Overview
A young gang leader struggles to find his identity amid the chaos of street life and family shadows.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- melancholic
- expressionistic
- brooding
- late night cinephile viewing
- moody weekend
What critics said
Critics broadly admire Coppola's daring visual style and Mickey Rourke's performance while finding the narrative static or obscured by its excesses.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Rusty James measures his identity against the legend and return of The Motorcycle Boy.
Coppola renders the industrial town and gang milieu through stark monochrome imagery, theatrical compositions, and heightened atmosphere.
Rusty James leads a small gang in a declining industrial town even as the gang's world loses meaning and momentum.
Rusty James's shallow relationships and gang persona are shaped by his obsessive shadowing of his absent brother.
Films like Rumble Fish, and why
The Outsiders
stylized teen alienation, gang culture, outsider identity, and heightened black-and-white imagery
The Last Picture Show
poetic visual design, disaffected youth, urban drift, and emotionally distant family relationships
Over the Edge
brotherly estrangement, delinquent subculture, expressionistic atmosphere, and melancholic coming-of-age themes
Movie Details
- Director
- Francis Ford Coppola
- Release Date
- 1983-10-09
- Runtime
- 94 min
- Rating
- 7.0 / 10 (786)
Cast
- Matt Dillon
- Mickey Rourke
- Diane Lane
- Dennis Hopper
- Diana Scarwid
- Vincent Spano
- Nicolas Cage
- Chris Penn
- Laurence Fishburne
- William Smith
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Rumble Fish about?
- A fiercely stylized teen drama follows a Tulsa gang leader whose devotion to his legendary older brother exposes the emptiness of the life he has inherited.
- What is Rumble Fish like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Rumble Fish as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Rumble Fish violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Rumble Fish as moderate.
- What did critics think of Rumble Fish?
- Critics broadly admire Coppola's daring visual style and Mickey Rourke's performance while finding the narrative static or obscured by its excesses.
- Which films are like Rumble Fish?
- Films with a similar feel include The Outsiders, The Last Picture Show, and Over the Edge.
- How long is Rumble Fish?
- Rumble Fish runs 94 minutes.
- Where can I watch Rumble Fish?
- In United States, Rumble Fish is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
