Rebel Without a Cause (1955)

Two Geeks and a GIT Classic Movie Reviews

Our pairing this time around is dedicated to actors who left us too soon, and whose promising careers never saw what should have been their end. First up, the actor who did few films but earned not one but two Academy Award nominations for those he did do. James Dean was a rising star on television and in the cinema, but his untimely death just four years after he began acting took him from the world. Directed by Nicholas Ray, 1955's "Rebel Without a Cause" was Dean's second-to-last film. In it, Dean stars as Jim Stark, the high-school-aged son of an immasculated father (Jim Backus) and a domineering and over-protective mother (Ann Doran). The Starks have moved to yet another new town in the hopes that Jim will finally fit in. Unfortunately, Jim makes enemies of the local gang, led by Buzz Gunderson (Corey Allen), after flirting with Buzz's girlfriend Judy (Natalie Wood). The local outcast, Plato Crawford (Sal Mineo) quickly becomes Jim's friend and admirer, and tries his best to watch Jim's back. As the story unfolds, Jim, Judy, and Plato become a trio of friends, but continue to run afoul of the gang after Gus is killed in a cliff-side "chickie run" results in Gus's car going over the cliff. The three eventually all run away from home together, taking shelter in an abandoned estate. Unfortunately, the gun Plato took from his house ends up causing tensions and violence to ratchet up, causing a tense standoff with the local police. Also starring Dennis Hopper and Edward Platt!