Rumble Fish

40th anniversary screening with newly restored digital print.

Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Starring: Matt Dillon, Mickey Rourke, Dennis Hopper, Diane Lane, Nicolas Cage
Runtime: 94’
Year of Production: 1983
Language: English
Subtitles: Greek

Taking place theoretically in Tulsa, but rather existing in a strange scenery that seems to be out of time and place, Rusty James (Matt Dillon with the drive of a young Brando) comes of age and becomes a man in the shadow of his legendary brother, the Motorcycle Boy (Mickey Rourke in his best role), once a gang lord who returns years later to seal his legacy with a misguided act and reconcile with his lost father (Dennis Hopper).

Taking Susan Hinton's novel as his starting point, Coppola crafts a pop "ancient tragedy" about the clash and tragic reconciliation of two brothers and two generations squabbling over an ultimately non-existent "kingdom" and discovering their bonds, unfolding together a unique hymn to fleeting youth and together a masterful contemplation on the passage of time and the perishability of human existence. Stewart Copeland, of the Police rock band, provides an unsurpassed soundtrack contributing along with Stephen Burum's stunning, contrasting black and white photography to an eerie dreamlike atmosphere. Lefteris Adamidis