By a happy coincidence, I got to watch Francis Ford Coppola's 'Rumble Fish' immediately after 'Sin City'. This is a 1983 adaptation of the much-studied novel by S E Hinton. There are other superficial similarities between 'Rumble Fish' and 'Sin City': the use of black and white film, with splashes of colour at crucial junctures, Mickey Rourke in a leading role, and a setting of urban decay.
As cinema, 'Rumble Fish' is at every level superior to 'Sin City'. Coppola at the time would still have been basking in the glow of critical acclaim for his '70s movies ('The Godfather' I and II, 'The Conversation' and 'Apocalypse Now'), and assembled for this outing a young cast of strong actors who would go on to bigger fame - Matt Dillon, Mickey Rourke, Diane Lane, Nicolas Cage and Laurence Fishburne.
They live in a grimy urban world where the passage of time is marked by mesmerising time-lapse shots of rolling clouds and lengthening shadows thrown by buildings, and where adults are lost souls (Dennis Hopper) or police akin to an Angel of Death. Their story is one of teen alienation, of the primal desires and aimlessness of youth. It focuses on Rusty James (Dillon), a gang member trying to live up to the reputation of his legendary older brother The Motorcycle Boy (Rourke). When the latter returns to town, transformed, he finds he can't escape being haunted by past sins, even as he tries to 'free' Rusty James.
This is very much a film with artistic pretensions. It may be stylised and heavy handed in its symbolism, and perhaps more successful in its observation of youth gangs, than in its commentary; yet it makes for a memorable movie experience that has stood the test of time. There is also a striking music score by Stewart Copeland (of The Police).
Rating: 7.5/10
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