--- title: "Rumble Fish: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/rumble-fish/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/rumble-fish" critics_score: 63 critics_reviews: 14 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Rumble Fish (1983): what the critics said Critics' score 63 from 14 reviews: 8 positive, 2 mixed, 4 negative. The reviews lean positive on Rumble Fish, with praise clustering around Coppola’s experimental black-and-white imagery and its treatment of teenage loneliness. Even several detractors admire the photography; admirers find that the distorted angles, selective colour and dreamlike atmosphere give the gang story emotional force beyond its plot. The score also earns praise, while The Guardian singles out Rourke’s Motorcycle Boy and The Skinny identifies Matt Dillon as the film’s emotional centre. The spread is wide, and the chief disagreement concerns whether that elaborate style deepens the drama or gets in its way. Reservations cluster around heavy symbolism, thin characterisation and mannered dialogue, with some critics finding little reason to care about the teenagers beneath the imagery. The AV Club is particularly dismissive of the overheated writing, while the more favourable reviews accept the departure from conventional storytelling as central to the film’s appeal. ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 26 August 1983. The critic finds the film offbeat, daring, and original in its stylized black-and-white approach to a gang story, praising its experimental style and emotional texture over conventional narrative. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/rumble-fish) ## Slant Magazine — Chuck Bowen Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 11 May 2017. Coppola’s stylized 1980s experiment is the greatest and most moving of his formalist films from the era, using black-and-white imagery and symbolic depth to portray youthful loneliness and a dreamlike vision of the 1950s. The Criterion restoration is pristine and ravishing, highlighting the film’s emotional and visual power. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/rumble-fish/) ## The New Yorker — Richard Brody Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 25 December 2020. The critic highlights the film's daring 1980s artistry, myth-infused coming-of-age story, and grandly imaginative black-and-white visual style with distorted angles and special effects. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/rumble-fish) ## Radio Times — Alan Jones Rating 4/5. The critic praises the visually startling knockout of moody black-and-white filming with colour dashes and a brooding score, while noting the extremely mannered drama and slightly overdone symbolism in this alienated teen allegory. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-5h3mwt/rumble-fish/) ## The Guardian — Danny Leigh Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 2 January 2009. The film has an almost-great quality that endures, particularly its pristine monochrome visuals and time-lapse clouds over Tulsa, along with the propulsive score and Rourke's performance as the Motorcycle Boy. It stands out for its impeccable style and adolescent poetry in contrast to more conventional teen films of the era. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/jan/02/mickey-rourke-rumble-fish) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 23 October 1983. The review describes the film as having a feverish, cockeyed grandeur despite its inflated pretensions and unintentional giggles, noting Coppola's big thinking and the film's interesting failure. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1983/10/23/arts/film-view-a-tale-of-two-b-movies-one-s-plain-the-other-fancy.html) ## Time Out — CPea Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2012. The review highlights the existential 'outsider' hero and gang-fight themes drawn from SE Hinton but criticises Coppola's mismatched Expressionist style from 1920s silent films as arresting yet inappropriate, making the target audience unclear. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/rumble-fish) ## Empire Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2006. The film trades plot for style in its grainy black-and-white cinematography with selective color, resulting in a somewhat over-stylized work that limits audience involvement. The main point of interest is spotting young actors before they became stars, notably Nicolas Cage. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/rumble-fish-review/) ## The Times — Nigel Kendall Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 18 August 2007. The film is a triumph of style over substance that never delves enough into character or motivation for genuine depth, though it offers fun in star-spotting the young cast. It is a brave experiment but far from gripping. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/north-america-travel/us-travel/california/rumble-fish-special-edition-h3z6cnr7nwq) ## The AV Club — Nathan Rabin Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 28 September 2005. Rumble Fish aims for the claustrophobic nightmare world of film noir and German Expressionism but is a visual triumph marred by overheated, pretentious dialogue. Coppola indulges the novel’s excesses, resulting in an arty misfire compared to the more accessible The Outsiders. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-outsiders-rumble-fish-1798201090) ## Variety — Variety Staff Rating **. 31 December 1982. The review calls the film overwrought and overthought with excessive symbolism, while noting its beautiful black-and-white photography and able examination of teenage alienation centered on two misfit brothers. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1982/film/reviews/rumble-fish-1200425450/) ## The Playlist — The Playlist Staff Rating B+. 25 November 2014. The critic calls it the more accomplished of Coppola's two 1983 Hinton adaptations, praising its experimental, expressionistic style, moody black-and-white visuals, and poetic passion despite being polarizing. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/retrospective-francis-ford-coppola-essential-films-20141125/5/) ## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 4 September 2007. The critic praises the film's stylized black-and-white innovation and photography, highlighting Matt Dillon's performance as embodying youthful immortality and the film's poetic take on teenage angst and integrity. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/rumble-fish-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray) ## The Skinny — Keir Roper-Caldbeck Rating ★★★★. 16 August 2012. The critic notes that time has been kind to Coppola's stylised art film about teenage rebellion, praising its monochrome images and symbolism. They single out Matt Dillon's performance as the heart of the film, calling it one of the coolest ever made. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/dvd-reviews/rumble-fish) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/rumble-fish.md