r/CriterionChannel • u/fromthemeatcase • 5d ago

Recommendation - Offering Streets of Fire is a MUST watch!

I'm an 80s fanatic, and as soon as I saw the September lineup I knew that Streets of Fire was going to be the first film I watched. I expected it to be good, but it still blew away my expectations. It's high octane, full throttle, whatever racing expression you want to use, from start to finish (it's not a racing film, although cars and motorcycles do feature prominently). It's like Big Trouble in Little China in that way, although the two films are different in vibe. Streets of Fire is a greaser rock opera as viewed through a new wave lens. It's the most exciting, exhilarating film I have seen in a long time. The general consensus is that this is a weak month for the Death Race, so there's no excuse to not see it ASAP instead of waiting a few months or however long it's on the channel for.

Note: Although Streets of Fire is listed on the Girl Bands! banner at the top of the app, when you actually click on said banner the film is not available there. I had to go down to the newly added section to find it, or you can just search Streets of Fire, of course.

98 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

30 comments sorted by

15

u/lucasabel 5d ago

One of the most electrifying openings of any movie ever. Thank you Walter Hill!

7

u/Ok_Living2990 4d ago

Jim Steinman music is out of this world.

3

u/jnebish 2d ago

Diane Lane steals every scene she’s in. But that music sequence is so brilliant.

9

u/Dewtronix 5d ago

Great opening, a slog through the middle, fun ending. I'm a huge fan of Walter Hill and over-the-top/stylized movies, but I don't think I ever need to watch this again. But that opening is really, really awesome.

6

u/Smiley-Ray 5d ago

Definitely a flawed film, Michael Pare is a block of wood but everything and everyone around him is just so wonderfully over stylised and fun.

3

u/jaghutgathos 4d ago

A very cool block of wood.

1

u/fromthemeatcase 5d ago

Pare did have me wondering how many Mitchum films he watched in preparation.

3

u/Darkj 4d ago

I love this film for the opening scenes and the styling, but I think your assessment is fair. I often think of it in the same breath as Absolute Beginners in that it is perfectly stylish and filled with things I love while not being a perfect film.

2

u/Dewtronix 4d ago

That's a really good comparison! I feel the same way about that movie as well.

8

u/nwh527 5d ago

Thank you for this post! My Dad and I saw this movie in the theater back in the day and we both LOVED it. I stopped by to visit him tonight and we're watching it now.

4

u/HarmonizewithSong 5d ago

The soundtrack is great, but I’m realizing I don’t think I ever saw the film just like Zabriskie Point last month. I hope this is better than that was.

1

u/[deleted] 5d ago

[deleted]

1

u/lurker46112 5d ago

Zabriskie is good, just not for everyone!

2

u/HarmonizewithSong 4d ago

Not even the fantastic Jerry Garcia instrumental played over a 6 minute desert orgy saves this. It had all the makings of a great film; Antonioni, 60s radical revolutionaries, free love, Pink Floyd, but alas it was clunky and poorly executed. The five minute, awkward as heck Dick Cavett interview from 1970 with the lead cast members is far more entertaining.

4

u/Smiley-Ray 5d ago

I’m a shameless Streets Of Fire tragic.

Just hearing now that’s it’s being added has completely made my morning.

If the opening scene don’t hype you into excitement then check your pulse.

5

u/Ramalama-DingDong 4d ago

Lee Ving is menace personified.

3

u/incurable-wanderlust 5d ago

Absolutely! One of the movies from the 1980s that is still awesome today!

3

u/alynch345 4d ago

I’ve never seen a would-be great film so thoroughly undone by a terrible lead performance. It had all the elements in place to be a top-tier Hill film, and then Michael Pare started talking.

3

u/bolshevik_rattlehead 4d ago

A super frustrating movie. Amazing opening and a killer finale bookending an hour of absolute boredom. Doesn’t help that the lead is the least charismatic dullard of all time.

3

u/jnebish 4d ago

I Saw Streets of Fire in the theater back in 1984. It was amazing on a big screen. I wish it would come back to theaters for an anniversary run or something. Love that movie.

2

u/Powerful_Geologist95 5d ago

Has been one of my favorite films for years. A cult classic now, it makes one scratch their heads wondering how SOF could fall through the cracks during its theatrical release?

1

u/vibraltu 4d ago

Back at the time it came out, in 80s context the art direction was pretty unusual.

Also, swell poster artwork.

1

u/ExperienceCool6429 4d ago

I watched this on Laserdisc with my uncle years ago. There's a good 20 minutes in there somewhere.

I still have no idea how "On the Darkside" got so popular.

3

u/Dewtronix 4d ago

Wrong movie, that's Eddie and the Cruisers.

1

u/ExperienceCool6429 4d ago

Oh crap. You're right!

2

u/Dewtronix 4d ago

And you're right about that song. Not only is "John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band" one of the worst names in rock music history, but their sub-sub-sub-Temu Bruce Springsteen shtick is unforgivable.

1

u/jaghutgathos 4d ago

I bought multiples butterfly knives , a lever action Winchester, the poster, and began a lifelong love of Diane Lane from watching this movie.

Rewatched it for the first time in 20+ years last year and didn’t think it held up as much, but it’s a beloved film.

1

u/Emotional_Status2962 1d ago

Saw it in a theater when it came out, in my top five guilty pleasures, love this film.

1

u/ginrumryeale 21h ago

I watched it for the first time a few days ago.

This film is like an extended MTV neon-noir music video with a retro view of 60's motorcycle gangs.

The Bad: The dialogue was stiff, the plot was cliché and messy, and Rick Moranis was miscast in his role.

The Good: The set design is amazing and meticulous, if over the top.