Streets of Fire
A mercenary reunites with an unlikely crew to extract a kidnapped rock singer from a biker gang in Walter Hill’s rain-soaked urban fantasy.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- propulsive
- stylized
- rain-soaked
- cult movie night
- retro action marathon
What critics said
Critics generally found the film visually and musically exhilarating but narratively thin, with stylized action that sometimes feels emotionally or dramatically underdeveloped.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The story explicitly blends the 1950s with the 1980s in an always-nighttime city of diners, rock concerts, motorcycles, and modern action styling.
The location is called Another Place and is presented as a perpetually nocturnal city organized into symbolic neighborhoods such as the Battery.
Ellen Aim's concert, the rock soundtrack, biker gang imagery, and broad symbolic performances make the action feel operatic and musical.
Tom Cody is hired to rescue Ellen Aim, his ex-girlfriend, and must reenter the violent world surrounding her kidnapping.
Films like Streets of Fire, and why
The Warriors
stylized urban action, heightened masculine heroism, and a vividly constructed neon-noir atmosphere
The Driver
rock-driven spectacle, outlaw romance, and comic-book action heightened by a synthetic period setting
Flash Gordon
musical energy, retro-futurist visual design, and a rescue narrative shaped by gang violence
Movie Details
- Director
- Walter Hill
- Release Date
- 1984-06-01
- Runtime
- 93 min
- Rating
- 6.9 / 10 (572)
Cast
- Michael Paré
- Diane Lane
- Rick Moranis
- Amy Madigan
- Willem Dafoe
- Bill Paxton
- Deborah Van Valkenburgh
- Richard Lawson
- Grand L. Bush
- Rick Rossovich
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Criterion Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Streets of Fire about?
- A mercenary reunites with an unlikely crew to extract a kidnapped rock singer from a biker gang in Walter Hill’s rain-soaked urban fantasy.
- What is Streets of Fire like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Streets of Fire as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Streets of Fire violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Streets of Fire as moderate.
- What did critics think of Streets of Fire?
- Critics generally found the film visually and musically exhilarating but narratively thin, with stylized action that sometimes feels emotionally or dramatically underdeveloped.
- Which films are like Streets of Fire?
- Films with a similar feel include The Warriors, The Driver, and Flash Gordon.
- How long is Streets of Fire?
- Streets of Fire runs 93 minutes.
- Where can I watch Streets of Fire?
- In United States, Streets of Fire streams on Criterion Channel.
