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Michael Paré, Diane Lane, Rick Moranis, Amy Madigan, Willem Dafoe ... see more see more... , Deborah Van Valkenburgh , Richard Lawson , Rick Rossovich , Bill Paxton , Lee Ving , Stoney Jackson , Grand L. Bush , Robert Townsend , Elizabeth Daily , Lynne Thigpen , Marine Jahan , Ed Begley Jr , Lee Allen , The Blasters , Olivia Brown , Vince Deadrick Jr. , John Hateley , Peter Jason , John Dennis Johnston , Paul Lane , Bernie Pock , Michael Rooker , Mykelti Williamson , Dave Alvin , Bill Bateman , John Bazz , Paul Mones , Spiro Razatos , Jeff Smolek , Richard Rimo Moreno , Kip Waldo , Rock Walker , Angelo , Antonie Becker , Matthew Laurance

More like a series of MTV sequences than a long-term narration, this super-thin story line focuses on a kidnapped singer (Diane Lane) and her ex-boyfriend (Michael Pare) who goes forth to save her thr... read more read more...ough rainy streets, the roar of elevated subways, several alleys, and the usual warehouses. Each thrust of the story has rock music that follows along with the narration. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Flixster Users

69% liked it

7,861 ratings

Critics

60% liked it

20 critics

PG, 1 hr. 34 min.

Directed by: Walter Hill

Release Date: June 1, 1984

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DVD Release Date: July 21, 1998

Stats: 629 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (629)

  • phubbs1
    June 4, 2011
    phubbs1
    Very strange mix of 50's noir, musical and light hearted soft action which didn't really work for me, I was rather surprised as its a Hill production I expected a kick ass adult action flick but instead you get this curious blend which comes off like a high budget TV film. Great ... read morecasting with allot of big names that weren't back then of course...Paxton with a dubious haircut, Moranis trying to be a tough guy and failing miserably, Pare being a plank of wood with his deliveries and Dafoe looking worryingly gay in his shiny black PVC outfits. The whole thing is pretty lame really and the dialog is laughable not to mention the acting from everyone, plot is stupid and pointless but it does look ok with all the old cars and dingy looking sets.
  • cancercapricorn2002
    March 24, 2011
    cancercapricorn2002
    Sexy rock & roll singer Ellen Aim (Diane Lane) is kidnapped by a blood thirsty gang of bikers, the Bombers (led by Willem Dafoe). Her ex-boyfriend, tough guy Tom Cody (Michael Pare of "Eddie & The Cruisers") is summoned to rescue her and, by extension, the nameless retro 50s-meet... read mores-80s city being torn apart by the Bombers. Tom's only help - Billy Fish (Rick Moranis), Ellen's mean spirited jerk of a manager/current boyfriend, and a mouthy ex-soldier named McCoy (Amy Madigan).

    With its title inspired by a Bruce Springsteen song, "Streets of Fire" was meant to be the first in a trilogy of films based around the character of Tom Cody, whom director Walter Hill had apparently hoped to mold into the Man With No Name for the 1980s. Unfortunately, released in the same year that saw such blockbuster hits as Beverly Hills Cop, Indiana Jones & The Temple of Doom, and Ghostbusters, "Streets of Fire" received very little attention from audiences, and was apparently not well liked by critics either, and did poorly at the box office. In the long run, Diane Lane eventually rebounded and has been especially popular in more recent years, while pretty much all the supporting cast members (including Bill Paxton) continued to work steadily over the years. Sadly, the film's leading man, Michael Pare, never rebounded and spent most of his career making low grade B-pictures. A tragic waste of a fine actor who could have been a star.

    As for the film itself, it's very entertaining in a style over substance sort of way. The plot is paper thin and so are pretty much all the characters (Tom Cody definitely doesn't have the same compelling aura around him that mystery man Eddie Wilson, Pare's character of "Eddie & The Cruisers" had; presumably he would evolved as a character had there been sequels, but that of course did not happen), but the stylish atmosphere, engaging action scenes and pulsating soundtrack are the real stars of the film,
  • kenstachnik
    February 26, 2011
    kenstachnik
    How is this movie not talked about more? This is totally the corpse EVERYONE picks from. Imagine Star Wars, but starring Han Solo, set in the world of The Warriors with a supporting cast of Rick Moranis, Willem Dafoe, Bill Paxton and a SMOKING HOT Diane Lane.
  • ajv2688
    January 17, 2011
    ajv2688
    I really liked this movie, it has a great combination of different genres, great actors, an interesting story, and a lot of action. I highly recommend it.
  • Lemure
    April 21, 2012
    Lemure
    The dialogue is shit, and the plot is wafer-thin. On the other hand, the music is great and the editing is fantastic. It's a 90 minute music video.
  • threefolddado
    August 13, 2007
    threefolddado
    Influential in its look and stylish direction, but slim on actual story.
  • rickrudge
    April 18, 2012
    rickrudge
    Streets of Fire (1984)

    I'm not a big fan of musicals (you know people all of a sudden, breaking into song) and this movie has a lot of singing and dancing in it, but it's not exactly what I would call a musical. It's a rock-n-roll fable.

    It's a weird mix of action, drama, come... read moredy, and music ala MTV. Directed by Walter Hill, so you know that you're going to get a lot of Ry Cooder's slide guitar in the sound track. It's sort of placed in the 50's so it's going to have some rock-n-roll, but it's a film from the 80s, so it also has a lot of 80's style music.

    Teenage heart throb singer, Ellen Aim (Diane Lane) is kidnapped by a motorcycle gang led by Raven (William Defoe) and Reva (Deborah Van Valkenburgh) contacts her brother, Tom Cody (Michael Paré) to come to her rescue. Ellen used to be Tom's girl until she made it big in show business, with the help of her manager, Billy Fish (Rick Moranis), but Tom wasn't going to be Ellen's roady.

    Joined by a fellow army vet, McCoy (Amy Madigan) they set out to recover Ellen from her captors. It's an interesting movie of the time that has a cult following.
  • The80sExpert
    December 8, 2010
    The80sExpert
    Strangely good, that's how I'd describe this movie. This films has a strange combination of genre conventions packed into it, it has elements of biker movies, action movies, westerns, romance, musical, comedy, drama, and even sci-fi. The story is set in a world where rock and r... read moreoll is one of the most important things in life, a world that you could only create by taking 80s actors and transporting them to a set built in the 50s and then letting them run wild with their characters without telling them what time period it is. I mean, it seems like they're supposed to be in the 50s, but the film makers keep forgetting or something. This actually created a new world which actually works, and has a cool style. The songs are really good too. As weird as this movie was I actually really enjoyed it in the end.
  • kingmob6
    November 14, 2009
    kingmob6
    A strange hybrid of music and period settings makes for an interesting watch, but I'll be damned if it didn't fish me in completely.

    Walter Hill directs another Warriors-esque film, set around the music industry of a depressed city, with our heroes trying to get home safe throug... read moreh hostile territory. Young Diane Lane looks great, and Michael Pare delivers his film noir-ish lines like a young Stallone, it's a fun mix.

    Give it a rental at the very least.
  • DarthBetty
    July 31, 2009
    DarthBetty
    Full of suck. It doesn't matter how awesomely creepy Willem DeFoe is. This movie is full..of...suck.

View All Streets of Fire Reviews

Critic Reviews

Michael A. Smith
March 25, 2007
Michael A. Smith, Nolan's Pop Culture Review

Where have you gone, Michael Pare'? I really enjoyed this.

Chuck O'Leary
September 27, 2005
Chuck O'Leary, Fantastica Daily

A typically interesting effort from the vastly underrated Walter Hill that's improved with age.

Michael E. Grost
August 13, 2005
Michael E. Grost, Classic Film and Television

SF musical biker hybrid - well done

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
August 21, 2004
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

All sound and fury signify nothing.

Eric Lurio
December 12, 2003
Eric Lurio, Greenwich Village Gazette

The first feature-length music video and not a very good one at that

Nell Minow
August 23, 2003
Nell Minow, Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies

Unsuccessful, but very striking.

Widgett Walls
October 21, 2002
Widgett Walls, Needcoffee.com

Ah, a classic hyperbolic rock-fueled action movie. The pinnacle of 80s guilty pleasure cinema.

October 18, 2008
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Roger Ebert
October 23, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Janet Maslin
May 20, 2003
Janet Maslin, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Streets of Fire Trivia

  • name this 1984 movie based on the audio clip song  Answer »
  • Which actor/actress links the movies "Eddie and the Cruisers", "The Philadelphia Experiment", "Streets of Fire", "The Virgin Suicides" and "Inland Empire"?  Answer »
  • What actor ties Streets of Fire to Top Gun?  Answer »
  • Arthur Penn directed all these movies except.....  Answer »
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