A local biker-gang leader (Mickey Rourke), despite reforming his ways, is still the hero of local adolescents. His younger brother (Matt Dillon) idolises him, even though his mentor strives to persuade him that he has done nothing to be proud of. Shot in black and white (with occasional touches of colour), this is an atmospheric rites-of-passage tale with a musical score by Stewart Copeland and featuring many members of the so-called eighties 'Brat Pack'.