christopher-underwood It's a very simple little story, I don't particularly like Michael Pare, Diane Lane & Rick Moranis in the lead roles or the 80's music BUT this is one hell of a tight and fast moving tale, catching its own reflection in the neon drenched puddles as it goes. Fantastic set design and a sure camera draw one into this near apocalyptic vision as the streets burn and that music roars away like some death rattle. Amy Madigan is very good as potential sidekick to Pare (the part was written for a guy and apparently the film was the first of a proposed trilogy - abandoned when this visionary, ahead of its time movie flopped) and Willem Dafoe as good as ever despite a rotten costume. Influential and highly underrated.

idontneedyourjunk Set in 50's Chicago, it's a story of a singer who is kidnapped by a biker gang off a stage in the middle of her concert in front of a thousand people. They almost break into a tap-dancing scene, but don't.Naturally, the police are hopeless, so the current boyfriend (her manager) hires the ex-boyfriend to go rescue her for $10,000, because of course you do. Note, he only gets hired after her sister gets him back in town, which she does by WRITING HIM A LETTER. HOW LONG WAS THIS GIRL IN CAPTIVITY FOR?Armed with a shotgun that's accurate as a sniper rifle, he takes out the gang and rescues her, and naturally they all head back to the exact same place where she got kidnapped, because the gang, who are hunting them, will never suspect that. They almost break out in song, but don't.But the ex doesn't want her in harms way when the bikers come for revenge, so he punches her in the face knocking her out, because of course that's what you do, and tells the sidekick to get her out of town.The biker gang turn up for revenge, so it's a one-on-one fight between the ex and the biker leader. 3 minutes later the girl turns up, so what was the point in punching her in the face? The perfect time for the big dance number, but it got cut.She wants to get back with the ex but he thinks the emotionally abusive band manager is better for her, so he leaves. The end.Paxton plays the part of bartender, who gets knocked out twice (once by the bad guys when he tries to save the girl, once by the sidekick who then steals a bottle of tequila from his bar), but rallies the town at the end to arm up and defend themselves from the biker gang. He's the real hero.Starring Kathy Griffin, as uncredited person in the crowdOlivia Brown, her 2 lines "Can I help you? {Coffee.} "Cream or sugar?", then gets on Miami Vice for 111 episodesMarine Jahan, a dancer in a bar, the dancing body double for Jennifer Beals in FlashdanceElixabeth Daily, as random on the street who sort of just tags along because why not when you're being hunted by a biker gang, you know her voice as Buttercup (Powerpuff Girls) and Tommy Pickles (Rugrats)Mykelti Williamson as a harmony singer (needs his insulin in Con Air and "You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo...")Rick Rossovich (previously in The Lords of Discipline with Paxton) Deborah Van Valkenburgh, I mention her only because she's been in The Warriors, one of the best movies everWillem Dafoe, who plays the leader of the biker gang wearing shiny latex overalls. All. The. Time. If you thought his Green Goblin was over the top, you haven't seen nothing yet.Rick Moranis, the unfunny versionDiane Lane aka Martha Kent from the Batman moviesMichael Pare, this was going to be his big break, this was supposed to be a trilogy, but it bombed. Oh well, he's still got The Greatest American Hero

dougdoepke Story-wise the movie's a mess; visually it's sometimes striking. Couching the events as a "fable" was a wise move since that can rationalize the general lack of coherence. Seems cool tough guy Cody is hired by promoter Billy to rescue his former flame and popular singer Ellen from motorcycle gang who's kidnapped her. Along the way, he enlists tough gal McCoy who proves a big help.So why do the producers background events with styles and autos from the 1950's. I guess that's just part of the fable. For me the ducktail hair style and old Studebakers are nostalgic, but may do nothing for younger viewers. Too bad lead actor Pare appears to walk through the part, lending his Cody character nothing apart from the script. Instead, it's Madigan's butchy ex-soldier who manages to rivet some interest. And, of course, Dafoe gets to contort his features into a comic book like villain. In fact, the movie's flash and machine-gun pacing come across more like a comic book effect than anything else. Put a Spiderman's costume on Pare and the movie would morph easily into one of today's comic book epics.I'm not surprised the movie didn't do well at the box office (IMDB). There's some pizazz and flash, but the effects failed as a whole catch on with the teenage crowd, its natural constituency. Needless to say, the goulash is not a movie for all tastes, but for those fans of mainly visual effects, it may fit the bill.

zardoz-13 "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.