Character: Smokey

This movie opens in a bar with booths and pool tables. The next few minutes is a lot of people saying Rusty James Rusty James Rusty James. Smokey (Nic) is a pool hustlin’ friend of Rusty James (Matt Dillon) who for whatever reason, everyone calls him both names every time they reference him. “Rusty James, ‘c’mon Rusty James we can’t do that, Rusty James.” Smokey is chill and I dig his jacket. It has cards on the front left side and Wild Dueces on the back. I love that this movie is in black and white. The only things that we see that are in color are fish at the Pet Store. In a time of tight pants and gangs that follow people with names like Motorcycle Boy, this movie takes us into the wild lives of Rusty James, his friends and his brother The Motorcycle Boy.

Rusty James has a girlfriend (Diane Lane) at an all girls school. It was pretty damn cool to see the city go from day to night in black and white. Matt Dillon is gonna bang his gf right before he fights some guy and she is not happy that he is fighting again. “I love you but I gotta run.” And I think, “What a prick.” Rusty James meets up with Smokey and some other guys in their gang to fight another gang. Rusty James beats the guy’s ass and his brother shows up. The guy slices Rusty James and we see this wound the rest of the movie. The Motorcycle Boy runs his cycle into the guy who sliced Rusty James. They split and we find out that their father is an alcoholic. It is nice to see alcoholism not paired with rage. I thought the two were hand in hand. Who would have thought?

Smokey breaks a window at some house and a group of their friends and chicks party in this house. Making out and shenanigans commence. Rusty James gets suspended from school and he throws some shit around before he leaves shouting ‘I quit!’ I am pretty sure he doesn’t know who school works. His girlfriend is pissed that he went partied and banged some other chick. She tells him to go fuck himself and calls him an asshole. He shouts at her and says fuck you, too. He calls her a bitch and walks away. Meanwhile, I am like, “You’re the douchebag! Whatever guy.”

The cops do not like The Motorcycle Boy. The two of them plus Steve go on a drinking binge. Let me correct myself. Rusty James and Steve go on a drinking binge. We find out that The Motorcycle Boy is colorblind and has trouble hearing. It is around this time that my favorite line from the movie is said, “California is like a beautiful wild girl on heroin; high as a kite and on top of the world not knowing she’s dying until you show her the track marks.” They stumble into a bar where there are a whole lotta drugs. The band playing is pretty good. Rusty James and Steve cannot find The Motorcycle Boy, so they leave to find him and get jumped. Rusty James takes a crowbar to the head and goes on this weird out of body experience and sees the ex-girlfriend and his buds at the bar before coming back to his body. The Motorcycle Boy shows up and kicks the guys’ asses.

Rusty James’s ex-girlfriend is dating Smokey now. Rusty James wants to talk to Smokey. Smokey doesn’t want to fight Rusty James. He was sneaky and hoped that the party shenanigans would get back to the girlfriend so he could swoop in and take her. Rusty James is cool with it. What? That is a crazy blatant disregard for the bro-code.

Rusty James follows his brother to the Pet Shop. We see the fish in color again. The Motorcycle Boy says the fish belong in the river and that they wouldn’t fight if they were in the river. The Pet Shop closes, the boys steal a bike and go for a ride and return to the Pet Shop. The Motorcycle Boy breaks in and lets a bunch of animals out of their cages. He tells Rusty James that after he puts the fish in the river, Rusty James has to ride all the way to the beach and never come back. Rusty James gets emotional, but agrees. The Motorcycle Boy takes a fish tank and heads to the river. We hear a gunshot. Rusty James runs out and see his brother on the ground shot in the chest by the officer who has been watching him the whole movie. Rusty James takes the fish to the river and drops them in. The fish do not fight in the river and he leaves. The camera starts to show the reaction of the people around who include Smokey, the ex-girlfriend, their father, some of the gang and random citizens.

Rusty James makes it to the beach and we get the credits. All in all the movie is a dive into a world that is all but lost. A time when gang fights were just fights and guns were not involved. A time when innocence was a thing that was protected. I would say that this is a good movie to see if you need something to get you thinking. It isn’t something you get excited about or talk for days about. It lights a spark of thought in you and you walk away with it. It is not very Cagey, but a good watch. See ya again soon!