Middle-class and mixed-up, teenager Jim Stark (James Dean) moves to a new town. Trying to ingratiate himself in school, Stark becomes involved in a game of chicken, involving cars and a cliff, with gang leader Buzz (Corey Allen). Everything ends in tears but Stark still gets the girl.
DVD Extras:
Rediscovering A Rebel (outtakes), Behind The Cameras ('50s movie magazine TV series), trailer. With a restored print, the disc does Rebel's iconic status justice. An interview featuring Dean advising kids to drive carefully on the highway is a little too ironic for comfort.
Verdict:
This may seem dated with its continual pleas for parents to talk to their crazy kids, but director Nicholas Ray's 1955 tale of youthful existential angst features magnificent turns from Dean and, as Stark's nerdy but violent mate Plato, Sal Mineo.
