What a difference a lack of color makes! Stylistically and thematically, there isn't too much distance between this film and The Outsiders. They're both highly-stylized gang stories that make extensive use of camera tricks and opticals. But for some reason, Rumble Fish doesn't make me want to claw my eyes out. You'd think that the lack of color would draw even more attention to the stuff I hate, but instead it transforms ludicrous things into gorgeous ones. Black and white transports this film to another world entirely. Rumble Fish is 100% artificial and I love it for that. As Coppola stated, this is an Art Film for kids. Sure it's R-rated, but it's a pretty soft R. Why can't substitute teachers show THIS Hinton adaptation to their classes? It's guaranteed to ignite adolescent imaginations and we need more of that.
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