The Outsiders (USA, 1983)

[chazgower01]

The Outsiders (USA, 1983) hulu 4.5/5

The Outsiders may have been one of the first movies I ever saw where I had actually read the book first. In that, I remember my initial disappointment in it back when it was released. When it came out on VHS, that quickly faded and it became a movie that would become an all-time favorite of mine, and one that is still enjoyable today.

Ponyboy Curtis (C. Thomas Howell), whose parents have died, lives with his older brother Sodapop (Rob Lowe), and oldest brother and guardian Daryl (Patrick Swayze). They are all 'greasers', poor kids who slick back their hair, get in fights and live on the bad side of town. Ponyboy's best friend is Johnny (Ralph Macchio), whose parents are abusive to each other and him. They look up to the town hoodlum, Dallas (Matt Dillon in true James Dean form), and bum around, smoking cigarettes and looking for fun.

On the other side of the tracks are the 'Socs', the rich kids who drive mustangs and date pretty cheerleaders from school, led by Bob (Lief Garrett), who spend their time driving around looking for fun and... to beat up Greasers. This is a story of a night that would change all of their lives.

With such a large cast that also included Tom Cruise, Diane Lane, and Emilio Estevez, some of the characters get a bit shortchanged in the story, but it includes enough of the specifics and moves at such a great pace that, it just unfolds perfectly before your eyes. A classic.