Streets of Fire

This thing reads like Phantom Of The Paradise meets The Warriors except set in a weird 1950’s Rock n’ Roll dystopian alternate universe! So…don’t you really wanna see it!?!

LOW BUDGET; BUT YOU SURE GET A BANG FOR YOUR BUCK.

"Streets of Fire" is described as a "Rock N' Roll Fable". The story is so simple, it could be the opening cut scene to an 8-Bit video game. There is a beautiful singer in the club. An evil biker played by Williem Defoe comes and steals the woman. The sister writes to our hero, Tom Cody, to come and get the singer back. That's the conflict, save the princess from the biker gang. The movie has a really compelling opening with a distinct style and flair. The opening title says this takes place: "At another time, at another place." The setting of this movie is more interesting than the characters themselves. The whole town is constantly bathed in neon lights and wet streets. Smoke comes out of every alleyway; it feels like a Lazer-tag match is about to break out. The music which plays a big part in this "Rock n' Roll Fable" is suitably rocking. There are a lot of great original songs produced for the movie, some of which are written by the guy that brought us "Total Eclipse of the Heart". The setting, music and intro are all top notch. Too bad the rest of the movie does not hold up to that standard of excellence. Or main hero, Tom Cody, is a dull as a plank of wood. He has one emotion, and even that one note he does not play well. He sounds like he is trying to do a Stallone impression but lacks the confidence to go all out on it. Apparently the role was considered for Tom Cruise, and he would have been a much better fit for this role. All the casting feels a bit off. Rick Moranis's script was likely just one word: "complain". That is all his character does, he whines about every decision the characters make. At a certain point you ask, "why was he even brought along?" I guess MapQuest doesn't exist in "another time, another place." Everyone except for Williem Defoe seems to be confused about what the director wants from them. Williem Defoe looks like the devil in this movie, he is doing great. Except for one scene where it sounds like he is trying a Southern Accent. That didn't work, so he stops using it part way through the movie. The fight scenes in the movie are not well choreographed. Just a series of quick jump cuts spliced together. The other action has some cool bits, particularly anything involving fire. But overall the spectacle is short lived. It is fire made from sagebrush, burns bright for a moment, but quickly fizzles out.

An ambitious and highly stylized action musical. Hill really committed to the world building here (sets, costumes, and dialogue all add to the atmosphere) and the result is downright hypnotic. A real shame we never got to see the full trilogy they planned.

I saw this film in theaters in 1984. It has become over the years, one of if not, my favorite movie. As I watch it again and again through older and older eyes, it still brings out the toxiciIy masculine hero in my soul and I realize I never wanted to live in a world where Tom Cody doesn't rescue Ellen Aim and walk away.

Love this movie. Big, goofy, over the top fun. The music is off the charts, and Diane Lane!!!

It's like the 1940s/1950s never ended. If only they had gotten someone other than Michael Pare... fortunately, the rest of the cast are great.

All that works is the music but the music is fantastic.

This is a fun movie loaded with great performances from terrific stars! The soundtrack is amazing!

Viejita pero buena,love that 1950's films,it is a good plot,good actors,excellent soundtrack,almost all top 40 a good mix