Rusty James and the Motorcycle Boy

Rumble Fish (1983)

I' m not really sure what to say about this one. Sometimes it's the hardest to talk about the things you like the most, which is a shame. Cory and I agree this was the best one so far (so far=up through Raising Arizona). Nic does a great job as Smokey, but his role isn't too big. Mickey Rourke and Matt Dillon are wonderful.

I was reminded of Rebel without a Cause. You can see elements of Jim Stark's (James Dean's character) conflicted personality and his struggle with/against society, but kind of split between the personalities of the two brothers in Rumble Fish. And I dig all the "how do you know if someone's crazy" stuff because, you know, sometimes it's not that clear.

Anyway, it was so good I rewatched some key scenes a couple days later because they were stuck in my head. Dennis Hopper rules, and seems made for his role. And Tom Waits is in it too, with typical Tom Waits-ey hip, tired wisdom. It's kind of haunting. I bought the book.