Streets of Fire (1984)

A box office bomb at the time of it's release, and as flawed of a film as it is, it's one that's always stuck with me. With the subtitle "A Rock & Roll Fable," this film tells the story of singer Diane Lane returning to her hometown for one performance, only to be kidnapped by Willem Defoe's biker gang. That's when Deborah Van Valkenburgh sends a wire to Lane's old flame, her brother, Michael Pare as Tom Cody, a mercenary for hire, shows up from parts unknown to rescue her. It's the type of stripped down, no-nonsense story that writer/director Walter Hill ("The Driver," "Southern Comfort," "Undisputed," etc.) excelles at, but what made this film so memorable for me was stylized setting and genre mashup, mixing elements of action, musical, and juvenile delinquent films. I remember Hill saying he was trying to make the type of film he would have loved at a kid. The film features cars, fashions, music, and locations that look straight out of "Blackboard Jungle" or "The Cool and the Crazy," but with a neon soaked 1980s twist. In many ways, "Streets of Fire" feels like a stylized extension of Hill's earlier film "The Warriors," which at once felt gritty and realistic while also had an unreal aspect to it. "Streets of Fire" takes the visual stylistics of "The Warriors" to the next level, but instead of a Homeric Odyssey, this film is more of a fairy tale with greasers. 18-year old Diane Lane, in what was probably her first glamorous adult role, is amazing as Ellen Aim. She's strong, gorgeous, and overcomes Hill's usual misogyny. Her singing had to be dubbed, but she looks great on stage during the musical numbers. Incidentally, Stevie Nicks wrote all of the Ellen Aims songs. The villain of the picture, Willem Dafoe as biker gang leader Raven Shaddock, without question steals the movie and every scene he's in. At this point in his career, Dafoe was a complete unknown and his only lead role was Katherine Bigelow's little seen "The Loveless" (where he also played a bike gang leader), but it's so clear from his performance, even when playing what's essentially a comic book villain, he's a talent to be reckoned with. It's also a lot of fun that Dafoe's sidekick/number two/lead henchmen is played by Lee Ving, the harsh voiced lead singer for the seminal punk band FEAR. There's also a early appearance by Robert Townsend as a backup singer. Which brings us to the films major weakness, which is a laconic and lifeless performance by Michael Pare in the lead. Pare looks the part, tall, dark, handsome, but lacks the charisma to pull off a hero the film needed. When we needed a Steve McQueen or a James Dean, we end up with a Tab Hunter or a Troy Donahue. Pare is not terrible, but he's not what the film needed. Still, the music, the 50s/80s production design, the strong cast (minus Pare), and that awesome climactic sledgehammer fight are terrific and enough to make this film something of a minor classic in my mind. Overall, this hybrid musical/comic book/1950s juvenile diligent picture/action film somehow manages to overcome it's shortcomings to remain worth watching and deserving of cult status. And if you needed to know, as I finish writing this review, I now have "I Can Dream About You" stuck in my head. FUN FACT! A low budget unofficial sequel called "Road to Hell" was made in 2008 with Pare not as Tom Cody, but as Cody, and Valkenburgh playing "Sister," and the Ellen Aim character now called Ellen Dream. Hill has no involvement in this spiritual sequel, but he had originally planned for there being a series of Tom Cody stories (a plan that was scuttled after the film's disappointing box office returns).

This was the first version of Matrix. I just love this movie. Motocyle gang and their leader The Raven. Diane Lane is great in role. Everything in this title is like a dream. We can really say that, now in 2017, the year of dreams come true. Whenever I see this movie it remindes me on my childhood and a place I come from. Sincerelly, yours Dushan Petrovic from Belgrade, Serbia.

Streets of FireThe best thing about being judge, jury and executioner is the three paychecks.Mind you, the merc in this action-musical is getting revenge pro bono.The head of a local gang (Willem Dafoe) kidnaps the singer (Diane Lane) of a new wave band at the exact time her solider-of-fortune ex-boyfriend (Michael Paré) returns home.To retrieve her, he must team with her new boyfriend (Rick Moranis) and another mercenary (Amy Madigan). But freeing the songstress is only half of the battle as a hammer fight is the only conclusion.A stylish blend of 1950s aesthetic and 1980s music, this cult hit from the ladder time period is in a class of its own. But a notable soundtrack and an indistinct era isn't enough to save the dull lead or the script's comic-bookish narrative.Furthermore, if you did blend the '50s with the '80s you would get McCarthyists with feathered bangs.Yellow Lightvidiotreviews.blogspot.ca

"Extreme Prejudice" director Walter Hill's "Streets of Fire," with Michael Paré, Diane Lane, and Willem Dafoe, ranks as one of those obscure urban adventure epics that nobody appreciated when it was released in 1984. Most critics hated it, and the film coined only about half of its reported $14.5 million budget. Admittedly, it seems like a goulash of genres, ranging from musicals to actioneers to neo-noir thrillers, and comedy, that flies all over the place like buckshot without wearing out its welcome. Happily, Will and co-scenarist Larry Gross swirl these elements so that they all come together beautifully in a neat little actioneer. The bloodless action takes place in what appears to be the 1950s in an anonymous city that resembles Chicago considering that the skyline is dominated by elevated railways. The characters dress as if they are from the 1950s, and the cars look like they hail from the same era. Composer Ry Cooder's soundtrack and the various top-40 songs used in it are ideal for the action. The concert scenes are incredibly charismatic, and Diane Lane behaves like a genuine rock star. The beautifully lensed action follows the formula of a myth about heroes who embark on a journey of hardship to a faraway destination to save an imprisoned damsel-in-distress from a slimy, pugnacious villain. What sets this movie apart from most is its reluctance to wallow in bloodshed and death. If you watch closely nobody bites the dust, and there isn't a lot of gritty action. The climactic, close-quarters combat scene between Mind you, the settings and the heroes and villains all look rugged and dirty, but "Streets of Fire" doesn't turn into a high-octane opus. Raven Shaddock (Willem Dafoe of "Platoon") and his gang of obnoxious motorcycle maniacs nick-named 'the Bombers' kidnap popular singer Ellen Aim (Diane Lane of "Unfaithful") during a concert and haul her off to a remote location where Shaddock wants to play house with her. Reva Cody (Deborah Van Valkenburgh of "The Warriors") watches the gang drag Ellen off stage during a concert, and she contacts her brother Tom Cody (Michael Paré of "Eddie and the Cruisers") who used to date her and asks him to rescue her. "Look, Tom, you were always real close with Ellen," Reva reminds him. "She wasn't like all those tramps you used to run around with." Meantime, Aim's manager/boyfriend Billy Fish (Rick Moranis of "Ghostbusters") reluctantly agrees to hire Tom for $10-thousand. As it happens, Tom decides to bring along a gruff Army mechanic McCoy (Amy Madigan of "Field of Dreams") to act as his back-up. He met her during a brief bar fight when she slugged the barkeep from trying to run her off. McCoy is a tough looking gal who knows how to handle firearms. "I need the job. I'm plenty good enough and I ain't gonna let you down," she assures Tom. No sooner do all three meet than brusque Billy Fish looks with utter contempt at her, and she whittles him down to size with sarcasm. "You know, it's hard to figure out what's more pathetic, the way you talk or the way you dress." Neither of them back off throughout this tightly forged rock'n roll fable. Cody, Fish, and McCoy enter a murky place called 'The Battery' where low-lifers and perverts hang out, guzzle liquor, and raise hell. They learn from a shadowy denizen of the area, Ben Gunn (Ed Begley Jr. of "Cat People"), where Raven has holed up with Ellen. Cody starts blasting away at bikers as they careen around the Battery while McCoy keeps several of them distracted long enough for Cody to snatch Ellen. Raven confronts Cody as Ellen and he are about to depart. "Looks like I finally ran into someone that likes to play as rough as I do," Raven observes and then vows to come after Cody. "I'll be coming for her, and I'll be coming for you too." Tom is terribly impressed with Raven's threat. Says Tom, "Sure, you will, and I'll be waiting." Unable to use the convertible that Cody had commandeered earlier from a bunch of snotty-nosed kids at Reva's dinner, they appropriate a bus belonging to an African-American singing group the Sorels. Eventually, Raven and Cody square off in a daylight brawl wielding fireman axes. Predictably, Tom defeat Raven. Ellen is pleased that Tom rescued her, but these two—no matter how much they loved each other before—cannot walk off hand-in-hand. Tom explains, "Look, I know you're gonna be going places with your singing and stuff, but then I'm not the kind of guy to be carrying your guitars around for you. But if you ever need me for something, I'll be there." They walk away from each in a bittersweet finale.Reportedly, Hill had planned to develop a franchise from "Streets of Fire," but the box office failure of the film sealed its doom. Nevertheless, I love this film, have seen it many times, and think the soundtrack is fabulous. The dialogue is very hop, too. Nobody gives a bad performance. Michael Paré is ideal as the wandering soldier, and Diane Lane looks like a real heartbreaker. Amy Madigan is superb as the gun-toting mechanic. Of course, Willem Dafoe makes a terrific villain. "Streets of Fire" is an incendiary actioneer with loads of atmosphere and catchy dialogue.