Movie Review: The Outsiders (1983)
Synopsis: Raised by his two older brothers after his parents were killed in a car accident, 1965 Tulsa, Oklahoma teenager, Ponyboy Curtis, is a member of the Greasers, a northside gang made up of members of the city's poorer families and in direct rivalry with the more affluent "Socs" living on the southside. After meeting a Soc, Cherry Valance, and hitting it off despite their differences, Ponyboy and his friend, Johnny, are attacked by her boyfriend and a group of other Socs, resulting in Johnny killing one of them. Even though it was self-defense, the boys know their Greaser status will result in criminal charges and flee town, only to return after an unexpected act of heroism leaves Johnny severely burnt and near death. Meanwhile, the Greasers and Socs are preparing themselves for a blowout rumble.
Who's in it? The movie stars C. Thomas Howell, Ralph Macchio, Matt Dillon, Patrick Swayze, Diane Lane, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez and Tom Cruise.
Review: My wife had been looking for The Outsiders on our various streaming services ever since she worked as a substitute teacher assistant at our middle school and saw part of the film being shown in an English class. When she reminded me she still wanted to see it and it still wasn't available via streaming (without paying), I ended up getting a DVD through our library and we finally saw it last night.
Overall, I think I can honestly say I could see the appeal.
This is one of those movies that is worth watching just because it features a lot of stars before they were stars. Tom Cruise, for example, plays a supporting character, Steve Randle, long before he was the headliner and Patrick Swayze, who plays Ponyboy's (Howell) older brother, Darrel, was still better known for his television roles than his movie career.
Even without the familiar faces, the movie is still an interesting film. Ponyboy and Johnny (Macchio) are likeable characters in a bad situation and the drama surrounding their story only increases when they rescue a bunch of kids from a fire, become heroes while Johnny is severely burned and left with a broken back, yet still face murder charges and possible retaliation from the Socs. The various side stories about their northside lives also added some depth, whether it was Ponyboy being raised by his brothers or Johnny's homelife is troublesome to the point he'd rather sleep in an abandoned lot than at home.
The planned rumble between the two groups of teenagers added a little something extra as well. Since the movie is only told from the Greaser point of view, it is unclear if the Socs are going to live up to their promise not to bring weapons or if they are plotting some sort of strategic advantage. It added a little less predictability to how that fight would play out and made both the fight and the aftermath entertaining to watch.
Final Opinion: It's a dark and gritty drama with a lot of talented actors that make it worth taking the time to watch, even if you need to get it on DVD.
My Grade: A
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Here are some reviews of other movies from 1983:
Movie Review: Superman III (1983)
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