Rebellious teens (and those who wish they were but never will be) will love The Outsiders, a film based on the SE Hinton novel of the same name. Grown-ups, meanwhile, will take a trip down memory lane as they watch this slice of nostalgia featuring a who’s who of eighties ‘brat packers’ such as Patrick Swayze, Matt Dillon, Ralph (The Karate Kid) Macchio, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez and, most hilariously of all, a buck-toothed Tom Cruise.
Set in the Midwest of the sixties, the film follows the ‘greasers’, a group of poor kids who are part of the local gang wars against the ‘Socs’. When young orphan Ponyboy (Howell), who lives with his older brothers (Swayze and Lowe), gets involved in a murder committed by his best friend (Macchio), the violence escalates and the terrified pair have to hide out with the help of Dallas (Dillon).
It’s a surprisingly moving film featuring some terrific performances, and while some boys may groan at the sentimental ending (everyone else, on the other hand, will be reaching for the tissues), they’ll no doubt love everything else about this classic film.
Is The Outsiders suitable for kids? Here are our parents’ notes...
The film does feature a few fights and attacks but nothing scary – it’s more upsetting.
If you like this, why not try: The Breakfast Club, Lord Of The Flies, Rebel Without A Cause, Red Dawn 1984, Holes,