"The Outsiders" is an American/French co-production from 1983 that resulted in this English language film that is going to have its 35th anniversary next year. The director here is a certain Francis Ford Coppola and a decade after taking us into the world of organized crime, he takes us now into the world of youth gangs that commit a fair share of their own crimes as well. If you see the names of Dillon, Macchio, Lowe, Cruise, Flea, Waits, Estevez and others in here, you will find a group of young actors that managed tremendous careers in the years or even decades to come. It is somewhat ironic that next to all these big names, C. Thomas Howell did not manage a huge breakthrough as he is probably playing the most central character in here. Coppola's very young daughter Sofia, an Oscar winner now, is in it too briefly. The biggest female character is played by the tremendously beautiful Diane Lane back then and even she does not have that much screen time. It's all about the boys. The film is certainly channeling stuff like West Side Story, Rebel Without a Cause and some early Marlon Brando works a bit, so it is definitely not FFC's most original work. But like I wrote in the title, it is still easy to enjoy this movie if you give it the right approach. Don't go in it expecting Godfather quality. I personally think it could have been a bit shorter and more focused, but then again I watched the version that comes close to two hours and not the original 90-minute version. I suggest you go for that one instead perhaps.
The film was successful enough for them to make a television show afterward and I see that one was pretty successful too, even if it only ran for one short season. Back to the movie, I see this was discussed pretty controversially. Some loved it, some think it's garbage. Decide for yourself. I think it was a good watch from that moment on when it really started to focus on three characters only. Those were the days when you could be called Ponyboy or wear a Mickey Mouse shirt and people still think you're badass. The ending with the faces (and even more the words) of the two dead characters may have been a bit on the pretentious side, but I can forgive them for it because Macchio really gives a good performance and portrays the most memorable character in here, a really good kid that makes a not necessarily wrong decision with horrible consequences, but stays a loyal friend and saves even some kids' lives later on. A perfect example of how his financial situation and as a consequence the people he hangs out with really literally destroy his life. Oh yeah and they really are outsiders as police only care for them when they have to shoot them. A good outcome here I would say and if you like Elvis, you are in for an even bigger treat. Go check it out.
The film was successful enough for them to make a television show afterward and I see that one was pretty successful too, even if it only ran for one short season. Back to the movie, I see this was discussed pretty controversially. Some loved it, some think it's garbage. Decide for yourself. I think it was a good watch from that moment on when it really started to focus on three characters only. Those were the days when you could be called Ponyboy or wear a Mickey Mouse shirt and people still think you're badass. The ending with the faces (and even more the words) of the two dead characters may have been a bit on the pretentious side, but I can forgive them for it because Macchio really gives a good performance and portrays the most memorable character in here, a really good kid that makes a not necessarily wrong decision with horrible consequences, but stays a loyal friend and saves even some kids' lives later on. A perfect example of how his financial situation and as a consequence the people he hangs out with really literally destroy his life. Oh yeah and they really are outsiders as police only care for them when they have to shoot them. A good outcome here I would say and if you like Elvis, you are in for an even bigger treat. Go check it out.