The Outsiders (1983)

Director:

Francis Ford Coppola

Writers:

S.E. Hinton (novel)
Kathleen Rowell (writer)

Release Date:

25 March 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

They grew up on the outside of society. They weren't looking for a fight. They were looking to belong.

Plot:

When two poor greasers, Johnny, and Ponyboy are assaulted by a vicious gang, the socs, and Johnny kills one of the attackers, tension begins to mount between the two rival gangs, setting off a turbulent chain of events.

Plot Keywords:

Church | Paralysis | Atmospheric | Cigarette | Attempted Drowning

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Matt Dillon	...	Dallas 'Dally' Winston
Ralph Macchio	...	Johnny Cade
C. Thomas Howell	...	Ponyboy Curtis
Patrick Swayze	...	Darrel 'Darry' Curtis
Rob Lowe	...	Sodapop Curtis
Emilio Estevez	...	Keith 'Two-Bit' Mathews
Tom Cruise	...	Steve Randle
Glenn Withrow	...	Tim Shepard
Diane Lane	...	Sherri 'Cherry' Valance
Leif Garrett	...	Bob Sheldon
Darren Dalton	...	Randy Anderson
Michelle Meyrink	...	Marcia
Gailard Sartain	...	Jerry Wood
Tom Waits	...	Buck Merrill
William Smith	...	Store Clerk

Also Known As:

The Outsiders - The Complete Novel (USA) (director's cut)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence, teen drinking and smoking, and some sexual reference. (edited version)

Runtime:

91 min | 114 min (2005 edition)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Iceland:16 | Canada:18A | South Korea:15 | USA:PG | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:PG-13 (edited version) | West Germany:12 | Norway:16

Filming Locations:

Owasso, Oklahoma, USA

Company:

Pony Boy

Trivia:

Tom Cruise had a cap in his tooth removed in order to further convey the damage he received in the rumble.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the Soc's chase after Ponyboy and Johnny after he spits in Bobs face, there is a duck in the fountain in one shot, and then the next it's gone.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Ponyboy: [voicecover] When I stepped out into the bright sunlight, from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman, and a ride home.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in A Legacy of Filmmakers: The Early Years of American Zoetrope (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Loveless Motel

Fairly good adaptation

First let me say that this will not be a comment where the author will be gushing about how "hot" the cast is! Like a lot of people who have commented on this film I, too, read the book first in school and then proceeded to seek out the film to see how the story translated to the screen. I thought esteemed director Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather, Apocalypse Now) did a fairly competent job of adapting the book (there will always be somerevisions and omissions in such an enterprise). He preserved the essence of the class struggle: the eternal conflict between those who were better favored by birth and station (Socs) with those less favored (Greasers). Coppola elicited more than competent performances from the young up-and-coming cast he assembled. All in all, a very good coming of age film.