James Dean takes the screen in one of most famous films of his short career as Jim in Rebel Without a Cause (1955), directed by Nicholas Ray and written by Steward Stern. The story follows the troubled teenager, Jim Stark, as he escapes his past by moving to a new town. But where Jim goes, trouble follows as he encounters a tough gang of teenagers and as most typical teen movies go, make him an outsider.
Along the way though, Jim does develop an unspoken attraction for one of these tough guys, Buzz's, girfriend, Judy, played by Natalie Wood, and a friend, Plato, played by Sal Mineo. The three are an unlikely trio but share a common bond with bizarre family problems. Jim's father is a spineless husband who allows to be knocked aside by his wife. Judy only wants her father's love which she is refused of due to his possible sexual attraction to her which he tries to stifle and hide. The story of Plato's family changes everyday. He's raised by a black nurse but his continuous lies suggest deeper mental problems.
Jim's cause for rebellion is unclear throughout the movie. It's neither race and civil injustice or war resistance. But is rather unfocused rage. Dean's emotions seem urgent yet, they're ambiguous and unclear, almost hypnotizing to the view, desperate to understand him.
