The Outsiders (1983)
Two teens from rival gangs spark a dangerous feud; perfect for fans of intense drama and classic 80s films.
Genres: Crime, Drama
Cast
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The Outsiders(1983)
Overview
In 1960s Tulsa, class divisions ignite a violent rivalry between the working-class Greasers and the privileged Socs. When a deadly encounter forces two Greasers, Ponyboy and Johnny, to flee, their struggle for survival and redemption exposes the fragile innocence and enduring bonds of youth on the wrong side of town.
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Cast
Full Cast & Crew
C. Thomas Howell
Ponyboy Curtis

Matt Dillon
Dallas Winston

Ralph Macchio
Johnny Cade

Patrick Swayze
Darrel Curtis

Rob Lowe
Sodapop Curtis

Emilio Estevez
Two-Bit Matthews

Tom Cruise
Steve Randle

Glenn Withrow
Tim Shepard

Diane Lane
Cherry Valance

Leif Garrett
Bob Sheldon

Darren Dalton
Randy Anderson

Michelle Meyrink
Marcia

Tom Waits
Buck Merrill

Gailard Sartain
Jerry

William Smith
Store Clerk

Tom Hillmann
Greaser in Concession Stand

Hugh Walkinshaw
Soc in Concession Stand

Sofia Coppola
Little Girl

Teresa Wilkerson Hunt
Woman at Fire

Linda Nystedt
Nurse
Featured Comments/Tips
Throughly enjoyable film that does the book justice, I personally prefer the book, but the main parts are still done excellently here, I recommend this.
Great soundtrack, lots of actors from around my youth which I think makes this movie seem better than it maybe. So not great but good.
Classic!
Its large cast generated the so-called "Brat Pack".
I hadn't seen the film since eighth grade and since then, I've watched a lot of eighties classics and know these actors better. So when I saw a poster for the movie I was like 'This is the cast? That film has to rock!' Well I watched it and my reaction was, eh? It was a comforting movie but man, the plot was so shallow the characters were pretty shallow outside of Ponyboy and the other guy I already forgot. Film just felt like a mess to me. Music was pretty solid but other than that, didn't give me much emotions. 5/10
I read the book for the first time this morning and it felt transformational in a way a book hasnt felt in years. I was super excited to see the movie afterwards. It was a pretty strong adaptation, a few things different but keeping the core feeling. I was surprised by tom cruise playing steve, he felt more like a curtis brother in my mind, but i think everyone did really well. Its understandable that this is a classic both cinematically and in literature.
A classic story about underprivileged teenagers. Francis Ford Coppola managed to assemble an outstanding cast of newcomers who about all became big stars later on.
I honestly couldn't finish it. They were literally reading the lines off the book and it sounded so unnatural. Also why would they skip so much.
Smart film from Coppola about gang rivalry. Like Rumble Fish it's based on a novel by S E Hilton - who wrote it when she was just 16! Apparently the book was banned due to it's portrayal of family disfunction, and underage drinking / smoking. The film was mostly trashed by critics on release. Heck of a cast in this film though - most of whom went on to become megastars (Tom Cruise, Rob Lowe, Matt Dillon, Emilio Estevez, Patrick Swayze, Ralph Macchio, Diane Lane etc). Also beautiful cinematography by Stephen H. Burumwith lots of lovely fades, dissolves and sunset shots. 7.8/10
Modern viewers may find this overdramatic at times with sudden shifts in tone but the heart of the film is timeless and makes this a film to rewatch every few years.
From today's perspective, the biggest draw of "The Outsiders" is certainly the outstanding cast. In the first few minutes, you really sit in front of the TV the whole time, like Leonardo DiCaprio in "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood"—there are so many familiar faces. And the (almost exclusively male) actors do an excellent job in this coming-of-age film, especially C. Thomas Howell as the main character, Ponyboy. Audiovisually, I don't have much to complain about either: Director Francis Ford Coppola's direction is high quality, and the soundtrack captures the 1960s very well. However, I didn't really warm up to the film. On the one hand, that's because I'm not particularly interested in the era. I just can't do much with the whole "Greasers vs. Socs" approach. Also, most of the characters aren't necessarily written in a compelling manner. Overall, I would still say that the strengths just outweigh the weaknesses in this film. If only because of the cast, "The Outsiders" is still fascinating today.
Definitely not a bad movie, but it was definitely more mellow and uneventful than what I was expecting, especially after ready the description. It definitely has its moments, but there is a lot of mellow drama mixed in.
The movie was too fast-paced and they removed a lot from the original book. But when they show the main parts of the original, they were pretty good. The directing was weird but understandable. The actors were alright and the soundtrack was great. 6/10, the book was better.
Somehow this has turned into a middle school summer reading assignment, and both my kids have had to read the book and analyze it prior to starting seventh grade. We watched it will my older child four years ago, and just watched it again with my younger child. I read it as a kid too, pretty sure about the same age they'#39;re at now. I looked forward to watching it with them as they are always compelled to point out differences in the book and the movie. I'#39;ve seen the movie at least 4 times now, and it'#39;s always an enjoyable watch.
Turns out I marked down the wrong version. I was wondering why when I had paused it I was already over the 90min mark. Stupid TCM has 1983 in the EPG description. When in reality I was watching the 2017 release "The Outsiders: The Complete Novel" https://trakt.tv/movies/the-outsiders-the-complete-novel-2017 I have seen this release before so I'll leave it as watched.
Lacks nearly all the introspection, thematic nuance, and dramatic tension of the novel. Maybe if the directing had been different, the special effects not so overdone, and the sountrack not so gimmicky.
Didn'#39;t work for me. Lots of contrived scenes about '#39;we gunna make it'#39; in various situations. No real emotions just charged scenes. It seemed to change tone often and was uncohesive.
Quite a few great actors in this movie. I thought it still was a little boring at times and too slow. I did watch the directors cut so that might of hurt it. The music was good.
I read the book in school as a kid but didn’t remember any of it in my adult years. With this being my first viewing of the film, I feel it’s a bit dated to really enjoy too much. I also found myself wondering what was cut between the novel and film as there were scenes I just didn’t understand such as why a school bus full of kids took a field trip to an old abandoned church in the first place. Oh well, being a classic at least now I can say I’ve watched it.
I thought this was another well shot Coppola, acted well by everyone, no matter how big or small the part was played. However, the tone and pacing is out of proportion here. I felt like I had seen at least three different types of films, made by three different directors. It is visually stunning at times though and the script appears to stay faithful to the novel.
Featured User Reviews
_**Artsy teen melodrama in mid-60’s Oklahoma from the perspective of a 16 year-old**_ In the Tulsa area in 1965 the rivalry between the Greasers (poor kids) and the Socs (rich kids) heats up after a gang member is killed. The Greasers supposedly responsible flee the area (C. Thomas Howell and Ralph Macchio), but ironically end up being viewed as heroes. Matt Dillon costars while the notable peripheral cast includes the likes of Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Tom Cruise, Diane Lane and Leif Garrett. “The Outsiders” (1983) was one of two films Francis Ford Coppola shot back-to-back based on S.E Hinton’s young-adult novels. This one was successful at the box office while the even more artsy “Rumble Fish” (1983) failed to draw an audience. Hinton began writing “The Outsiders,” her most popular novel, in 1965 when she was 16, inspired by two rival gangs at her school, Will Rogers High School, which is about 2.5 miles west of downtown. I bring this up because the movie definitely comes across as an overdramatic tale from the perspective of a teenager. The most mundane, trivial events are presented as life-or-death happenings, like going to a drive-in theater or facing your nemeses at a park where one person idiotically brings a switchblade to a fistfight. This explains why some people write the flick off as “the cheesiest and corniest movie ever.” In its defense, you have to acclimate to it in order to appreciate it. Go back to what was happening in your life when you were in your mid- teens and how a fistfight or breakup was an earthshattering event. The movie captures this very well. The original theatrical film runs 1 hour, 31 minutes, while the 2005 Director’s Cut runs 23 minutes longer and includes new music. It was shot in the Tulsa area. GRADE: B-/B
Hmmm. Francis Ford Coppola has creatively produced a piece of superbly photographed and frequently quite intimate observational cinema here this is far more remarkable for it's casting than for anything especially innovative about the story or the characterisations. Indeed had seven of this cast not gone on to great and good things - to varying degrees - then I'm afraid I can't think this film would rate much better than as an interesting, "West Side Story" style derivate with neither the style nor the personalities. It is essentially a gang enmity film - the "Greasers" consisting of those at the top of the bill - (a rather toothy) Tom Cruise, Rob Lowe, Ralph Macchio, Matt Dillon, Patrick Swayze et al having a constant rivalry with their wealthier rivals from the other side of town - The "Socs" (Soshes). Every day there are skirmishes between the two until one evening, young Macchio ("Johnny") and pal "Ponyboy" (C. Thomas Howell) are set upon by a group of older lads and tragedy ensues, a tragedy that leads to all concerned discovering and displaying their true colours. Unfortunately, the acting here is all pretty wooden - except, perhaps, for a decent last minute effort from Rob Lowe. Dillon was a good looking man, but like the others here he was never an especially versatile actor and much of the emphasis here is upon the fact they look good in 501s. The story is otherwise a rather humdrum, violent, coming of age effort that ends in sadness and salvation - but is delivered in an almost rushed fashion. Time hasn't been terribly kind to this, it has lost much of what made it potent at the time - but it is still a story worth a watch.
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