It’s always amazing to think of the number of films that flopped at the box-office on their initial cinematic run, but grew afterwards to become very popular.
BLADE RUNNER, THE THING, TRON are three such examples from 1982.
Another film which got its’ initial release two years later that suffered the same initial fate, but which has become a true 1980s classic is Walter Hill’s STREETS OF FIRE.
In an interview at the time, Hill described the film as taking all the clichés that he loved in films – for example neon and kissing in the rain amongst others and encompassing a movie that reflected the rebelliousness of the 1950s American teen films like THE WILD ONE with Marlon Brando.
In ‘ANOTHER TIME, ANOTHER PLACE’ as one of the opening credit captions tells us, an unnamed city community is welcoming home one of their own, rock superstar Ellen Aim (Diane Lane) who is back in town with her band The Attackers. However, the villainous Raven (Willem Dafoe) and his gang are keen to welcome her by whisking her away as she performs on stage – and so they do.
In the audience is a café worker, Reva Cody (Deborah Van Valkenburgh, THE WARRIORS) who sends out a telegram asking her brother, Tom (Michael Pare) to come home and go after her. Tom, you see, used to have a relationship with Ellen, so isn’t exactly enamoured with her considering she left town to pursue her dreams, but sisters matter.
At a local bar, he meets a soldier, McCoy (Amy Madigan) who is being refused a drink by a fresh bartender (the late Bill Paxton) who she whacks and then grabs a bottle from behind the bar. Cody allows her to stay at Reva’s place, then agrees to meet Ellen’s manager, the wimpish Billy Fish (Rick Moranis, GHOSTBUSTERS, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, PARENTHOOD) and along with McCoy they head into the lion’s den to get Ellen back….
The plot is not really as important as the whole style and look of the film. This is a film to be seen and heard with the incredible soundtrack with music composed by BAT OF OUT HELL / TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART composer Jim Steinmann (Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac composed another of the songs in the film, SORCERER)
STREETS OF FIRE is a film that defies analysis, which is what makes it sure an enduring film. the screen wipes do make it more like one of the earliest examples of the modern graphic novel and a forerunner of bigger budgeted films like SIN CITY and WATCHMEN.
It is also one of producer Joel Silver’s most underrated films alongside the likes of 48 HRS. , DIE HARD and the LETHAL WEAPON series, with a terrific cast, led by Lane who mimes to the music track she performs as Ellen Aim (two alternate female vocalists, Laurie Sargent and Holly Sherwood, according to online research, did the vocals for the film)