full Review

Audience Member

Ya just gotta know what you’re getting into! Yes, it is an homage to French New Wave cinema - it watches like a sequel to “Breathless”. SE Hinton’s gritty YA novels were the male dirty white trash answer to Judy Blume, and they resonated deeply with me and my generation. This is a harder R than I remember, although a number of 80s films from my youth are that way. Younger versions of Matt Dillon, Diane Lane, Dennis Hopper, Christopher Penn, Nicolas Cage are incredible to watch decades later. If you thought Mickey Rourke was a cool cat in “Diner”, wait until you rewatch this - you’ll remember what the fuss was all about.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/26/25

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K W

Brilliant film, cast, and screenplay

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/26/25

Full Review

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Francis Ford Coppola

Director

Matt Dillon

Rusty James

Mickey Rourke

The Motorcycle Boy

Diane Lane

Patty

Dennis Hopper

Father

Diana Scarwid

Cassandra

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Synopsis

Disaffected and restless, Rusty James (Matt Dillon) is spoiling for a fight. Abandoned by his mother and living with his alcoholic father (Dennis Hopper), he hangs out with his girlfriend, Patty (Diane Lane), and his similarly aimless friends Midget (Larry Fishburne), Smokey (Nicolas Cage) and B.J. Jackson (Christopher Penn). When his brother, the Motorcycle Boy (Mickey Rourke), returns to town, Rusty hopes to gain guidance and wisdom from someone most people think is crazy.

Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Producer: Fred Roos, Doug Claybourne
Screenwriter: S.E. Hinton, Francis Ford Coppola
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Zoetrope Studios
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 21, 1983, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 11, 2015
Runtime: 1h 34m
Sound Mix: Surround
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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