Streets Of Fire (1984) 32 Years Later In-Depth Movie Review

There is a video version of this review HERE

“Streets of Fire” Directed by Walter Hill was released in 1984 and tells the story of a lone mercenary that comes back to his hometown to rescue his ex-girlfriend kidnapped by a dangerous gang. It stars Diane Lane, Willem Dafoe, Rick Moranis and Michael Paré in the lead role as Tom Cody.

“Streets of Fire”’s biggest success is its soundtrack which contains very recognizable songs like “Nowhere Fast”. Still very popular today, over 30 years later. I think a lot of people don’t even know that song belongs to a film’s soundtrack. The film actually opens with that song and it opens beautifully. We meet Ellen Aim a famous singer as she gives a concert in her hometown. A dangerous gang lead by Willem Dafoe’s character, Raven, crashes the concert and kidnaps her. Tom Cody, Ellen’s ex-boyfriend is called by his sister Reva to come help get her back. He agrees to it after accepting payment from Ellen’s current boyfriend and manager Billy Fish played by Rick Moranis. An obvious plot ensues and the film delivers what it set out to deliver. The classic damsel in distress setup with a few twists and turns.

However, there is a lot more to “Streets of Fire” than it’s great soundtrack and fairly simple storyline. “Streets of Fire” shines in execution. I think it’s quite a unique film and definitely something you don’t see very often. It embraces its clichés and it does it in a very competent and conscious way. It knows exactly what it is and what it’s aiming for. And with this in mind I think “Streets of Fire” is a remarkable achievement. From start to finish you are presented with a very polished product.

The most noticeable quality in this film for me is the editing. It’s actually one of the reasons that lead me to write this review. The editing in this film is perfect and amazing to watch and it’s very apparent right from the get go. The opening sequence that includes the concert, the kidnapping of Ellen and the opening credits sequence is mind-blowing. A perfect match between picture, music and sound. Same can be said about that final showdown fight between Cody and Raven. Great, great editing.

Another thing that stands out for me is the production design and the costume design. “Streets of Fire” is supposed to be timeless. You don’t ever know when or where this story is taking place. So what you get is an interesting blend of different time periods. You get some obvious 80’s looks here and there but you also get a lot of 50’s stuff thrown in the mix. The costumes are very stylized and they mix up and blend seamlessly. The cars and sets seem to be merging those two decades as well. You couldn’t tell this film is 32 years old if you didn’t know better. It is in fact timeless in my opinion. You don’t feel it’s an 80s movie, the only thing giving it away is the soundtrack because of its popularity. People know those songs from the 80s but that’s about it. If you remove the soundtrack “Streets of Fire” could have been made last year. And that’s why I think this is a film that works. It’s very creative and very competent. The directing is very solid, the editing is fabulous and the acting is exactly what it needs to be. Cliché driven just like the plot demands.

Michale Paré delivers a very generic bad boy persona that just works and is what the film needs. Diane Lane is the damsel in distress from start to finish. Vulnerable and fragile and she is absolutely gorgeous in this film. Rick Moranis is extremely fun to watch, constantly over the top with his lines and as it should be. He shows a lot of range as an actor especially if you contrast this with his work in “Ghostbusters” which also came out the same year. Someone I didn’t’ mention before is Amy Madigan, she plays Cody’s sidekick and she is a delight to watch. An extremely fun and driven character and Amy Madigan embodies it perfectly. You can also spot a very young Bill Paxton being all Bill Paxton in his early days. Always a pleasure.

To sum it up, “Streets of Fire” is a great film and definitely worth a watch if you haven’t seen it yet. You might only know the songs and not the film and if that is the case, you are missing out. The film doesn’t intend to be anything more than it is and that is worth mentioning. As I said before it’s a very polished product that knows exactly what it is and where it’s going. It’s not as easy to achieve as one might think. It’s a great film to just sit back and enjoy. It won’t make you think but it will probably make you start dancing in the living-room before you know it. Enjoy the cheesy one-liners, the all round over the top romance and action and sing along the joyride this film actually is.