Streets of Fire is one of many movies that I've been meaning to watch for what feels like forever. It's directed by Walter Hill, who also did 48 HRS, Last Man Standing, The Warriors and who also had a significant hand in creating the Alien franchise as well as producing and directing a few episodes of Deadwood. So yea, I'm a fan.
I had always heard that Streets of Fire was something special, and it had been in my instant queue for quite a while, but somewhere somehow I had grown an aversion to watching new things, especially when school was in session. I can't defend myself really, but with school and work destroying me I only wanted to watch stuff that was familiar and distracting. Pathetic, I know.
I've turned a corner this summer though, and have plowed through a number of awesome films, but Streets of Fire sticks out. As I mentioned above, Walter Hill has done some damn fine work, and this movie was right in the middle of a streak for him. He had done The Warriors in 1979, which had led to 48 HRS in 1982. If Lethal Weapon is the pinnacle of the Buddy/Action film as we know it, then 48 HRS is the creation of it. Hill took that freedom granted by the success of 48 HRS and poured it into Streets of Fire. And man, what a movie.
The film couldn't match the success of his earlier movies, but it's easy to see why it has found a second life among film lovers. Streets of Fire oozes with confidence from the very first frame, depicting an 80s version of the 50s. Or maybe it's a 50s version of the 80s. It doesn't really matter though, as Hill plants familiar faces like Willem Dafoe, Rick Moranis, Diane Lane and the films hero, Michael Pare, to help guide us through this weird and unplaceable timeline.
The story goes like this- Diane Lane is a teen rock sensation that gets kidnapped by the local biker gang leader, played by Dafoe. Enter Michael Pare, Lane's former lover and military man to the rescue. That's about it story wise. Sounds thin I know, but each character is so well played and defined, and the world so well realized that you really don't need anything else. Best of all, it really just boils down to a guy who can't do anything but the right thing.
I'd like to focus on that for a second. I miss those kinds of heroes in films. The ones who are just compelled to be good. They don't have to go through an entire movie learning what it means to be heroic, they simply are from frame one. Now, I know there are plenty of examples of recent films that have that exact hero. Captain America, for instance. ( I also know there are numerous films I have loved recently that went down the exact road I just scolded, but shut up). But I mean normal guys, not superheroes. Michael Pare in Streets of Fire really reminds me of that kind of hero. He's a guy that knows how to handle a situation. Hell, the first scene he's in he takes care of an entire group of bikers that are harassing his sister in a diner, and it's a beauty of a scene. He's tough, funny and just intimidating enough for you to realize you shouldn't mess with him. Love it.
Which brings me to White House Down. First things first, the movie is basically a carbon copy of the first three Die Hard movies rolled into one. There a scene in an elevator shaft, underground tunnels, Channing Tatum in a wife beater and Jamie Foxx in the role of Samuel L. Jackson. And that is completely OK.
Those are just a few of the similarities though. Another glaring one is Tatum's character John Cale, a divorced dad who is just trying to impress his politics obsessed teenage daughter with a tour of the White House when all hell breaks loose and Cale is forced to take action and save the day simply because if he doesn't, who will? Look, of course it's not as good as Die Hard, but I love that the movie's hero is just a good guy in the wrong place at the wrong time. Not to mention that the film is a total blast through and through and director Roland Emmerich knows exactly how to push all the right patriotic buttons, having previously made ID4 and The Patriot. It's a bit silly at times, but it's never boring.
Speaking of Die Hard, I can't talk about everyday heroes without mentioning Bruce Willis. Obviously, Die Hard is the template for that kind of character, but after White House Down I was drawn to Armageddon for absolutely no good reason. But again, it's a movie with multiple guys who are forced into an impossible situation and still they step up and do what's asked of them. Also, Aerosmith.
I can't quite explain my obsession with these kinds of characters right now. I mean, I've always loved heroes, especially when depicted as an everyman. Maybe it's the summertime, or maybe it's this beer I'm drinking right now, but god damnit I just want to believe in heroes. And Bruce Willis.
