We have a clear line between good and bad characters with Michael Pare playing a mercenary (Tom Cody) the good guy who comes to the aid of his sister (Deborah Van Valkenburgh) Reva, he agrees to rescue former flame Diane Lane (Ellen Aim) from the clutches of evil Willem Dafoe (Raven Shaddock) and his biker gang. Her manager/currant boyfriend Rick Moranis (Billy Fish) agrees to provide the cash for a rescue attempt. Amy Madigan a former Army mechanic (McCoy) tags along with Cody.
The ambiance of the various sets seriously smokes, creating the perfect backdrop for this engaging bit of pulp storytelling, the story definitely hearkening back to "The Warriors" as our unlikely group have to embark on a bit of a journey to get back to where they need to be. And, while the movie is not without its dramatic moments, it never pretends to be truly serious about what it's doing. It's all in fun.
Cody, Fish, and McCoy enter a rough area of this un-named city 'The Battery' where low-lifers hang out, and Raven has holed up with Ellen. Cody starts blasting away at bikers as they careen around the Battery while McCoy keeps several of them distracted long enough for Cody to snatch Ellen. Raven confronts Cody as Ellen and he are about to depart eilling him it not over.
"Looks like I finally ran into someone that likes to play as rough as I do”, Raven observes and then vows to come after Cody. "I'll be coming for her, and I'll be coming for you too."
Cody is terribly unimpressed with Raven's threat as they make their way out. Eventually, Raven and Cody square off in a daylight brawl wielding firefighter axes. Predictably, Cody defeats Raven. Ellen is pleased that Cody rescued her, but these two—no matter how much they loved each other before—cannot walk off hand-in-hand.
Cody explains, "Look, I know you're gonna be going places with your singing and stuff, but then I'm not the kind of guy to be carrying your guitars around for you. But if you ever need me for something, I'll be there." They walk away from each in a bittersweet finale.
Nevertheless, I love this film having seen it many times including on the big screen when it was released, and think the soundtrack is fabulous. The dialogue is very good, too. Nobody gives a bad performance. Michael Paré is ideal as the wandering soldier, and Diane Lane looks like a real heartbreaker. Amy Madigan is superb as the gun-toting mechanic. Of course, Willem Dafoe makes a terrific villain. "Streets of Fire” is great with loads of atmosphere and catchy dialogue.
My Rating
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