A Brilliant Conflict

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

A box office bomb at the time of it's release, and as flawed of a film as it is, it's one that's always stuck with me. With the subtitle "A Rock & Roll Fable," this film tells the story of singer Diane Lane returning to her hometown for one performance, only to be kidnapped by Willem Defoe's biker gang. That's when Deborah Van Valkenburgh sends a wire to Lane's old flame, her brother, Michael Pare as Tom Cody, a mercenary for hire, shows up from parts unknown to rescue her. It's the type of stripped down, no-nonsense story that writer/director Walter Hill ("The Driver," "Southern Comfort," "Undisputed," etc.) excelles at, but what made this film so memorable for me was stylized setting and genre mashup, mixing elements of action, musical, and juvenile delinquent films. I remember Hill saying he was trying to make the type of film he would have loved at a kid. The film features cars, fashions, music, and locations that look straight out of "Blackboard Jungle" or "The Cool and the Crazy," but with a neon soaked 1980s twist. In many ways, "Streets of Fire" feels like a stylized extension of Hill's earlier film "The Warriors," which at once felt gritty and realistic while also had an unreal aspect to it. "Streets of Fire" takes the visual stylistics of "The Warriors" to the next level, but instead of a Homeric Odyssey, this film is more of a fairy tale with greasers. 18-year old Diane Lane, in what was probably her first glamorous adult role, is amazing as Ellen Aim. She's strong, gorgeous, and overcomes Hill's usual misogyny. Her singing had to be dubbed, but she looks great on stage during the musical numbers. Incidentally, Stevie Nicks wrote all of the Ellen Aims songs. The villain of the picture, Willem Dafoe as biker gang leader Raven Shaddock, without question steals the movie and every scene he's in. At this point in his career, Dafoe was a complete unknown and his only lead role was Katherine Bigelow's little seen "The Loveless" (where he also played a bike gang leader), but it's so clear from his performance, even when playing what's essentially a comic book villain, he's a talent to be reckoned with. It's also a lot of fun that Dafoe's sidekick/number two/lead henchmen is played by Lee Ving, the harsh voiced lead singer for the seminal punk band FEAR. There's also a early appearance by Robert Townsend as a backup singer. Which brings us to the films major weakness, which is a laconic and lifeless performance by Michael Pare in the lead. Pare looks the part, tall, dark, handsome, but lacks the charisma to pull off a hero the film needed. When we needed a Steve McQueen or a James Dean, we end up with a Tab Hunter or a Troy Donahue. Pare is not terrible, but he's not what the film needed. Still, the music, the 50s/80s production design, the strong cast (minus Pare), and that awesome climactic sledgehammer fight are terrific and enough to make this film something of a minor classic in my mind. Overall, this hybrid musical/comic book/1950s juvenile diligent picture/action film somehow manages to overcome it's shortcomings to remain worth watching and deserving of cult status. And if you needed to know, as I finish writing this review, I now have "I Can Dream About You" stuck in my head. FUN FACT! A low budget unofficial sequel called "Road to Hell" was made in 2008 with Pare not as Tom Cody, but as Cody, and Valkenburgh playing "Sister," and the Ellen Aim character now called Ellen Dream. Hill has no involvement in this spiritual sequel, but he had originally planned for there being a series of Tom Cody stories (a plan that was scuttled after the film's disappointing box office returns).

Streets of FireThe best thing about being judge, jury and executioner is the three paychecks.Mind you, the merc in this action-musical is getting revenge pro bono.The head of a local gang (Willem Dafoe) kidnaps the singer (Diane Lane) of a new wave band at the exact time her solider-of-fortune ex-boyfriend (Michael Paré) returns home.To retrieve her, he must team with her new boyfriend (Rick Moranis) and another mercenary (Amy Madigan). But freeing the songstress is only half of the battle as a hammer fight is the only conclusion.A stylish blend of 1950s aesthetic and 1980s music, this cult hit from the ladder time period is in a class of its own. But a notable soundtrack and an indistinct era isn't enough to save the dull lead or the script's comic-bookish narrative.Furthermore, if you did blend the '50s with the '80s you would get McCarthyists with feathered bangs.Yellow Lightvidiotreviews.blogspot.ca

A mercenary (Michael Pare) is hired to rescue his ex-girlfriend (Diane Lane), a singer who has been kidnapped by a motorcycle gang.This film has the word "cult" stamped all over it. Set in "another time, another place"... which is basically the 1980s mixed with the 1950s, with stranger outfits and hair. I mean, really, what is going on with Willem Dafoe's wardrobe -- he looks like a fisherman who got a makeover at a gay bar.The film excels in many ways, with good music and many stars at the beginning of their career, including Dafoe and Bill Paxton. Michael Pare was probably peaking around this time, with all due respect to him. And then Rick Moranis... he probably gets more screen time here than anywhere outside of the "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" franchise.

While Walter Hill is mostly known for his 1979 cult classic "The Warriors", the director does deliver an entertaining follow-up and more rock and roll- inspired tale of a former Army vet who goes to rescue his former lover from a biker gang with the help of an oddball cast of characters. The film's acting is not the greatest, but is not horrendously unwatchable. Michael Pare is the film's hero, Tom Cody, a bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks who is called back to New York by his sister when his ex- girlfriend is kidnapped by a local gang. Pare is not too convincing as the good guy as his line delivery falls flat and seems to want to be the bad boy by trying too hard to sound tough. His chemistry with fellow actors, Amy Madigan, Diane Lane and Rick Moranis range from relatively interesting with Madigan's McCoy to lackluster romance with Lane's Ellen Aim and downright dislike through the whole film with Moranis (it was publicly acknowledged by the other actors and crew that Rick Moranis was not a pleasure to work with on the film). Actress Diane Lane is sadly reduced to a minor role as singer Ellen Aim, the damsel in need of rescue. The actress is not terrible, but she is uninteresting and given little exposition as to where she is from and how she became famous, but luckily we know that Ellen and Tom's past history and why they are stand-offish with each other. Lane would be nominated for a Razzie, but didn't win and her career has given her better roles where Lane has played stronger females.Playing Ellen's manager and current lover (which is gone by the time she is rescued by Tom, McCoy and her manager), Billy Fish, is a woefully miscast Rick Moranis. The comedian is out of his element as he is mostly frustrating and annoying displaying a bad attitude throughout the film. Moranis claimed he didn't enjoy filming since he was not allowed to improvise on-set, but to be make a point the film is not a comedy, it's an action-drama. If an actor who was better suited to playing this role in an action setting, maybe the Billy Fish character would've had more substance, but it doesn't mesh with Moranis's unenthusiastic performance. Amy Madigan is a highlight of the film as the street-smart and gung-ho sidekick, McCoy. Originally written as a male character who would not been nearly as tough, when Madigan auditioned for the role of Reva Cody (losing out on the part) she did convince director Walter Hill to re-write McCoy as a female, which paid off. McCoy is a fun character that can hold her own and spouts sharp quips all with an attitude that sets her apart from the rest of the group. A special mention of a good acting debut goes out to Willem Dafoe who plays the film's villain, Raven Shaddock. While the Wisconsin-born native had minor roles in other films prior to "Streets of Fire" the future A-lister made his significant leading man debut in this action-drama. While we never get to know much about Raven or his background, Dafoe immediately makes an impression as he oozes a sinister yet charmingly vicious biker's persona. The actor is equal parts charismatic and dangerous as he calculates each move to take down the ragtag heroes and reclaim his prize after Ellen is rescued from Raven's clutches.The script is trademark for a Walter Hill film with original characters, a fun though at times silly story and a fable-like quality. While rife with clichés a plenty such as the pretty girl needs rescuing by her former boyfriend and a climactic showdown before the hero and villain, the narrative does a sense of fun and maintains a popcorn action-drama vibe that will hold interest. The cinematography of New York is not nearly as expansive as Hill shot "The Warriors" which went all over the city, but the limited locales the director uses keeps the city as a character just like his cult classic.Overall a fun action romp that will appeal to anyone.