Rusty-James's struggle is rooted in his desire to be exactly like his brother, failing to realize that his brother is a broken man who finds the "legend" status a burden rather than a badge of honor.
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A former gang leader who returns home after a mysterious absence. He is colorblind, partially deaf, and views the world with a detached, philosophical cynicism that Rusty-James cannot comprehend. Rumble Fish
While Matt Dillon gives a frantic, sweaty performance as Rusty James (he described the role as "exhausting"), the film belongs to Mickey Rourke. Rusty-James's struggle is rooted in his desire to
In 2020, the film was selected for preservation by the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." It has finally been recognized not as a failed teen movie, but as an art film that happened to star teenagers. While Matt Dillon gives a frantic, sweaty performance
However, the film is not entirely devoid of color. In a nod to Coppola’s Rumble Fish (the animal itself) and perhaps a cinematic trick learned from Hitchcock or Spielberg, the Siamese fighting fish in the pet store window are vibrant bursts of color. They are the only living things in Rusty James’ world that possess true vibrancy. They are beautiful, exotic, and deadly—much like the Motorcycle Boy, the film’s mythological center.