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Rumble Fish

Rumble Fish

Crime · Drama · Romance · 1983

Absent-minded street thug Rusty James struggles to live up to his legendary older brother's reputation, and longs for the days of gang warfare.

Movie details

Rumble Fish

“Rusty James can't live up to his brother's reputation. His brother can't live it down.”

1983 Crime · Drama · Romance 1h 34m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.0 / 10

Community rating

Absent-minded street thug Rusty James struggles to live up to his legendary older brother's reputation, and longs for the days of gang warfare.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Rumble Fish?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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During a 10-year sentence for murdering the leader of a rival South Central Los Angeles gang, Bobby Johnson finds religion and rehabilitation with the help of Muslim inmate Ali. Upon his release, Bobby returns home to find that his young son, Jimmie, has joined the Deuces, his old crew. Tensions rise as Bobby struggles to convince Jimmie to leave the gang that was his only family during the painful years his absent father spent behind bars.

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Francis Ford Coppola

Written by

S.E. Hinton · Francis Ford Coppola

Matt Dillon

Matt Dillon

Rusty James

Mickey Rourke

Mickey Rourke

The Motorcycle Boy

Diane Lane

Diane Lane

Patty

Dennis Hopper

Dennis Hopper

Father

Diana Scarwid

Diana Scarwid

Cassandra

Vincent Spano

Vincent Spano

Steve

Nicolas Cage

Nicolas Cage

Smokey

Court is in session

Put Rumble Fish on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.