STREETS OF FIRE (1984)—The Road to Walter Hill is Paved with Good Intentions. Probably.

Cinema of Cruelty (Movies for Masochists)

This week The Cultists Present Walter Hill’s ‘Streets of Fire’ (1984). Following the success of '48 Hours' in 1982, Hill and co. were given carte blanche by Universal to do whatever their hearts desired. Hill’s greatest wish? A Rock and Roll fable set in an unknown time and place. A world filed with motorcycle chases, rockstars, gang wars, neon lit diners, and wet hardboiled streets—and all shot in the pure cinema “extreme realism” style that had become synonymous among industry insiders and film critics alike with the name “Walter Hill.” Enter: Streets of Fire. A commercial failure in an otherwise high note career, this film is not exactly Hill’s finest, but it is Hill at his most free.

Deep Dives include: Walter Hill’s “haiku” screenwriting style vs. his “extreme realism” directing; How this got made; the essential role of Lazlo's cinematography ; the original (and unnecessary) voiceover narration; and why neither of us would watch the sequel. (Yes, there is a sequel...).

Episode Safeword: “verbose”