capsule : a rock and roll fable , indeed .
like a hubert selby , jr .
novel filtered through equal parts damon runyan and bruce springsteen , and a ton of fun .
streets of fire bills itself as " a rock and roll fable " , and the description is perfect .
this is a stylish , great - looking , and breezily enjoyable movie that feels like a hubert selby , jr .
, novel with a damon runyan rewrite , irected by bruce springsteen .
noir is one of the few truly american movie genres , aside from the hollywood musical and the western .
this is post - wwii brooklyn noir , for lack of a better label , with a generous injection of rock ' n roll and an all - around confrontational attitude .
it all works .
the plot is simplicity itself : rocker ellen aim ( diane lane ) is kidnapped by a vicious street gang , led by a bloodthirsty fellow named raven ( willem dafoe , very nasty ) .
her old soldier flame ( played by michael pare ) comes back into town to save her , but does n't count on a whole bunch of things going askew .
that 's about the entire plot , save for the spats with ellen 's manager ( a hilarious rick moranis ) , an encounter with a doo - wop group that winds up becoming ellen 's supporting act , and a whole gang of other fun little touches .
but in movies like this , when is the plot important ?
the movie is all style , all visuals and attitudes , quotable lines and posturing -- and it delivers all those things consistently and with great brio and pacing .
no surprise that it was directed by walter hill ( 48 hrs . ) , who understands this kind of macho romanticism perfectly , and has put together a movie that 's a mixture of times and sensibilities , but
perfectly unified in tone .
when was the last time you could say something like that about a movie , especially a movie where it seems like someone gets decked on the jaw (
* and * passes out )
every 2 .
63 minutes on cue ?
streets of fire is n't the greatest movie ever made , but it occupies a totally unique little niche , and enjoys the position it has .
anyone with a weakness for doo - wop , neon , motorcycles , rainy streets , the el , studebakers , gang pictures , lonely heroes , and a great - looking gal giving the microphone both lungs will eat this movie up .
i did .
it all works understands this kind of macho romanticism perfectly it occupies a totally unique little niche , and enjoys the position it has a stylish , great - looking , and breezily enjoyable movie perfectly will eat this movie up a ton of fun the movie is all style , all visuals and attitudes , quotable lines and posturing -- and it delivers all those things consistently and with great brio and pacing