The Outsiders (1983)

The Outsiders (1983)

starring C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio

directed by Francis Ford Coppola

91 minutes

Greasers Johnny (Ralph Macchio) and Ponyboy (C. Thomas Howell) get into a conversation with a couple of their classmates from high school, girls from the other side of town, at the drive-in one night. The girls’ boyfriends get jealous and take out their frustrations on Johnny and Ponyboy, whom they almost drown in a fountain. Johnny saves Ponyboy’s life but kills one of the Socs, the gang that hunted them down.

Johnny and Ponyboy turn to Dallas (Matt Dillon), an older kid who has spent time in prison or reform school. Dallas helps them find a place to lay low for a few days, outside of town. He comes to get them once things have cooled down a bit. They are still trying to figure out their next move when they become local heroes for rescuing several school children from a burning building.

Ponyboy isn’t badly injured but Johnny and Dallas are in bad enough shape that they wind up spending time in the hospital. Johnny is badly burned and paralyzed from at least the waist down. Ponyboy is torn between concern for his friend's health and what happens next.

Thoughts

There are a lot of familiar faces in this movie in addition to the three top billed actors. Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Tom Cruise, Diane Lane, and Tom Waits are all part of the cast. 

The movie is based on the 1967 novel of the same name. S.E. Hinton, the author, appears in the movie as a nurse.

There is a longer version of the movie that was released on DVD in 2005. It adds back in about 20 minutes that were trimmed before it was originally released in 1983. 

I’ve been aware of this movie for a long time. I certainly could have seen it when it first came out. I never had any great interest in doing so. I’m not sure why.

This is a good film but it’s no masterpiece. It’s very poetic in places. The plot is kind of melodramatic at times and definitely gets rushed here and there. It was moving but I don't feel that I missed out by not seeing it when I was a teen. I don’t think that I would have related to either the Greasers or the Socs when I was a teenager.