It’s time to start my look at all of the Nicolas Cage films that are currently available on blu-ray. I’m starting off with Rumble Fish (1983) although I have just reviewed Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) in which he has a small role. The film I taking a look at today sees him taking on a more significant role although this is a film that centres around Matt Dillon and Mickey Rourke’s characters, so without further ado here’s my Rumble Fish blu-ray review.
- Rumble Fish (1983)
- Genre: Drama
- UK Rating 18
- Discs: 1
- Released By Eureka Entertainment
- Blu-ray Released: 27 August 2012
Plot
Gang member Rusty James (Matt Dillon) accepts a challenge to fight a rival group leader, he takes his friends along for back-up. Despite winning the fight things take a turn for the worse when his older brother, the Motorcycle Boy (Mickey Rourke) arrives at the scene of the fight causing Rusty to lose focus momentarily thus allowing the rival gang leader to stab him. The Motorcycle Boy has been away leaving Rusty to fend for himself, you see he’s a legend in the eyes of Rusty and all of his friends. He looks up to him and follows him around like he is some sort of god like figure. However the Motorcycle Boy seems not to have a care in the world.
In essence Rusty wants to be just like his brother but simply doesn’t have the same acumen.
Rumble Fish is based on the novel by S. E. Hinton.
Style / Direction
The film is directed by Francis Ford Coppola with the cinematography side of things that’s taken care of by Stephen H. Burum. Filmed in black and white presumably to highlight a key plot point regarding the character known as Motorcycle Boy, the look and feel has a certain film noir about it. Also there are many surreal moments that leave the viewer slightly unsure what kind of movie this really is.
Music / Audio Effects
The music is composed by Stewart Copeland.
Acting / Characters
The main character and the one in which we see the story develop through is Rusty James (Matt Dillon). He plays the younger brother of the Motorcycle Boy (Mickey Rourke) a legend amongst the local youth. He struggles to be like him and simply wants some sort of recognition from his brother. Dillon plays the role extremely well and make no mistake it’s quite a hard role to get right.
Rourke on the other hand as the Motorcycle Boy is a cool character but also a very distant one, he’s clearly a thinker but not a very happy one. Again the acting is very good but the story seems to raise more questions than it answers about his character.
Dennis Hopper plays the brothers father, he’s another odd fellow, he drinks too much and doesn’t really seem overly interested in their lives.
One other interesting part comes the way of a young Nicolas Cage, he’s plays one of Rusty’s friends, Smokey and has key part to play in how Rusty’s life will ultimately shape up.
Cast
- Matt Dillon as Rusty James
- Mickey Rourke as the Motorcycle Boy
- Diane Lane as Patty
- Dennis Hopper as Father
- Nicolas Cage as Smokey
- Chris Penn as B.J. Jackson
- Tom Waits as Benny
- Diana Scarwid as Cassandra
- Vincent Spano as Steve
- Laurence Fishburne as Midget
- William Smith as Officer Patterson
- Glenn Withrow as Biff Wilcox
- Sofia Coppola as Donna
Conclusion: Rumble Fish (1983) Film Review
I’ll admit I’d never seen Rumble Fish before taking a look at it on Blu-ray and whilst I found it to be an incredibly stylish and interesting film I don’t think I’ll be returning to it anytime soon. Don’t get me wrong it’s certainly worth a look but is not gripping enough to be classed as a classic. The film noir look and feel along with those surreal moments all make this feel like a classy and well made film but one that ultimately leaves viewer slightly unsure what the film is really about.
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Conclusion: Rumble Fish Blu-ray Review
There are no problems on the picture quality front I’m pleased to report, its shot in black and white and I never spotted and speckles whilst the image is sharp and clean.
Switching attention to the extras reveals a short 12 minute making of documentary that provides just enough insight into how the film came together. Other than that there’s a short feature on the music, 19 minutes of deleted scenes and of course the obligatory trailer.
Extras
- On Location In Tulsa (12 mins)
- The Percussion Based Score (12 mins)
- Deleted Scenes
- Original Trailer
- Commentary
Popcorn Cinema Rating: Rumble Fish (1983)
MOVIE RATING: WORTH A LOOK
BLU-RAY RATING: EXCELLENT
EXTRAS RATING: GOOD
Rumble Fish (1983) Blu-ray
Rumble Fish (1983) is available now on blu-ray from Amazon or direct from Eureka Entertainment’s website
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Rumble Fish (1983) Trailer
For those of you yet to see the film I’ll leave you with a little taster…
Clip not be representative of the blu-ray version
That’s Rumble Fish blu-ray review, if you have any thoughts on this film you can leave a comment over on our Facebook page.
Summary: Rumble Fish (1983) Blu-ray Review
Movie title: Rumble Fish (1983)
Duration: 94 mins
Director(s): Francis Ford Coppola
Actor(s): Matt Dillon, Mickey Rourke, Diane Lane, Dennis Hopper, Nicolas Cage, Laurence Fishburne, Chris Penn, Tom Waits, Diana Scarwid
Genre: Drama
- Movie Rating
- Blu-ray Picture Rating
- Extras
Summary
An interesting film noir kind of style that’s certainly worth a look.
Pros
- Good Acting
- Stylish
- Film Noir look & feel
Cons
- Ambiguous plot
