Rumble Fish Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		2.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		2.5

Rumble Fish Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 29, 2012

Francis Ford Coppola's "Rumble Fish" (1983) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include original theatrical trailer for the film; behind the scenes featurette; audio commentary with director Francis Ford Coppola; deleted scenes; and video piece featuring Stewart Copeland, Francis Ford Coppola, and sound designer and mixer Richard Beggs discussing the film's unique soundtrack. The release also comes with a lavish booklet featuring the words of Francis Ford Coppola, rare archival imagery, and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

We can step outside

Tulsa, Oklahoma. Troublemaker Rusty James (Matt Dillon) is drifting through life, looking for an inspiration. He has an idol, his older brother, the legendary Motorcycle Boy (Mickey Rourke), but he doesn't know where he is. A long time ago, Motorcycle Boy left town without a trace.

Rusty James now has his own gang, just like Motorcycle Boy once did. He can fight and hurt his opponents, just like Motorcycle Boy did, but does not know how to protect his friends. This is why most of them have grown tired of him and started questioning his decisions. Even Patty (Diane Lane), his beautiful girlfriend, isn’t sure if she still wants to be with him, though she really, really likes him.

One day, Motorcycle Boy returns home. Rusty James is happy to see him back but does not know what to make of his reappearance -- his brother looks different, older, a lot quieter. The two begin spending time together, and as time passes by engage in long conversations about life, their mother, and rumble fish.

Father (Dennis Hopper) is just as happy to see Motorcycle Boy back, but he does not have much time for him. When he does not work, Father prefers to get drunk in the local bar. Unlike Father and Rusty James, Patterson the Cop (William Smith) isn’t happy to see Motorcycle Boy trying to reconnect with his past and immediately warns him that it is only a matter of time before he gets what he deserves.

Francis Ford Coppola's second adaptation of an S.E. Hinton novel, Rumble Fish, is a beautiful, unusually atmospheric film that does not have a conventional plot. Shot entirely in lush black and white, it is essentially a time capsule concerned with unique feelings and emotions rather than intricate relationships or group dynamics.

The bulk of Rumble Fish has a dreamy feel that can be rediscovered in various expressionist films and a type of fluidity which is often present in the classic French New Wave films (see Claude Chabrol’s Le beau Serge). There is certain edgy rawness in it as well, which is easily detectable during the impressively choreographed gang fights. So this is a heavily stylized film with a distinct but also quite complex ambience that is capable of creating a very diverse range of impressions.

The film has two minor but obvious weaknesses. The art-house nuances seem to directly affect the integrity of the main protagonists -- more often than not they seem too detached and are left contemplating dilemmas that appear too lofty for the film. On the other hand, the low-key minimalism is too weak to sustain the type of atmosphere most of Jim Jarmusch's films are known for (see Stranger than Paradise, which appeared a year after Rumble Fish). Unsurprisingly, the end result is a fascinating to behold but arguably somewhat uneven film.

The supporting cast includes many familiar faces, the majority of them future stars -- Nicolas Cage, Chris Penn, Vincent Spano, Laurence Fishburne, and even a very young Sofia Coppola. Multi-talented Grammy winner Tom Waits also appears in a couple of scenes.

Rumble Fish was lensed by the great cinematographer Stephen H. Burum, who later on collaborated with director Brian De Palma on some of his best known films, including Body Double, The Untouchables, Carlito's Way, and Mission: Impossible. Burum was nominated for Oscar for Best Cinematography for his work on Danny DeVitto's Hoffa.

The New Wave-ish soundtrack was created by Stewart Copeland, former drummer for the popular English rock band The Police.

Rumble Fish Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Francis Ford Coppola's Rumble Fish arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment.

This is the most problematic release I've seen from Eureka Entertainment since they began releasing on Blu-ray a few years ago. Generally speaking, the licensed from Universal Studios high-definition transfer their release uses has serious flaws in virtually every single area we address in these reviews. This being said, considering the fact that Eureka Entertainment follow a policy to present their films in raw form, I feel fairly confident speculating that without exception all of these flaws are in fact inherited - which means that more than likely Universal Studios do not currently have a better master for Rumble Fish in their vaults.

The overwhelming majority of the close-ups are quite problematic - they lack depth and often even basic fluidity. On the other hand, most of the larger panoramic shots have a thick electronic look (see screencapture #8). Color grading is also disappointing, especially during the nighttime sequences, where the blacks and grays repeatedly collapse (see screencapture #14). However, the two biggest issues here are the often overwhelming sharpening and filtering corrections. Moderate to strong edge-enhancement patterns, for example, are visible practically throughout the entire film. Naturally, the bigger your screen is, the more prominent its disturbing effects will be (see screencapture #4). The filtering is just as damaging, especially during the daylight sequences, where it is easy to see how seriously detail is compromised (see screencature #16). Unsurprisingly, there is hardly any proper grain left, which is why the film lacks the organic look it ought to have. The one bright spot in this presentation is the fact that there are no serious stability issues, but the overall quality of the presentation is indeed very disappointing. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Rumble Fish Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. A music & effects DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track is also included. For the record, Eureka Entertainment have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.

I chose the English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track to view the film and was quite pleased with it. It has a good dynamic amplitude and maintains decent depth. Stewart Copeland's score certainly gets a decent boost, while the dialog remains crisp and clear. The English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track opens up the film slightly better in certain areas, enhancing mostly the ambient qualities of the film, but the overall dynamic movement does not dramatically overshadow that of the English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track. Naturally, I think that it is best to experiment with the two tracks and see which one you prefer. For the record, there are no pops, cracks, serious distortions, or audio dropouts to report in this review.

Rumble Fish Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• On Location in Tulsa - an informative behind the scenes featurette with raw footage from the pre-production process. Also included are short comments by Francis Ford Coppola, various members of his team, and some of the principal actors. In English, not subtitled. (12 min, 480/60i).

• The Percussion-Based Score - percussionist and composer Stewart Copeland, Francis Ford Coppola, and sound designer and mixer Richard Beggs discuss the unique qualities of the film's soundtrack. Also included is footage from experimental scoring sessions held in Tulsa in 1983. In English, not subtitled. (12 min, 480/60i).

• Deleted Scenes - six deleted scenes. In English, not subtitled. (20 min, 1080/60i).
  
  1. Motorcycle Boy isn't coming back
  2. Hey Steve, is your mother dying?
  3. Stealing hubcaps with Steve
  4. Feelings and ideas book
  5. Take the chapter on Rusty James and write the end
  6. Cassandra was the Princess of Troy

• Trailer - original theatrical trailer for Rumble Fish. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080/60i).

• Commentary - this is the same wonderful audio commentary with director Francis Ford Coppola that appears on the Special Edition DVD release of Rumble Fish.

• Booklet - a lavish booklet featuring the words of Francis Ford Coppola, rare archival imagery, and more.

Rumble Fish Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Rumble Fish, arguably Francis Ford Coppola's most personal film, has finally arrived on Blu-ray. Unfortunately, the technical presentation is quite problematic. Considering the fact that Eureka Entertainment follow a policy to present their films in raw form, I believe it is fair to speculate that perhaps currently Universal Studios, which supplied the high-definition transfer for the Blu-ray release, do not have a better master for Rumble Fish in their vaults. I find this both sad and disappointing. RENT IT.