The film was a huge hit when it came out in 1983 and it's still rated a 7.9 by IMDB, but I'm not sure it's held up all that well over the years. I think the romance part with Sam Shepard and Barbara Hershey is really weak and could have been left out of the movie without harm. The rest of the film is pretty good. I have the book (by Tom Wolfe) -- I need to re-read it to refresh my memory.

I haven't seen the rat again! I do rather hope he stays away. :D