Exceptional Acting In The Outsiders

The acting in The Outsiders is compelling to watch because it keeps the viewers on edge and excited. A scene with exceptional acting is right after Johnny kills a Social gang member in the park because he was drowning Pony. The scene starts with Johnny sitting against the fountain wall in a medium shot with the bloody knife in his grip. Johnny stutters as he speaks softly, “I killed him.” A quick cut shows a close-up of Pony with no facial expression to convey his emotions of shock and horror for what Johnny did. Johnny continues to mumble and repeat, “I killed that boy.” Johnny’s voice quivers because he is nervous about what will happen to him and Pony. Johnny repeats that he killed him again because this is surreal to Johnny. A cut displays

His voice is losing stability, and he sounds like a pleading child. Ralph Macchio plays Johnny and is a star because he is a very well-known actor. Also, Pony is a star too played by Christopher Howell. Since The Outsiders is a realistic film, the director relies on the actors to exploit their emotions on their faces, through body language, and choice of words. For example, Pony crouching down and rubbing his arms over and over shows he is trying to soothe himself to a calm state. His body language reveals he wants to disappear and escape from the death around him and the guilt too because he couldn’t stop Johnny from killing the Social. The acting is very realistic because Johnny and Pony act guilty, frightened, and fearful of what will happen next since Johnny killed someone. The acting style is method acting because the actors do not even appear like they are acting, and their emotions are sincere and realistic. The acting, emotions, and facial expressions in this scene make the acting natural, adds to the plot, and reveals the characters’ true