Streets of Fire
1984 Directed by Walter Hill
Synopsis
Tonight is what it means to be young.
Michael Paré plays a biker who agrees to rescue his ex-girlfriend (a rocker played by Diane Lane) from kidnappers (led by Willem Dafoe). The ensuing battle against a nocturnal background of industrial blight, chrome, and loud music is like some fever dream of a Springsteen fan who listened to the song "Born to Run" far too often. The audacity of the film carries it a long way even after it becomes clear that Hill's experiment is crumbling under its own weight. Dafoe, who looked even spookier back then than he does now, is memorable, as are Amy Madigan and Rick Moranis. Music is by Ry Cooder, with an appearance by the Blasters.
Cast
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You wouldn't think Walter Hill would be a great fit for an 80s quasi-musical but what's really amazing is how unmistakable his imprint on this is. There's the electric blues score from Ry Cooder, stripped-to-the-bone dialogue, characters who go from not being able to stand each other to not being able to stand each other but with a grudging respect, a tight and exciting "men (and women) on a mission" plot, and plenty of fights and shootouts.
And it's pretty great, with a wonderful neon backlot visual style that one-ups The Warriors' comic book visuals by a substantial margin (just look at the opening shot of a neon marquee being reflected in the street - it's like a Street of Fire!). The only problem here is the songs, which unless I'm mistaken are without exception forgettable 80s faux-arena-rock bullshit. I guess they can't all be Dragon Sound.
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Michael Pare is the kind of guy who is too cool to sit down on the train. When it's empty. He comes back to his home town after his ex-girlfriend (Diane Lane) is kidnapped halfway through a concert by a sort of goth-looking, leather dungaree wearing Willem Defoe and his gang of nutters. Her manager (Rick Moranis, stating regularly that things are "the shits") and a female drifter (Amy Madigan) come along for the ride.
This film's....well, what the hell is it? Because it's not quite the 1980s cheesy actioner that I expected it to be. Most of the people dress and act like it's the 1950s, half the music sounds like it's from that period, and Rick Moranis is…
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It's not that uncommon for the work of one dedicated artist to redeem an otherwise lousy movie. A director's unique vision can transform studio dreck into something interesting. An actor's performance can elevate a crappy script into something grand. A cinematographer can make the ordinary look beautiful, or a composer can make the quotidian seem epic. But it's a rare thing indeed when a production designer single-handedly makes a subpar movie worth watching. John Vallone is one such production designer, and Streets of Fire is one such film.
Set in a sideways history where the cars, music, and fashion of the 1950s carried on into the 1980s, the film gives us the story of drifter (Michael Paré) summoned back to…
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For what it is, an ultra-cheesy 50s/80s inspired dystopia-light with cringeworthy acting, it's actually a lot of fun. Did that make any sense?
Pare is the worst of the bunch, but he's cool and good-looking enough to sort of get away with it. As for the other characters, you're not meant to get to know them, they are what you see. And what you see is pretty awesome: Willem Dafoe in full weirdo mode, Rick Moranis as a bitchy promotor, Amy Madigan being badass, Ed Begle trying to top Dafoes weirdness, Mykelti Williamson and that henchman from Licence to Kill in an a capella group, evrything on the set getting blown up, 50s bands playing Meatloafy music, Bill Paxton as… -
A rock concert goes to shit when a gang of bikers kidnap the singer mid-performance. A grumpy violent loner has to punch and shoot people to get her back. Rick Moranis helps a bit. Streets of Fire is the balls.
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Oh! My! God!
Alex Cox? Are you somewhere around here?
Let's have some shots and watch "Streets of Fire"!
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I en merkelig verden blir sangerinnen Ellen Aim (Diane Lane) kidnappet under hennes egen konsert av en motorsykkelgjeng som herjer i byen. Ut fra intet dukker hennes eks-kjæreste Tom Cody (Michael Paré) opp, og han skal selvfølgelig befri henne fra kjeltringene. Med seg på laget får han McCoy (Amy Madigan) og Ellens manager Billy Fish (Rick Moranis).
Dette er en litt merkelig film som jeg fant etter å ha blitt "anbefalt" den av popquiz-general Finn Bjelke. En kveld etter at han sa han hadde kommet hjem fra fest, hadde denne filmen gått på en av kanalene som nattfilm, og der hadde han sittet og kost seg. Både med filmen og ikke minst musikken.
Filmen er det jeg vil kalle god…
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I would have given this 3 Stars, but with my Diane Lane crush firmly in place here, it gets bumped up to 3.5 Stars.
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The opening 16 minutes (which is how long it takes to get "Directed by Walter Hill" to appear) is the definition of virtuoso filmmaking.
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Walter Hill has always been a director I felt I could trust to deliver an action packed, fun film until I watched Streets on Fire. After the first 15 minutes I didn't think I'd have anything to worry about but ironically for a film called Streets of Fire, it never really ignites after this early promise. My main problem is with the casting, Michael Paré is a leading man who can't act, not in that awkwardly endearing Arnie way but in a way that makes it sound like he's delivering every single line like he was reading a bedtime story to his kid. I also couldn't buy Rick Moranis as a slick, successful music promoter and every time he tried to deliver a macho or authoritive line with conviction, it fell horribly flat. Willem Dafoe does his best but unfortunately he can't keep this afloat on his own.
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You've never seen anything like "Streets of Fire." Part rock ballad, part action movie, this has Walter Hill written all over it. Check this one out. You won't regret it.
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This super slick movie is one hell of a ride. Set in a unique world of desolation, freaks & greasers and awesome quip dialogue had me engrossed from its opening credits right to its ultimate showdown. Plus who wouldn’t want to see Willam Dafoe sporting a black leather lederhosen!
Plus look at that awesome poster... Look at it!!
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Not the greatest film, not the worst film, but the soundtrack is amazing. The look, the feel, and the editing are also top-notch and I can't get enough of it... And come on, axe fight... Which comes up again in Hill's "Bullet To The Head".
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What a strange picture! It's set in a retro/futuristic world that mixes the 50's/80's in a delightful way. I had a complete ball watching this picture. It's pulpiness really appealed me. I realize most people would probably watch this picture and think its cheesy, but I found it very charming.
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Animated comic book featuring a quasi-Western-style hero spouting dumbed-down noir dialogue while battling hordes of greaser bikers on the disused ruin of a studio set. Willem Dafoe is a monster.