Review of The Outsiders (1983) by Mike

Title: The Outsiders

Original US Release Date: 25^th March 1983

UK Rating: PG

US Rating: PG-13

Director: Frances Ford Coppola

Genre: Drama

Plot: A snapshot of the lives of two different class groups growing up in the 60’s The Greasers, a gang from the “wrong side of the tracks” and the Socs the more privileged gang. Rivals over everything, the violence escalates when a young greaser, Johnny kills a rival gang menber in self defence.


Mike's Review

A very hard hitting and moving story about rival gangs and the effect it has on the lives of the people in and around the gangs. The story follows two of the younger greasers after one of them accidently kills a rival gang member in self defence. They leave town and believe they will have to remain on the run forever.

With a cast to die for, The Outsiders is an incredible, hard hitting film. Portrayed in a believable and moving way, the cast includes Matt Dillon, Emilio Estevez, Diane Lane, Patrick Swayze, Tom Cruise, C. Thomas Howell and Rob Lowe. But Ralph Macchio stands out in this film as Johnny Cade.

The direction of Francis Ford Coppola along with stunning performances from the cast bring this film to life. You feel for the characters as they take you on an emotional rollercoaster. You laugh along with them and share in the anguish and feel the pain they all go through just to survive. It is hard not to watch the film now without comparing other films the cast have made since this film. But for many of the cast, it is up there with the finest performances of their career.

The film is an adaption of a classic novel by S.E. Hinton who was just 16 when the novel was first published in 1967. It was also her first novel. The book has become part of school English curriculum.

10 out of 10

Additional Information

Stand out performance: Ralph Macchio – Johnny Cade

Trailer

Review of True Romance (1993) by Mike

Title: True Romance: Director’s Cut

Original UK Release Date: 15^th October 1993

Original US Release Date: 10^th September 1993

UK Rating: 18

US Rating: R

Director: Tony Scott

Genre: Crime, Romance. Thriller

Plot: Clarence marries hooker Alabama, steals cocaine from her pimp, and tries to sell it in Hollywood, while the owners of the coke try to reclaim it.

Mike's Review

The film was written by Quentin Tarantino, and it really shows with the sharp dialogue and crazy plot. The film centres around Clarence (Christian Slater) who meets and marries Alabama (Patricia Arquette). After Clarence goes to get Alabama’s belongings, through a series of mishaps, he ends up with suitcase of coke and they decide to sell it. This leads to a wild adventure involving drug dealers, police and movie executives.

            The casting in this film is amazing with Hollywood greats turning up and each one adds something special to the film. But by far the best performance is by Brad Pitt as the roommate of Clarence’s friend Dick. He is on screen for a total of about 5 minutes but steals every scene he is in. However every one of the characters in the film brings something special. The performances by Hollywood greats, including Dennis Hopper, Christopher Walken and Gary Oldman all come so close to being over the top, but the incredible script and brilliant directing manage to hold back just enough to stop it going too far.

            This film is a true masterpiece where everything just falls in to place. The film is not for the faint of heart though. There are very graphic scenes of violence. One particular scene involving a woman getting severely beaten. The perpetrator definitely gets his comeuppance though. While the violence is very graphic, as with most of Tarantino’s films, it is very bloody but also portrayed in a realistic manor. This adds to the shock and also to bring you closer to the victims.

            I cannot praise this film enough. It is one of the greats that has been overlooked by many including Hollywood. Almost all of the performances are worthy of Oscar nomination, as with the script. But this film was overlooked by all the major awards.

            If you are a fan of Tarantino films, or films with a good cast and great story give this film a try. I know people that hate this film, but I know far more that love it.

10 out of 10

Additional Information

Stand out performance: Brad Pitt as Floyd

Trailer