To sum up my interpretation, this movie doesn't appear to get the full attention it needed from Coppola as it was filmed just a few months after The Outsiders (same writer) was released and just a month before filming on The Cotton Club would begin.
The direction of this film gives the impression that Coppola was distracted by his plans for The Cotton Club, which would have six times the budget ($58 million) as this movie ($10 million) and perhaps publicity needs for The Outsiders which was being released internationally at the time.
My main issue is the cast is such a strong one and I feel like they were let down by the script and direction. The dream sequence in this film really sums it up - this was too much of a dreamy movie by Coppola. And I am a fan of dreamy movies as I consider myself a dreamer but it never really adds up.
But this should have been a slam dunk film with these stars, starting with Matt Dillon who leads a cast featuring Mickey Rourke (who is portrayed like a mix of Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront and The Wild One), Diane Lane, Dennis Hopper, Nicholas Cage (a standout), Chris Penn (underutilized), Laurence Fishburne (underutilized), Tom Waits and a young Sofia Coppola.
Perhaps shooting this film in the middle of the summer in Oklahoma contributed to its failings but I was majorly disappointed.
The direction of this film gives the impression that Coppola was distracted by his plans for The Cotton Club, which would have six times the budget ($58 million) as this movie ($10 million) and perhaps publicity needs for The Outsiders which was being released internationally at the time.
My main issue is the cast is such a strong one and I feel like they were let down by the script and direction. The dream sequence in this film really sums it up - this was too much of a dreamy movie by Coppola. And I am a fan of dreamy movies as I consider myself a dreamer but it never really adds up.
But this should have been a slam dunk film with these stars, starting with Matt Dillon who leads a cast featuring Mickey Rourke (who is portrayed like a mix of Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront and The Wild One), Diane Lane, Dennis Hopper, Nicholas Cage (a standout), Chris Penn (underutilized), Laurence Fishburne (underutilized), Tom Waits and a young Sofia Coppola.
Perhaps shooting this film in the middle of the summer in Oklahoma contributed to its failings but I was majorly disappointed.