Lost youths wandering Tulsa, trying to find answers

This was the second of two flicks based on S.E. Hinton's young-adult novels shot back-to-back by Francis Ford Coppola. The first one was "The Outsiders" (1983) and it was successful at the box office while "Rumble Fish" failed to draw an audience. Unlike "Outsiders," which takes place in 1965, this one is set in the modern day, 1982, the time of shooting (or at least the late 70s). Hinton, by the way, has a cameo as the hooker on the strip that propositions Rusty James (Matt Dillon) and Steve (Vincent Spano).

Hinton was only 16-17 when she wrote "The Outsiders" and so that movie is from the perspective of a mid-teenager. By contrast, she was in her mid-20s when she wrote "Rumble Fish" and this is also reflected in the corresponding movie: The Motorcycle Boy (Mickey Rourke) has grown-up and is no longer interested in juvenile delinquency, which confuses Rusty James.

Both "The Outsiders" and "Rumble Fish" are arty, but this one is more so. It's a mix of "The Outsiders" and Coppola's experimental "One from the Heart" (1981), along with bits of "The Warriors" (1979) and "Grease" (1978). Like "One from the Heart," the story is very basic while the filmmaking is highly stylized, which results in a beautiful film that's entertaining on a visual & audio level, but not very absorbing story-wise.

What's it all about? Some answers include: The challenge of unconventional people in a conventional world, living in someone's shadow, the cult of personality, growing up while simultaneously giving up childish things, setting others free, how envy murders others (figuratively or literally), the potential corruption of authority, the resultant injustice, and sacrificing oneself for loved ones.