STREETS OF FIRE (1984) - Movie Review

Director: Walter Hill
Starring: Michael Pare, Diane Lane, Rick Moranis, Amy Madigan, Willem Dafoe, Deborah Van Valkenburgh, Bill Paxton
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Music
Writer: Larry Gross, Walter Hill
Runtime: 93 min
Rated: PG
Buy This Movie: Blu-ray (Amazon), DVD (Amazon), 4K Ultra HD, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV

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Synopsis:

Get ready for a “rock ‘n’ roll fable” unlike anything you’ve seen before in this sexy, gritty thriller starring Hollywood heavyhitters Willem Dafoe, Diane Lane, Amy Madigan, Michael Paré and Rick Moranis. When tempestuous singer Ellen Aim (Lane) is kidnapped by the vicious Raven Shaddock (Dafoe) and a ruthless gang of motorcycle thugs, it’s up to a handsome loner (Paré) to rescue her. With the assistance of a hard-as-nails woman warrior (Madigan) and manager Billy Fish (Moranis), he enters a shocking world of neon-lit streets, fast cars, and killer assassins lurking around every corner. Powered by an intense soundtrack, performed by such greats as The Fixx and The Blasters, this cult classic features songs written by Stevie Nicks, Tom Petty and Ry Cooder. It’s an all-out attack on the senses that you can’t afford to miss!

Review:

Coming off the box-office success of "48 Hours", Walter Hill had amassed enough good will with the studios to get his passion project "Streets of Fire" off the ground. Unfortunately, Hill's rock & roll fable wasn't a big hit, grossing only $8 million against a production budget of $14.5 million. Regardless, it has since become a cult classic and has proven influential among moviemakers.

The film is essentially a hybridization of rock musical, western and comic book movie. Described in the opening titles as being set in "another time, another place", it's an abstract blend of 1950s/1940s noir and modern neon-lit aesthetics. It plays like a cross between Hill's own "The Warriors", "Grease", and Francis Ford Coppola's "Rumble Fish" and "The Outsiders". Embodying the western tradition of the "man with no name" is former soldier Tom Cody (Michael Pare), who is called upon to return to his hometown to rescue ex-lover Ellen Aim (Diane Lane), a famous singer who was kidnapped by a dystopian gang of greasers led by Raven (Willem Dafoe). While the movie has plenty of action, it's intentionally not very violent, mostly bloodless, and without a single death.

Everything is highly stylized, from the retro sets to the music video-style editing and Andrew Laszlo's grittily atmospheric cinematography. Two of the film's highlights are its electrifying opening and closing songs, "Nowhere Fast" and "Tonight Is What It Means To Be Young" written by Jim Steinman, which Lane physically performs on-stage while the vocals belong to Laurie Sargent and Holly Sherwood. The film's title actually comes from a Bruce Springsteen song, which was supposed to be in the movie, but negotiations with the artist broke down.

The cast is mostly solid, with the exception of Pare who looks a bit lost at times. He's still a good fit as the square-jawed antihero with a certain noirish allure, but his line delivery can get clunky at times. Lane, who was 18 at the time, delivers a performance clearly inspired by rocker Joan Jett, but most of the time she's just a good looking damsel in distress without much agency. It was fun seeing Rick Moranis play against type as an annoyingly bratty manager and Ellen's current boyfriend, however, it's Amy Madigan and Willem Dafoe who steal the show. Madigan is brilliant as McCoy, a hard-boiled war vet (originally intended as male) who joins Cody on his adventure, and Dafoe is searingly intense as a villain who in the hands of another actor could have ended up entirely forgettable.

"Streets of Fire" is a cinematic tour de force, a visual feast with amazing music and some great performances. Hill intended this to be the first of a series of movies featuring Tom Cody, and it's a shame he never got to make more. Regardless, it's still a 1980s classic that has aged remarkably well and deserves its cult status.

SCORE: 8/10