Streets of Fire
Encyclopedia
Streets of Fire is a 1984 film
directed by Walter Hill and co-written by Hill and Larry Gross
. It was described in previews, trailers, and posters as "A Rock & Roll Fable." It is an unusual mix of musical
, action
, drama
, and comedy
with elements both of retro-1950s and 1980s. The film stars Michael Paré
as a soldier of fortune who returns home to rescue his ex-girlfriend (Diane Lane
) who has been kidnapped by Raven (Willem Dafoe
) and his motorcycle gang, the Bombers. Some of the film was shot on the backlot of Universal Studios
in California
on two large, elaborate sets covered in a tarp 1,240 feet long by 220 feet wide so that night scenes could be filmed during the day.
The film was promoted as a summer blockbuster but failed critically and commercially, grossing only USD $8 million in North America, compared to a production budget of $14.5 million. Its dynamic musical score by Jim Steinman
, Ry Cooder
, and others, as well as the hit Dan Hartman
song "I Can Dream About You
", has helped it attain a cult following
.
Witnessing all of this is Reva Cody (Deborah Van Valkenburgh
), who runs a local diner. She wires her kid brother Tom Cody (Paré), an ex-soldier and Ellen's ex-boyfriend, to rescue her. Tom arrives by elevated train and, after taking Reva home, checks out the local tavern, the Blackhawk, where Clyde (Bill Paxton
) tends bar. He is annoyed by a tomboyish looking ex-soldier named McCoy (Amy Madigan
), a mechanic who "could drive anything" and who is good with her fists, as evidenced when she knocks out Clyde. They leave the bar and McCoy asks Tom for a place to stay for the night. He obliges, taking her home, where she gets the couch. That night, Tom and Reva plan to rescue Ellen; Reva is to contact Billy Fish (Rick Moranis
), Ellen's manager and current boyfriend, to meet at the diner in the morning.
While Reva and McCoy go to the diner to wait for Billy, Tom acquires a cache of weapons that includes a pump action shotgun, a Stainless Ruger Redhawk revolver, and a Marlin lever action rifle. Tom and Billy meet at the diner and Tom agrees to the rescue on the condition that Billy pays him $10,000 and that he goes with Tom back into "the Battery" to get Ellen. Billy agrees, and Tom hires McCoy to drive for 10%.
In the Battery, they visit Torchie's, where Billy used to book bands. They wait until nightfall, down the block under an overpass, watching a lot of bikers come and go. Inside the bar, The Blasters
play "One Bad Stud" while a dancer (Marine Jahan
) gyrates on a small stage. Raven has Ellen tied up to a bed in a room upstairs. As Tom, Billy, and McCoy approach Torchie's, Tom directs Billy to return to the car and be out front in fifteen minutes. Tom plans to go in topside while McCoy uses the front door.
McCoy enters and is stopped by one of the Bombers. McCoy, pretending to like him, follows him to his special "party room," just down the hall from where Raven is playing poker. McCoy pulls a handgun on the gang member and knocks him out with the butt of her weapon. Tom explores the building across from the bar until he is directly across from Ellen's window. McCoy bursts into the card game and gets the drop on Raven and the rest. Tom starts to blow up the bikes, shooting their gas tanks, then slides down and runs up to Ellen's room. He cuts her free and, with McCoy's help, escapes just as Billy arrives at the front door.
As the others jump into the convertible, Tom sends them off to meet at the Grant Street Overpass, then blows up the gas pumps outside the bar as a diversion. Raven appears out of the flames and chaos to confront Tom. After learning who he is, Raven warns he'll be back for her and for him, too. Tom escapes on the one motorcycle that survived destruction. Billy is persuading Ellen to wise up, telling her the only reason her ex-boyfriend rescued her was for money. Tom arrives and jumps into the car, and McCoy pointedly explains to Billy that Tom used to be Ellen's old flame.
Ditching the very visible street rod in a parking garage, Ellen follows Tom up the stairs while Billy and McCoy take the elevator. Ellen and Tom fight as Billy and McCoy go back and forth once again about Tom and Ellen's love affair. When they all meet up on the street, they are in the Battery. The group returns Ellen safely home where she initially rejects her home town as well as Tom. Later, he goes to the hotel where Ellen and Billy are staying to collect his reward. He only takes McCoy's cut and throws the rest in Billy's face. He then tells Ellen that there was a time he would've done anything for her but no more. As Tom storms out, Ellen follows and the two embrace in the rain.
Meanwhile, Raven informs Officer Ed Price (Richard Lawson
), the head of the police department, that he wants Tom to confront him alone. If he agrees he will leave the Richmond alone. Price tells Tom to get out of town. Tom, Ellen, and McCoy leave on a train. He knocks out Ellen and returns to town for a climactic battle with Raven involving railroad spike hammers. Tom defeats Raven and the defeated gang carries their leader away. Later that night, he says a final goodbye to Ellen and rides off with McCoy.
and reunited director Walter Hill with producers Lawrence Gordon and Joel Silver
, and screenwriter Larry Gross, all of whom worked together on that production. According to Hill, the film's origins came out of a desire to make what he thought was a perfect film when he was a teenager and put in all of the things that he thought were "great then and which I still have great affection for: custom cars, kissing in the rain, neon, trains in the night, high-speed pursuit, rumbles, rock stars, motorcycles, jokes in tough situations, leather jackets and questions of honor". The four men began planning Streets of Fire while completing 48 Hrs. Afterwards, Gross and Hill worked on the screenplay, writing ten pages a day. When they were finished, they submitted the script to Universal executive Bob Rehme on a Friday (in January 1983) and by the end of the weekend, the studio had given them the go-ahead to make the film. The film's title came from a song written and recorded by Bruce Springsteen
on his 1978 album Darkness on the Edge of Town
. Negotiations with Springsteen for rights to the song delayed production several times. Originally, plans were made for the song to be featured on the film's soundtrack, to be sung by Ellen Aim at the end of the film, but when he was told that the song would be re-recorded by other vocalists, he withdrew permission for the song to be used. Jim Steinman
was brought in to write the opening and closing songs and "Streets of Fire" was replaced by "Tonight Is What It Means To Be Young
". The studio claimed that they replaced Springsteen's song because it was a "downer".
When it came to casting the movie, Hill wanted to go with a young group of relative unknowns. He heard about Michael Paré from the same agent who recommended Eddie Murphy
to him for 48 Hrs. At the time he was cast, in March 1983, the actor had appeared in two films, Eddie and the Cruisers
and Undercover, which hadn’t even been released. For Hill, Paré "had the right quality. He was the only actor I found who was right for the part ... a striking combination of toughness and innocence." Paré said of his character, "He's someone who can come in and straighten everything out."
The character of Ellen Aim was written as a 28-year-old woman and Diane Lane read for the part when she was 18. Hill was reluctant to cast her because he felt that she was too young for the role. Hill met Lane in New York City and she auditioned for him in black leather pants, a black mesh top and high-heeled boots. He was surprised with her "total commitment to selling herself as a rock 'n' roll star." The actress had been in more than 10 films by the time she did Streets of Fire. She described her character as "the first glamorous role I've had." Hill was so impressed with her work on the film that he wrote additional scenes for her during the shoot. Amy Madigan originally read for Reva, Cody's sister, and told Hill and Silver that she wanted to play the role of McCoy which, she remembers, "was written to be played by an overweight male who was a good soldier and really needed a job. It could still be tough and strong and have a woman do it without rewriting the part." Hill liked the idea and cast her.
in April 1983, then moved to Los Angeles
for 45 days and finally two weeks at a soap factory in Wilmington, California, with additional filming taking place at Universal Studios. Shooting wrapped on August 18, 1983. All ten days of filming in Chicago were exteriors at night on locations that included platforms of elevated subway lines and the depths of Lower Wacker Drive. For Hill, the subways and their look was crucial to the world of the film and represented one of three modes of transportation – the other two being cars and motorcycles. While shooting in Chicago, the production was plagued by inclement weather that included rain, hail, snow, and a combination of all three. The subway scenes were filmed on location in Chicago at many locations, including: LaSalle Street (Blue line), Lake Street (Green line), Sheridan Road
(Red, Purple lines), and Belmont Avenue (Red, Brown, and Purple lines). The Damen Avenue stop (Blue Line, at Damen, North, and Milwaukee Avenues
) was also used.
Production designer John Vallone and his team constructed an elevated train line on the backlot of Universal Studios that perfectly matched the ones in Chicago. The film crew tarped-in the New Street and Brownstone street sets to double for the Richmond District setting, completely covering them so that night scenes could be filmed during the day. This tarp measured 1,240 feet long by 220 feet wide over both sets and cost $1.2 million to construct. However, this presented unusual problems. The sound of the tarp flapping in the wind interfered with the actors’ dialogue. Birds who had nested in the tarp provided their own noisy interruptions.
The exterior of the Richmond Theater where Ellen Aim sings at the beginning of the film was shot on the backlot with the interior done in the Wiltern Theater in L.A. for two weeks. The factory scenes that take place in the Battery were filmed at a rotting soap factory in Wilmington, California, for ten nights. The Ardmore Police roadblock was filmed near 6th street in East Los Angeles near the flood basin. Though only three districts are seen, the city has a total of five districts: the Richmond, the Strip, the Battery, the Cliffside, and the Bayside.
. The lighting for these concert scenes were done by Mark Brickman, who also lit concerts for Bruce Springsteen and Pink Floyd
. The car that Cody drives in the movie is a 1951 Mercury that was chopped, channeled, nosed, and decked. In addition, 12 1950 and 1951 model Studebaker
s were used as police cars. More than 50 motorcycles and their drivers were featured as the Bombers and were chosen from 200 members of real L.A.-based clubs like The Crusaders and The Heathens.
According to cinematographer Andrew Laszlo, the film's style was dictated by the story. The Richmond's look was very soft and the colors did not call attention to themselves. The light in The Battery was contrasting and harsh, with vivid colors. Argyle prints and plaids are used in the Parkside District, and neon lights color the Strip.
Due to the choreography and setups in between takes of every scene, the climactic 4-minute showdown between Cody and Raven took more than nine days to shoot.
produced five of the songs for the film and the soundtrack album. For Ellen Aim's singing voice, he combined the voices of Laurie Sargent and Holly Sherwood
. The Attackers were the real-life (Face to Face
) bandmates of Sargent, who provided the lead vocals on Ellen Aim's songs "Never Be You" and "Sorcerer" and supporting vocals on "Tonight Is What It Means To Be Young." The version of 'Sorcerer' on the actual soundtrack album was performed by Marilyn Martin (written by Stevie Nicks).
Two Wagnerian rock
songs written by Jim Steinman
were part of the soundtrack: "Tonight Is What It Means To Be Young
" and "Nowhere Fast
," both performed by Fire Inc.
with Holly Sherwood
as lead vocal. The title of the former was used as the tagline on some promotional materials for the film. Dan Hartman's "I Can Dream About You" is the most successful song from this movie and became a Billboard
top 10 hit in 1984. In the movie, the song is performed onstage at the end of the film by "the Sorels," a fictional doo-wop style group consisting of actors Stoney Jackson
, Grand L. Bush
, Mykelti Williamson
, and Robert Townsend. However, the song was actually sung for the film by Winston Ford, whose vocals were convincingly lip-synced by Jackson in the movie. There are thus two versions of the song, but the most popular was sung by Dan Hartman for commercial release. Ford's entire version has never been released commercially.
grossed $34.8 million in the same time. The film went on to make $8 million in North America, compared to a production budget of $14.5 million. It retains a cult following today, in part due to its Wagnerian rock soundtrack.
. Janet Maslin
of The New York Times
criticized the film's screenplay as being misogynistic and "problematically crude." Gary Arnold in the Washington Post wrote that as "romantic leads, Paré and Lane are pretty much a washout," and that "most of the action climaxes are treated as such throwaways that you begin to wonder if they bored the director." Jay Scott
in The Globe and Mail
newspaper wrote, "when Streets of Fire is speeding by like Mercury on methedrine, the rush left in its wake cancels out questions of content. But the minute the momentum slows, it's another story – a story about a movie with no story at all." In a lengthy essay for Film Comment
, David Chute wrote, "It's probably impossible not to enjoy the movie. No director holds a candle to Hill for sheer visceral expertise. But the moods didn't linger. It's such a hard-shelled picture that it barely has moods." However, Roger Ebert
, in his Chicago Sun-Times
review, praised the film's dialogue. He wrote, "the language is strange, too: It's tough, but not with 1984 toughness. It sounds like the way really mean guys would have talked in the late 1950s, only with a few words different – as if this world evolved a slightly different language."
1984 in film
-Events:* The Walt Disney Company founds Touchstone Pictures to release movies with subject matter deemed inappropriate for the Disney name.* Tri-Star Pictures, a joint venture of Columbia Pictures, HBO, and CBS, releases its first film....
directed by Walter Hill and co-written by Hill and Larry Gross
Larry Gross
Larry Gross is an American screenwriter, producer, and occasionally a director. He won the 2004 Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the Sundance Film Festival for We Don't Live Here Anymore.-Filmography:...
. It was described in previews, trailers, and posters as "A Rock & Roll Fable." It is an unusual mix of musical
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
, action
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
, drama
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
, and comedy
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
with elements both of retro-1950s and 1980s. The film stars Michael Paré
Michael Paré
- Early life :Paré was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Joan, a homemaker, and Francis Paré, who owned print shops. He had six sisters and three brothers. Paré's father was of French-Canadian ancestry and his mother of Irish ancestry....
as a soldier of fortune who returns home to rescue his ex-girlfriend (Diane Lane
Diane Lane
Diane Lane is an American film actress.Born and raised in New York City, Lane made her screen debut at the age of 13 in George Roy Hill's 1979 film A Little Romance, starring opposite Sir Laurence Olivier. Soon after, she was featured on the cover of Time magazine...
) who has been kidnapped by Raven (Willem Dafoe
Willem Dafoe
Willem Dafoe is an American film, stage, and voice actor, and a founding member of the experimental theatre company The Wooster Group...
) and his motorcycle gang, the Bombers. Some of the film was shot on the backlot of Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
on two large, elaborate sets covered in a tarp 1,240 feet long by 220 feet wide so that night scenes could be filmed during the day.
The film was promoted as a summer blockbuster but failed critically and commercially, grossing only USD $8 million in North America, compared to a production budget of $14.5 million. Its dynamic musical score by Jim Steinman
Jim Steinman
James Richard "Jim" Steinman is an American composer, lyricist, and Grammy Award-winning record producer responsible for several hit songs. He has also worked as an arranger, pianist, and singer...
, Ry Cooder
Ry Cooder
Ryland Peter "Ry" Cooder is an American guitarist, singer and composer. He is known for his slide guitar work, his interest in roots music from the United States, and, more recently, his collaborations with traditional musicians from many countries.His solo work has been eclectic, encompassing...
, and others, as well as the hit Dan Hartman
Dan Hartman
Daniel Earl "Dan" Hartman was an American singer, songwriter and record producer, best known for such songs as: "Free Ride", "I Can Dream About You", "Instant Replay", "Love Sensation", and "Relight My Fire", all of which had world-wide success.-Career:Born in Pennsylvania's capital, Harrisburg,...
song "I Can Dream About You
I Can Dream About You
"I Can Dream About You" is a song performed by Dan Hartman on the soundtrack album Streets of Fire from the movie of the same name. Originally released in 1984 as a single off Hartman's album I Can Dream About You, it reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was performed by Winston Ford in...
", has helped it attain a cult following
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
.
Plot
In a fictional city, the film opens with a concert featuring Ellen Aim (Lane), a "girl from the neighborhood" known as "the Richmond." She is the lead singer of the band Ellen Aim and The Attackers and has returned home to give a concert. A biker gang known as the Bombers enters the auditorium as she is finishing "Nowhere Fast." Ellen is attacked and kidnapped by Raven Shaddock (Dafoe), the leader of the Bombers. Some in the crowd try to save Ellen, but to no avail.Witnessing all of this is Reva Cody (Deborah Van Valkenburgh
Deborah Van Valkenburgh
Deborah Gaye Van Valkenburgh is an American actress. She is most widely known as Ted Knight's daughter in the role of Jackie Rush on the ABC television situation comedy Too Close for Comfort.-Movies:*Backwoods...
), who runs a local diner. She wires her kid brother Tom Cody (Paré), an ex-soldier and Ellen's ex-boyfriend, to rescue her. Tom arrives by elevated train and, after taking Reva home, checks out the local tavern, the Blackhawk, where Clyde (Bill Paxton
Bill Paxton
William "Bill" Paxton is an American actor and film director. He gained popularity after starring roles in the films Apollo 13, Twister, Aliens, True Lies, and Titanic...
) tends bar. He is annoyed by a tomboyish looking ex-soldier named McCoy (Amy Madigan
Amy Madigan
Amy Marie Madigan is an American actress who is known for her role as Annie Kinsella in the 1989 film Field of Dreams and Iris Crowe in the HBO television series Carnivale...
), a mechanic who "could drive anything" and who is good with her fists, as evidenced when she knocks out Clyde. They leave the bar and McCoy asks Tom for a place to stay for the night. He obliges, taking her home, where she gets the couch. That night, Tom and Reva plan to rescue Ellen; Reva is to contact Billy Fish (Rick Moranis
Rick Moranis
Frederick Allan "Rick" Moranis is a Canadian comedian, actor, musician, and a magician. Moranis came to prominence in the late 1970s on the sketch comedy show Second City Television, and later appeared in several Hollywood films including Strange Brew; Ghostbusters; Spaceballs; Little Shop of...
), Ellen's manager and current boyfriend, to meet at the diner in the morning.
While Reva and McCoy go to the diner to wait for Billy, Tom acquires a cache of weapons that includes a pump action shotgun, a Stainless Ruger Redhawk revolver, and a Marlin lever action rifle. Tom and Billy meet at the diner and Tom agrees to the rescue on the condition that Billy pays him $10,000 and that he goes with Tom back into "the Battery" to get Ellen. Billy agrees, and Tom hires McCoy to drive for 10%.
In the Battery, they visit Torchie's, where Billy used to book bands. They wait until nightfall, down the block under an overpass, watching a lot of bikers come and go. Inside the bar, The Blasters
The Blasters
The Blasters are a rock and roll music group formed in 1979 in Downey, California, by brothers Phil Alvin and Dave Alvin , with bass guitarist John Bazz and drummer Bill Bateman. Phil Alvin explained the origin of the band's name: "I thought Joe Turner’s backup band on Atlantic records – I had...
play "One Bad Stud" while a dancer (Marine Jahan
Marine Jahan
Marine Jahan is a French actress most widely known for having doubled for Jennifer Beals in the 1983 movie Flashdance. At the time of its release, Jahan's role in the movie was controversial for several reasons...
) gyrates on a small stage. Raven has Ellen tied up to a bed in a room upstairs. As Tom, Billy, and McCoy approach Torchie's, Tom directs Billy to return to the car and be out front in fifteen minutes. Tom plans to go in topside while McCoy uses the front door.
As the others jump into the convertible, Tom sends them off to meet at the Grant Street Overpass, then blows up the gas pumps outside the bar as a diversion. Raven appears out of the flames and chaos to confront Tom. After learning who he is, Raven warns he'll be back for her and for him, too. Tom escapes on the one motorcycle that survived destruction. Billy is persuading Ellen to wise up, telling her the only reason her ex-boyfriend rescued her was for money. Tom arrives and jumps into the car, and McCoy pointedly explains to Billy that Tom used to be Ellen's old flame.
Ditching the very visible street rod in a parking garage, Ellen follows Tom up the stairs while Billy and McCoy take the elevator. Ellen and Tom fight as Billy and McCoy go back and forth once again about Tom and Ellen's love affair. When they all meet up on the street, they are in the Battery. The group returns Ellen safely home where she initially rejects her home town as well as Tom. Later, he goes to the hotel where Ellen and Billy are staying to collect his reward. He only takes McCoy's cut and throws the rest in Billy's face. He then tells Ellen that there was a time he would've done anything for her but no more. As Tom storms out, Ellen follows and the two embrace in the rain.
Meanwhile, Raven informs Officer Ed Price (Richard Lawson
Richard Lawson
Richard Lawson is an American actor who has starred in movies and on television. He is perhaps best-known for his roles in science fiction—he portrayed Ryan in the 1982 hit movie Poltergeist, and Dr...
), the head of the police department, that he wants Tom to confront him alone. If he agrees he will leave the Richmond alone. Price tells Tom to get out of town. Tom, Ellen, and McCoy leave on a train. He knocks out Ellen and returns to town for a climactic battle with Raven involving railroad spike hammers. Tom defeats Raven and the defeated gang carries their leader away. Later that night, he says a final goodbye to Ellen and rides off with McCoy.
Cast
- Michael ParéMichael Paré- Early life :Paré was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Joan, a homemaker, and Francis Paré, who owned print shops. He had six sisters and three brothers. Paré's father was of French-Canadian ancestry and his mother of Irish ancestry....
as Tom Cody - Diane LaneDiane LaneDiane Lane is an American film actress.Born and raised in New York City, Lane made her screen debut at the age of 13 in George Roy Hill's 1979 film A Little Romance, starring opposite Sir Laurence Olivier. Soon after, she was featured on the cover of Time magazine...
as Ellen Aim - Rick MoranisRick MoranisFrederick Allan "Rick" Moranis is a Canadian comedian, actor, musician, and a magician. Moranis came to prominence in the late 1970s on the sketch comedy show Second City Television, and later appeared in several Hollywood films including Strange Brew; Ghostbusters; Spaceballs; Little Shop of...
as Billy Fish - Amy MadiganAmy MadiganAmy Marie Madigan is an American actress who is known for her role as Annie Kinsella in the 1989 film Field of Dreams and Iris Crowe in the HBO television series Carnivale...
as McCoy - Willem DafoeWillem DafoeWillem Dafoe is an American film, stage, and voice actor, and a founding member of the experimental theatre company The Wooster Group...
as Raven - Deborah Van ValkenburghDeborah Van ValkenburghDeborah Gaye Van Valkenburgh is an American actress. She is most widely known as Ted Knight's daughter in the role of Jackie Rush on the ABC television situation comedy Too Close for Comfort.-Movies:*Backwoods...
as Reva Cody - Richard Lawson as Officer Ed Price
- Rick RossovichRick RossovichRick Rossovich is an American actor.Rossovich was born Frederic Enrico Rossovich in Palo Alto, California. His brother, Tim Rossovich, is a former professional football player and also an actor.-Career:...
as Officer Cooley - Bill PaxtonBill PaxtonWilliam "Bill" Paxton is an American actor and film director. He gained popularity after starring roles in the films Apollo 13, Twister, Aliens, True Lies, and Titanic...
as Clyde - Lee VingLee VingLee Ving Lee Ving Lee Ving (born Lee James Capellaro; April 10, 1946 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is an American musician, most famous for his role as lead singer and rhythm guitarist for Los Angeles-based punk rock band Fear, and actor. In the late 1960s Ving joined Sweet Stavin Chain Blues Band...
as Greer - Stoney JacksonStoney JacksonStonewall W. "Stoney" Jackson is an American character actor. Jackson was born in Richmond, Virginia.-Career:He was featured in numerous teen magazines in the 1970s and 1980s, including Right On, Teen Beat, and Tiger Beat.He portrayed high school basketball player Jesse Mitchell on the ensemble...
as Bird - Grand L. BushGrand L. BushGrand Lee Bush is an American actor of stage, television and major motion pictures.-Personal life:Bush was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Essie and Robert Bush, who was an actor...
as Reggie - Robert TownsendRobert TownsendRobert Townsend is an American actor, comedian, film director, and writer.-Biography:Townsend was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Shirley and Robert Townsend. Raised by a single mom of four children on welfare, Townsend overcame his adversities to be at the top of the entertainment business...
as Lester - Mykelti WilliamsonMykelti WilliamsonMichael T. "Mykelti" Williamson is an American actor best known for his role as Benjamin Buford Blue in the 1994 film Forrest Gump, as Detective Bobby "Fearless" Smith in the critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful crime drama Boomtown, and recently for appearing as the head of CTU for...
as B.J. - Elizabeth DailyElizabeth DailyElizabeth Ann Guttman , better known by her stage names of Elizabeth Daily and E.G. Daily, is an American voice actress, actress, singer-songwriter, and musician...
as Baby Doll - Lynne ThigpenLynne ThigpenCherlynne Theresa “Lynne” Thigpen was an American stage and television actress, most famous as "The Chief" in the various Carmen Sandiego television series.-Early life:...
as Subway Motorwoman - Marine JahanMarine JahanMarine Jahan is a French actress most widely known for having doubled for Jennifer Beals in the 1983 movie Flashdance. At the time of its release, Jahan's role in the movie was controversial for several reasons...
as Torchie's Dancer - Ed Begley, Jr.Ed Begley, Jr.Edward James "Ed" Begley, Jr. is an American actor and environmentalist. Begley has appeared in hundreds of films, television shows, and stage performances. He is best known for his role as Dr. Victor Ehrlich, on the television series St...
as Ben Gunn - Peter JasonPeter JasonPeter Jason is an American actor who performs in many plays, movies, and TV commercials, including Desperate Housewives and Deadwood. In his free time he makes his own furniture out of wood. He has appeared in 12 Walter Hill films, 7 John Carpenter films, has acted in over 100 commercials and...
as Ardmore Cop Harry - Matthew Laurance as Ardmore Cop #2
- Olivia BrownOlivia BrownOlivia Margarette Brown is an American actress.Brown was born in Frankfurt, Germany and raised in Livonia, Michigan, United States. Her family eventually moved to California and she is also a graduate of Santa Monica High School. She played Det. Trudy Joplin on Miami Vice and Vanessa Hargraves on...
as Addie - John Dennis Johnston as Pete the Mechanic
Production
The concept for Streets of Fire came together during the making of 48 Hrs.48 Hrs.
48 Hrs. is a 1982 American action comedy film directed by Walter Hill, starring Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy as a cop and convict, respectively, who team up to catch a cop-killer. The title refers to the amount of time they have to solve the crime. This was Eddie Murphy's film debut , and Joel...
and reunited director Walter Hill with producers Lawrence Gordon and Joel Silver
Joel Silver
Joel Silver is an American Hollywood film producer, co-creator of the sport of Ultimate, co-founder of Dark Castle Entertainment and owner of Silver Pictures.-Life and career:...
, and screenwriter Larry Gross, all of whom worked together on that production. According to Hill, the film's origins came out of a desire to make what he thought was a perfect film when he was a teenager and put in all of the things that he thought were "great then and which I still have great affection for: custom cars, kissing in the rain, neon, trains in the night, high-speed pursuit, rumbles, rock stars, motorcycles, jokes in tough situations, leather jackets and questions of honor". The four men began planning Streets of Fire while completing 48 Hrs. Afterwards, Gross and Hill worked on the screenplay, writing ten pages a day. When they were finished, they submitted the script to Universal executive Bob Rehme on a Friday (in January 1983) and by the end of the weekend, the studio had given them the go-ahead to make the film. The film's title came from a song written and recorded by Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
on his 1978 album Darkness on the Edge of Town
Darkness on the Edge of Town
Darkness on the Edge of Town is the fourth album by Bruce Springsteen, released in the late spring of 1978. The album marked the end of a three year period of forced hiatus from recording brought on by contractual obligations and legal battling with former manager Mike Appel...
. Negotiations with Springsteen for rights to the song delayed production several times. Originally, plans were made for the song to be featured on the film's soundtrack, to be sung by Ellen Aim at the end of the film, but when he was told that the song would be re-recorded by other vocalists, he withdrew permission for the song to be used. Jim Steinman
Jim Steinman
James Richard "Jim" Steinman is an American composer, lyricist, and Grammy Award-winning record producer responsible for several hit songs. He has also worked as an arranger, pianist, and singer...
was brought in to write the opening and closing songs and "Streets of Fire" was replaced by "Tonight Is What It Means To Be Young
Tonight Is What It Means to Be Young
"Tonight Is What It Means to Be Young" was first performed by Fire Inc. in 1984 for the rock film Streets of Fire. Cover versions of this song have also been recorded by Japanese singer Megumi Shiina, and for the musical Tanz der Vampire/Dance of the Vampires. The song was written by Jim Steinman....
". The studio claimed that they replaced Springsteen's song because it was a "downer".
Casting
Eddie Murphy
Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....
to him for 48 Hrs. At the time he was cast, in March 1983, the actor had appeared in two films, Eddie and the Cruisers
Eddie and the Cruisers
Eddie and the Cruisers is a 1983 American film directed by Martin Davidson with the screenplay written by the director and Arlene Davidson, based on the novel by P. F. Kluge...
and Undercover, which hadn’t even been released. For Hill, Paré "had the right quality. He was the only actor I found who was right for the part ... a striking combination of toughness and innocence." Paré said of his character, "He's someone who can come in and straighten everything out."
The character of Ellen Aim was written as a 28-year-old woman and Diane Lane read for the part when she was 18. Hill was reluctant to cast her because he felt that she was too young for the role. Hill met Lane in New York City and she auditioned for him in black leather pants, a black mesh top and high-heeled boots. He was surprised with her "total commitment to selling herself as a rock 'n' roll star." The actress had been in more than 10 films by the time she did Streets of Fire. She described her character as "the first glamorous role I've had." Hill was so impressed with her work on the film that he wrote additional scenes for her during the shoot. Amy Madigan originally read for Reva, Cody's sister, and told Hill and Silver that she wanted to play the role of McCoy which, she remembers, "was written to be played by an overweight male who was a good soldier and really needed a job. It could still be tough and strong and have a woman do it without rewriting the part." Hill liked the idea and cast her.
Locations
Production began on location in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in April 1983, then moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
for 45 days and finally two weeks at a soap factory in Wilmington, California, with additional filming taking place at Universal Studios. Shooting wrapped on August 18, 1983. All ten days of filming in Chicago were exteriors at night on locations that included platforms of elevated subway lines and the depths of Lower Wacker Drive. For Hill, the subways and their look was crucial to the world of the film and represented one of three modes of transportation – the other two being cars and motorcycles. While shooting in Chicago, the production was plagued by inclement weather that included rain, hail, snow, and a combination of all three. The subway scenes were filmed on location in Chicago at many locations, including: LaSalle Street (Blue line), Lake Street (Green line), Sheridan Road
Sheridan Road
Sheridan Road is a major north-south thoroughfare that leads from Diversey Parkway in Chicago, Illinois, north to the Illinois-Wisconsin border and beyond to Racine. Throughout most of its run, it is the easternmost north-south through street, closest to Lake Michigan...
(Red, Purple lines), and Belmont Avenue (Red, Brown, and Purple lines). The Damen Avenue stop (Blue Line, at Damen, North, and Milwaukee Avenues
Milwaukee Avenue (Chicago)
Milwaukee Avenue is a major diagonal street in the city of Chicago and the northern suburbs. True to its name, it once led to the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Starting with a short section at N. Canal and W. Lake Streets, it begins in earnest at the corner of N Desplaines and W. Kinzie Streets...
) was also used.
Production designer John Vallone and his team constructed an elevated train line on the backlot of Universal Studios that perfectly matched the ones in Chicago. The film crew tarped-in the New Street and Brownstone street sets to double for the Richmond District setting, completely covering them so that night scenes could be filmed during the day. This tarp measured 1,240 feet long by 220 feet wide over both sets and cost $1.2 million to construct. However, this presented unusual problems. The sound of the tarp flapping in the wind interfered with the actors’ dialogue. Birds who had nested in the tarp provided their own noisy interruptions.
The exterior of the Richmond Theater where Ellen Aim sings at the beginning of the film was shot on the backlot with the interior done in the Wiltern Theater in L.A. for two weeks. The factory scenes that take place in the Battery were filmed at a rotting soap factory in Wilmington, California, for ten nights. The Ardmore Police roadblock was filmed near 6th street in East Los Angeles near the flood basin. Though only three districts are seen, the city has a total of five districts: the Richmond, the Strip, the Battery, the Cliffside, and the Bayside.
Principal photography
The production employed 500 extras to play the citizens of the Richmond District. Cinematographer Andrew Laszlo shot the film with very low light, giving the images a stark, "low-tech" quality. The choreography for the two songs Ellen Aim sings and the one by the Sorels was done by Jeffrey HornadayJeffrey Hornaday
Jeffrey Hornaday is an American choreographer and film director.Hornaday's choreography credits include the films Flashdance, A Chorus Line, Dick Tracy, D.C. Cab, Romancing the Stone, Tango & Cash, Life Stinks, Carlito's Way, Sweet Jane, and Neil Simon's The Marrying Man...
. The lighting for these concert scenes were done by Mark Brickman, who also lit concerts for Bruce Springsteen and Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
. The car that Cody drives in the movie is a 1951 Mercury that was chopped, channeled, nosed, and decked. In addition, 12 1950 and 1951 model Studebaker
Studebaker
Studebaker Corporation was a United States wagon and automobile manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana. Founded in 1852 and incorporated in 1868 under the name of the Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company, the company was originally a producer of wagons for farmers, miners, and the...
s were used as police cars. More than 50 motorcycles and their drivers were featured as the Bombers and were chosen from 200 members of real L.A.-based clubs like The Crusaders and The Heathens.
According to cinematographer Andrew Laszlo, the film's style was dictated by the story. The Richmond's look was very soft and the colors did not call attention to themselves. The light in The Battery was contrasting and harsh, with vivid colors. Argyle prints and plaids are used in the Parkside District, and neon lights color the Strip.
Due to the choreography and setups in between takes of every scene, the climactic 4-minute showdown between Cody and Raven took more than nine days to shoot.
Soundtrack
Jimmy IovineJimmy Iovine
James "Jimmy" Iovine is an American music producer, entrepreneur and chairman of Interscope-Geffen-A&M.-Biography:...
produced five of the songs for the film and the soundtrack album. For Ellen Aim's singing voice, he combined the voices of Laurie Sargent and Holly Sherwood
Holly Sherwood
Holly Sherwood is an American rock vocalist, best known for her work with Jim Steinman, providing both lead and backing vocals.-Acting Career:...
. The Attackers were the real-life (Face to Face
Face to Face (new wave band)
Face to Face was a new wave Boston, Massachusetts quintet.-Formation:Guitarist Stuart Kimball formed the band in New Hampshire during the late '70s with a close group of friends...
) bandmates of Sargent, who provided the lead vocals on Ellen Aim's songs "Never Be You" and "Sorcerer" and supporting vocals on "Tonight Is What It Means To Be Young." The version of 'Sorcerer' on the actual soundtrack album was performed by Marilyn Martin (written by Stevie Nicks).
Two Wagnerian rock
Wagnerian rock
Wagnerian rock is a musical term which likely originated with Jim Steinman, who is quoted as using the phrase in the liner notes of the Meat Loaf album, Rock 'N Roll Hero. The phrase is assumed to be inspired by Steinman's love for the music of Richard Wagner and Phil Spector...
songs written by Jim Steinman
Jim Steinman
James Richard "Jim" Steinman is an American composer, lyricist, and Grammy Award-winning record producer responsible for several hit songs. He has also worked as an arranger, pianist, and singer...
were part of the soundtrack: "Tonight Is What It Means To Be Young
Tonight Is What It Means to Be Young
"Tonight Is What It Means to Be Young" was first performed by Fire Inc. in 1984 for the rock film Streets of Fire. Cover versions of this song have also been recorded by Japanese singer Megumi Shiina, and for the musical Tanz der Vampire/Dance of the Vampires. The song was written by Jim Steinman....
" and "Nowhere Fast
Nowhere Fast
"Nowhere Fast" is a song, first performed by Fire Inc. in 1984 for the rock movie Streets of Fire. A cover of the song was later recorded by Meat Loaf. The song was entirely written by Jim Steinman. Laurie Sargent performed the lead vocals. Holly Sherwood and Rory Dodd performed the background...
," both performed by Fire Inc.
Fire Inc.
Fire Inc. was a Wagnerian rock band that released two songs for the rock and roll film Streets of Fire in 1984. The two songs never had any real commercial success. In the film Ellen Aim and the Attackers performed "Tonight Is What It Means to Be Young" with Face to Face playing the part of the...
with Holly Sherwood
Holly Sherwood
Holly Sherwood is an American rock vocalist, best known for her work with Jim Steinman, providing both lead and backing vocals.-Acting Career:...
as lead vocal. The title of the former was used as the tagline on some promotional materials for the film. Dan Hartman's "I Can Dream About You" is the most successful song from this movie and became a Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
top 10 hit in 1984. In the movie, the song is performed onstage at the end of the film by "the Sorels," a fictional doo-wop style group consisting of actors Stoney Jackson
Stoney Jackson
Stonewall W. "Stoney" Jackson is an American character actor. Jackson was born in Richmond, Virginia.-Career:He was featured in numerous teen magazines in the 1970s and 1980s, including Right On, Teen Beat, and Tiger Beat.He portrayed high school basketball player Jesse Mitchell on the ensemble...
, Grand L. Bush
Grand L. Bush
Grand Lee Bush is an American actor of stage, television and major motion pictures.-Personal life:Bush was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Essie and Robert Bush, who was an actor...
, Mykelti Williamson
Mykelti Williamson
Michael T. "Mykelti" Williamson is an American actor best known for his role as Benjamin Buford Blue in the 1994 film Forrest Gump, as Detective Bobby "Fearless" Smith in the critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful crime drama Boomtown, and recently for appearing as the head of CTU for...
, and Robert Townsend. However, the song was actually sung for the film by Winston Ford, whose vocals were convincingly lip-synced by Jackson in the movie. There are thus two versions of the song, but the most popular was sung by Dan Hartman for commercial release. Ford's entire version has never been released commercially.
Track listing
- Fire Inc.Fire Inc.Fire Inc. was a Wagnerian rock band that released two songs for the rock and roll film Streets of Fire in 1984. The two songs never had any real commercial success. In the film Ellen Aim and the Attackers performed "Tonight Is What It Means to Be Young" with Face to Face playing the part of the...
– "Nowhere FastNowhere Fast"Nowhere Fast" is a song, first performed by Fire Inc. in 1984 for the rock movie Streets of Fire. A cover of the song was later recorded by Meat Loaf. The song was entirely written by Jim Steinman. Laurie Sargent performed the lead vocals. Holly Sherwood and Rory Dodd performed the background...
" 6:02 - Marilyn MartinMarilyn MartinMarilyn Martin is an American singer best known for her 1985 hit duet with Phil Collins, "Separate Lives."Born in Tennessee but raised in Louisville, Kentucky, Martin gained notice as a back-up singer for such artists as Stevie Nicks, Joe Walsh, Don Henley, Tom Petty and Kenny Loggins, touring...
– "Sorcerer" 5:06 - The FixxThe FixxThe Fixx is an English rock band formed in London in 1979. Their hits include "One Thing Leads to Another," "Red Skies," "Stand or Fall," "Saved by Zero," "Sign of Fire," "Are We Ourselves?," "Secret Separation," "Driven Out," "How Much Is Enough?," and "Deeper and Deeper," which was featured on...
– "Deeper and Deeper" 3:45 - Greg PhillinganesGreg PhillinganesGreg Phillinganes is an active session keyboardist in Los Angeles, California. He is a graduate of Cass Technical High School, Detroit Michigan....
– "Countdown to Love" 3:00 - The BlastersThe BlastersThe Blasters are a rock and roll music group formed in 1979 in Downey, California, by brothers Phil Alvin and Dave Alvin , with bass guitarist John Bazz and drummer Bill Bateman. Phil Alvin explained the origin of the band's name: "I thought Joe Turner’s backup band on Atlantic records – I had...
– "One Bad Stud" 2:28 - Fire Inc.Fire Inc.Fire Inc. was a Wagnerian rock band that released two songs for the rock and roll film Streets of Fire in 1984. The two songs never had any real commercial success. In the film Ellen Aim and the Attackers performed "Tonight Is What It Means to Be Young" with Face to Face playing the part of the...
– "Tonight Is What It Means To Be YoungTonight Is What It Means to Be Young"Tonight Is What It Means to Be Young" was first performed by Fire Inc. in 1984 for the rock film Streets of Fire. Cover versions of this song have also been recorded by Japanese singer Megumi Shiina, and for the musical Tanz der Vampire/Dance of the Vampires. The song was written by Jim Steinman....
" 6:58 - Maria McKeeMaria McKeeMaria Luisa McKee is an American singer and songwriter. She is best known for her work with Lone Justice and her 1990 UK solo chart-topping hit, "Show Me Heaven".-Music:...
– "Never Be You" 4:06 - Dan HartmanDan HartmanDaniel Earl "Dan" Hartman was an American singer, songwriter and record producer, best known for such songs as: "Free Ride", "I Can Dream About You", "Instant Replay", "Love Sensation", and "Relight My Fire", all of which had world-wide success.-Career:Born in Pennsylvania's capital, Harrisburg,...
– "I Can Dream About YouI Can Dream About You"I Can Dream About You" is a song performed by Dan Hartman on the soundtrack album Streets of Fire from the movie of the same name. Originally released in 1984 as a single off Hartman's album I Can Dream About You, it reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was performed by Winston Ford in...
" 4:07 - Ry CooderRy CooderRyland Peter "Ry" Cooder is an American guitarist, singer and composer. He is known for his slide guitar work, his interest in roots music from the United States, and, more recently, his collaborations with traditional musicians from many countries.His solo work has been eclectic, encompassing...
– "Hold That Snake" 2:36 - The Blasters - Blue Shadows 3:17
Reaction
Streets of Fire fared poorly at the box office, opening in 1,150 theaters on June 1, 1984, and grossing USD $2.4 million. After ten days it made $4.5 million while Star Trek III: The Search for SpockStar Trek III: The Search for Spock
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock is a 1984 motion picture released by Paramount Pictures. The film is the third feature based on the Star Trek science fiction franchise and is the center of a three-film story arc that begins with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and concludes with Star Trek IV:...
grossed $34.8 million in the same time. The film went on to make $8 million in North America, compared to a production budget of $14.5 million. It retains a cult following today, in part due to its Wagnerian rock soundtrack.
Critical reception
The film received mostly negative reviews from critics when it was first released. It currently has a 60% rating on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
. Janet Maslin
Janet Maslin
Janet Maslin is an American journalist, best known as a film and literary critic for The New York Times. She served as the Times film critic from 1977–1999.- Biography :...
of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
criticized the film's screenplay as being misogynistic and "problematically crude." Gary Arnold in the Washington Post wrote that as "romantic leads, Paré and Lane are pretty much a washout," and that "most of the action climaxes are treated as such throwaways that you begin to wonder if they bored the director." Jay Scott
Jay Scott
Jay Scott was the pen name of Jeffrey Scott Beaven , a Canadian film critic.Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, Scott fled to Canada in 1969 as a draft dodger. He settled in Calgary, and began writing film reviews for the Calgary Albertan a few years later...
in The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
newspaper wrote, "when Streets of Fire is speeding by like Mercury on methedrine, the rush left in its wake cancels out questions of content. But the minute the momentum slows, it's another story – a story about a movie with no story at all." In a lengthy essay for Film Comment
Film Comment
Film Comment is an arts and culture magazine published by the Film Society of Lincoln Center, of which it is the official publication. Film Comment features critical reviews and in-depth analysis of mainstream, art-house, and avant-garde filmmaking from around the world...
, David Chute wrote, "It's probably impossible not to enjoy the movie. No director holds a candle to Hill for sheer visceral expertise. But the moods didn't linger. It's such a hard-shelled picture that it barely has moods." However, Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
, in his Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
review, praised the film's dialogue. He wrote, "the language is strange, too: It's tough, but not with 1984 toughness. It sounds like the way really mean guys would have talked in the late 1950s, only with a few words different – as if this world evolved a slightly different language."