Movie review time!
“Streets of Fire” (1984)
Underrated. Yes, the acting is forced, the lines are flat, the sets limited, but it makes up for it by being awesome. It’s more of a modern Western than anything.
Cody is a man’s man, hard as nails. Once he wins over his girl and sleeps with her, he convinces her they are getting out of Dodge. On the train out of town, he sucker punches her out cold, leaves her with someone he can trust, and heads back to take out the black hat, played by a young Willem Dafoe. Dafoe is also an underrated actor — he’s good in anything he does, but doesn’t get the hype he deserves.
Rick Moranis plays the music manager, a hustler and opportunistic fast talker. His character changes a little at the end, but there’s no lead up to it; it just comes out of the blue.
The opening song, “Nowhere Fast”, is amazing. Lyrics, music, singer, a young Diane Lane lip-syncing, it’s all just incredible. There are other songs in the show, but none nearly as good as the opening, even thought the last song comes close.
Cody leaves Ellen at the end, because he’s no simp. Got the girl, saved the day, and is off to find his next adventure.
The movie bombed, which is a shame. It’s one of those “ahead of its time” movies, yet still quintessentially 80s.
Here’s “Nowhere Fast”:
The movie influenced even the Japanese.
Here’s the opening song to the series “Bubblegum Crisis”, released in 1987, “Konya wa Hurricane” (There’s a Hurricane Tonight):
(Digression. Until the excellent “Cyberpunk: Edgerunners” came out, “Bubble Crisis” was one of the most cyberpunk series out there, right up with “Ghost in the Shell” and “Serial Experiments Lain”.)
I recommend this flawed but entertaining gem of a show.
A for music for style, B- for execution.
Diane Lane AND a sledgehammer fight? This is the Citizen Kane of pseudo-Western/1940’s/punk films. A classic.
I love the motorcycles of the Bombers , all flat black and business like and Raven’s stripped down generator shovelhead is cool as f##k. The dialogue is gritty and sarcastic and the final showdown rivals any of the better western movies.
I was in school when this movie came out. All the other boys wanted to be like Stallone (Rambo), Schwarzenegger or Norris (Colonel Braddock). I wanted to be like Michael Pare (Tom Cody), because that is what a hero looks like to me.
“A classic.”
And one that doesn’t get nearly enough praise.
Tannhauser, “rival” is a strong word, but it’s certainly up there!
Alex Lund, I loved those other guys growing up, but Cody is more down-to-earth and feels more real in a lot of ways to those others.