Legendary actors in their youth. Screenplay done well as an adaptation from S.E. Hinton's classic book.

I just don't see the great love some people have for this movie. The Outsiders (1983) is a film by Francis Ford Coppola, based off the novel of the same name. The story is set in the 1950s, and it stars a lot of the big time youth stars in Hollywood at that time. The cast includes Matt Dillon, Tom Cruise, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, and Diane Lane. The film's plot relies a lot on the acting from the cast, it's a lot of heavy dialogue between the characters. And of course there is nothing wrong with a film relying a good bit on the actors and their talent, but I feel like this film relied so much on it that the actual story suffered. The rich and poor, the preppy kids and the greaser kids, the differences in social class plays a big role in the plot. It's ultimately what gives us a movie, it's because of that and the horrible consequences that come about from that, that we even have a book and movie. I will commend the acting from all the cast members, the performances given were very good and that's why the rating is as high as it is. To be completely honest, the acting is really the only part of this film that I actually liked. I feel like the actual plot was weak and the filmmakers didn't do enough to make me care about what happened. Many times throughout the movie, I found myself bored and wondering when it was going to end. I just couldn't get involved in the story, couldn't get myself to care about what happened. I think another mistake they made was the pace and the length. Maybe if it was longer, and if they would have filled that time with more interesting things, then I would giving this film a higher rating. I can't recommend The Outsiders because truthfully it's not that great of a film. Yes, many of the performances given were good, but that's it as far as positives go. I felt like I had overall wasted my time by the end of the film. I guess it's not terrible, but it's certainly not good. 4/10 for The Outsiders.

It is the 1960s and a US town is divided in two along social lines. The youths of each side form gangs in line with these two camps: the working class Greasers and the wealthier South Side gang, the Socials. The two sides use any opportunity to niggle each other and whenever they meet there is friction. Then one night a gang of Socials attack two Greasers, Johnny (Ralph Macchio) and Ponyboy (C Thomas Howell), and Johnny kills one of the Socials with a knife. This sets off a chain of events.Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, The Outsiders is a gritty, engaging exploration of social divides and the innocence of youth. We see the tensions between the social classes in the town and the consequences thereof. We also see how tragic events can make people rethink old feuds and see the bigger picture. In addition, it's a story of retaining one's innocence and sense of wonder and making the most of one's youth.In spite of the engaging plot and the profound themes, the most amazing thing about the movie is the cast. While the only known names at the time in the cast are Tom Waits and William Smith (and each of them has about 30 seconds of screen time and 2-3 lines), it is the then- unknowns whose names boggle the mind. Coppola could not have known at the time but he inadvertently cast the greatest all- star cast in the history of movies: Tom Cruise, Rob Lowe, Patrick Swayze, Diane Lane, Matt Dillon, Emilio Estevez, Ralph Macchio, C Thomas Howell. All of these became stars, but were relatively unknown at the time.The extras even include Flea (of Red Hot Chili Peppers fame) and Heather Langenkamp (Nightmare on Elm Street).Just about every character you see is played by someone who was then unknown but later became huge. Great for star-spotting, especially to see the origins of current stars, and so many of them too.A great movie with a great, stars-in-the-making cast.

The Outsiders is a very powerful book with so many deep meanings behind it. I went through many emotions during reading this, and most of the chapters I enjoyed reading. Although it is very well written piece, it is sort of monotonous at times. As well as this, the characters, settings and plot were sometimes hard to follow. Out of 10 stars, I would give it a 7 because I did thoroughly enjoy it. It moves at a good pace, and it is very well revised. 8th graders is a good audience for this piece, and they can get many valuable lessons while reading it. The movie barely differed from the book. However, the movie is at a very very slow pacing and it was very boring to me.