A rock and roll fable doesn’t sound like the type of flick I would normally watch, but when names like Michael Paré (Bad Moon), Willem Dafoe, the smoking hot Diane Lane and Walter Hill (The Warriors) pop up in the description for the film, I’m going to check it out. Thank god I did, as Streets of Fire is a fantastic movie, with a rocking soundtrack, a fast-paced action story with hints of a western and did I mention the smoking hot Diane Lane?
At first, I thought Streets of Fire was going to be a musical, but it isn’t a musical, but a movie with some song numbers intermixed with a thrilling score by Ry Cooder and a highly enjoyable action tale. Michael Pare plays the lone gunman who comes home to clean up his town from the likes of a very young looking Willem Dafoe, who has kidnapped his ex-girlfriend. He teams up with a ragtag group of individuals (Rick Moranis sounds weird to me when he doesn’t talk like he does in Ghostbusters) and enacts his plan to get the girl and clean the streets.
Now, take that story and throw in a bunch of awesome songs, very cool setpieces and a look that is like the 50’s and 80’s had a baby. Streets of Fire is a film that deserves to be checked out by everyone.
Thankfully, now everyone can easily watch the movie cause Shout! Factory has released Streets of Fire on a two-disc Blu-ray set with a stellar 2K transfer, a pumping 5.1/2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio selection and a heaping amount of special features. Not one, but two feature-length documentaries are on the second disc. The first feature is a newly shot making of featuring a bunch of interviews with certain cast and crew members but does lack interviews with Diane Lane and Willem Dafoe. The second feature length documentary is an older one that first appeared on Blu-ray and DVDs overseas, and it interviews Walter Hill, Michael Paré, Amy Madigan and Art Director James Allen. Also included on the disc is vintage featurettes, music videos (Nowhere Fast and I Can Dream About You), trailers, radio spots and a 10 minute Still Gallery.
Now a critique of the film wouldn’t be complete without a few negative things to sling at this awesome film. Honestly, the only thing I can think of is that the acting can come off as hokey at times. There are a few scenes here and there that look like the actors are reading their lines and trying their hardest not to emote. Seemed odd considering how great they are the rest of the time. Also, Bill Paxton is sorely wasted in this movie, save for a hilarious moment at the end of the film.
I wasn’t sure how I was going to react to watching Streets of Fire, but as soon as the opening song Nowhere Fast started blaring through my speakers and I saw the incredibly stylistic look of the film, I began to smile from ear to ear. I didn’t stop smiling until the end credits started rolling.
Streets of Fire from Shout! Factory is most definitely worth picking up.
*Note* Screenshots are not from Blu-ray as they were not available at the time of review.
BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES
DISC ONE:
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- NEW 2K Scan Of The Interpositive
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DISC TWO:
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- NEW SHOTGUNS & SIX STRINGS: The Making Of A Rock N Roll Fable – A Feature-Length Documentary Featuring Interviews With Director/Co-writer Walter Hill, Producer Lawrence Gordon, Actors Michael Paré, Deborah Van Valkenburgh, Richard Lawson, Elizabeth Daily, Lee Ving, Screenwriter Larry Gross, Editor Freeman Davies, Associate Producer Mae Woods, Art Director James Allen, Costume Designer Marilyn Vance, Assistant Director David Sosna, Choreographer Jeffrey Hornaday, Sound Editor Richard Anderson, Music Producer Kenny Vance And Many More…
- RUMBLE ON THE LOT: Walter Hill’s Streets Of Fire Revisited – A Feature-Length Documentary Featuring Interviews With Director/Co-writer Walter Hill, Actor Michael Paré, Amy Madigan And Art Director James Allen
- Vintage Featurettes: Rock And Roll Fable, Exaggerated Realism, Choreographing The Crowd, Creating The Costumes, From The Ground Up
- Music Videos
- Theatrical Trailer
- On Air Promos
- Still Gallery
PRODUCT INFORMATION
| DISCS
2 |
RUN-TIME
93 min |
ASPECT RATIO
1.85:1 |
COLOR
Color |
LANGUAGE
English |
| REGION
A |
RATING
PG |
PRODUCTION DATE
1984 |
CLOSED-CAPTION
No |
SUBTITLES
English |
PLOT SUMMARY
Amid a brooding rock & roll landscape, the Bombers motorcycle gang, led by the vicious Raven Shaddock (Willem Dafoe, John Wick), kidnap diva Ellen Aim (Diane Lane, Man of Steel). Her hope for rescue lies with unlikely heroes: soldier of fortune Tom Cody (Michael Paré, Bad Moon) and his sidekick, the two-fisted beer-guzzling McCoy (Amy Madigan, The Dark Half). Joined by Ellen’s manager, Billy Fish (Rick Moranis, Ghostbusters), the trio plunges headfirst into a world of rain-splattered streets, hot cars, and deadly assassins.