The Outsiders

In 1960s Tulsa, class divisions ignite a violent rivalry between the working-class Greasers and the privileged Socs. When a deadly encounter forces two Greasers, Ponyboy and Johnny, to flee, their struggle for survival and redemption exposes the fragile innocence and enduring bonds of youth on the wrong side of town.

Critical opinion on Coppola's adaptation has always been split: the film draws genuine affection from audiences who grew up with it, but contemporary reviewers found it more visually posed than emotionally alive, leaving a gap between its striking surface and the story underneath. What divides people most is whether Coppola's stylized, almost mythic approach to S.E. Hinton's working-class teenagers elevates the material or suffocates it.