Rumble Fish

As much as I'm looking forward to getting into the thick of Nic Cage's solid starring-role repertoire, I'm thoroughly enjoying this pre-stardom phase.

For instance, today I watched Rumble Fish, from the Mickey-Rourke-is-still-awesome-and-not-some-slurred-speech-raisin-man-done-in-by-years-of-being-punched-in-the-face-and-injecting-it-with-Botox era.

So a brief run-down: Matt Dillon is Rusty James (yes, they only refer to him by both names) is a small-time thug/screw-up living in the significant shadow of The Motorcycle Boy, his brother, played with palpable coolness by the aforementioned Mickey Rourke.

As a brief aside, tell me that Rourke doesn't look an awful lot like Bruce Willis.

See? You can't.

The Motorcycle Boy has made a surprise return to the movie's never-identified home town from his trip to California, and nobody really says it, but he's changed. There are comments on his age, but it seems more than that. The wild and rebellious rebel of local legend is pensive, contemplative, even sullen, but Rourke manages it without coming across as annoying - not a hugely easy feat.

Another thing that's never really explicitly identified is the temporal setting of the film, although the black-and-white filming automatically gives it something of a retro feel. It's not a period-piece, but modern by any stretch either.

Time is a recurring theme that Francis Ford Coppola plays with throughout the story in various ways, from explicit soliloquies about aging courtesy Tom Waits as pool-hall bartender Benny to cop-and-thug conversations that happen against the backdrop of a giant clock with no hands, followed by a beautiful time-lapse montage of various urban minutiae.

It goes without saying that the movie's gorgeous, poignant, well-written and just generally exceptional with Coppola at the helm.

It's also possibly unsurprising that an up-and-coming Nic Cage would be given a shot in Uncle Francis' new picture.

Cage is Smokey, a friend-turned-usurper who takes advantage of Rusty James's, shall we say, intellectual shortcomings, to weasel his way into a relationship with Patty (Diane Lane) by staging a break-in party at a local mansion and having the details of the ensuing shenanigans get back to her.

Working on his "smug"

The ending is, I'll concede, a touch contrived, but overall this movie is spectacular, and you should see it. As soon as possible.

Also, as if you needed more reason, Dennis Hopper is Rusty James's dad, and Lawrence Fishburn (credited as Larry Fishburn) looks this classy and awesome every time he's on screen:

Rumble Fish - barcoded!