I had many doubts about the movie Outsiders. I didn't think the cold, gritty setting of Hinton's book would translate well to a family or teen film, especially if the director, Francis Ford Coppola, made a number of changes to the story and plot. But overall, I liked it when I watched it, partly because I liked the story of the book and there were little to no changes in that area. The entire premise of the book and film revolves around the Greasers and the Socs, two rival groups fighting over personal pride and bitterness between social classes. The story is shown through the eyes of Ponyboy Curtis (played by C. Thomas Howell), who is caught between the onslaught of Greasers vs. Socs, being a Greaser himself, and through his eyes we see the world of slums, of violence, of loss. of childhood innocence and survival. So much detail is put into both the film and the book plot that it's hard not to dive right in. However, one of the first things I noticed in the film that I think should have been included is that Sandy, Soda's girlfriend (played by Rob Lowe), was not included in the film's footage, but was instead mentioned very briefly. of Soda at the beginning of the film, thrown in there along with the other tiny details that were circulating in the main plot channel. This took me completely by surprise, because Sandy was a very influential character and helped bring the plot of the Outsiders book to a steadier pace than the film managed to achieve. First, in the book, each character has their own personality and a very vividly presented character biography. The best part of the book is that even the supporting characters, like Cherry Valance, (Diane Lane), and Randy Adderson, (Darren Dalton), help... half of the paper... the actual story. than many other secondary characters had. Go see the movie if you want, but it's best to read the book first, because it doesn't open as well as the book. You'll end up scratching your head throughout this film's hour and a half runtime as he haphazardly and painstakingly crams in as many details as possible into the short amount of time he has. However, the gripping charm of the original story and Kathleen Rowell's screenplay make this film a must-see for fans of the book The Outsiders is the production's saving grace, as these aspects are undeniably well-polished and marinated to perfection. Hopefully the film can be remade again to incorporate everything that has been mentioned, to continue to enrich the legacy of SE Hinton's masterpiece and entertain people with a genuine, organic and intriguing tale of life's struggle..