The Outsiders (1983)

 

The rivalry between two gangs, the poor Greasers and the rich Socs, only heats up when one gang member kills a member of the other.

From memory: Odd, not quite satisfying melodrama about troubled teenagers (with a remarkable cast of some young up-and-coming stars) does a good job conveying juvenile life and behaviour, but the artificiality of the settings are quite off-putting.

Halliwell (no star): "Oddball youth melodrama, a curious choice for a director with big successes behind him."

Maltin**1/2: "Florid, highly stylized...Ambitious film evokes GWTW and '50s melodramas..., but never quite connects, despite powerful moments." 

Repo Man (1984)

 

The Breakfast Club (1985)

 

 

Five high school students meet in Saturday detention and discover how they have a lot more in common than they thought. 

 

Unusual teenage drama staged as a one-room ensemble play; some moments are silly and unnerving (they're teens, after all), but otherwise a quite impressive movie.

 

Halliwell (no star): "Abysmal apologia for loutish teenage behaviour."

 

Maltin**1/2: "A bold experiment in the era of teen raunch movies (written and directed by a man who's made more than his share)...Alternately poignant, predictable, and self-important, but filled with moments of truth and perception."