The Best Movie Ever (For 20 Minutes)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ก.ย. 2024
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The magic of the first and last ten minutes of STREETS OF FIRE
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CAST & CREW
narrative writers
Jake Torpey
Mike Curran / mikel_curran
music by
Brian Metolius www.brianmetol...
featuring
Emma Logsdon / msmegalodon
co-editor
Ryan Alva / papajohnmisty_
title sequence by
Madeline Metolius www.madelineme...
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I responded to a bunch of your comments (like why didn't I mention Amy Madigan or casting a SOF remake) over on the second channel: th-cam.com/video/pq3CHE8_Xdk/w-d-xo.html
22:24 For a GREAT punchline this really needed Patrick sitting a the flooded table soaked to the bones in the next cut, just like he described, subverting the audiences' expectation that he wouldn't actually do it!
I'm old enough to have seen Willem Dafoe's second movie and exclaimed 'Hey, that's the bad guy from Streets of Fire!' lol
To Live & Die in LA?
@@samanthab1923 Technically 6th and 8th movie. But those two were the standout roles that really put him on the map!
The Loveless is what I thought at first
I saw streets of fire on TV after I'd seen The Last Temptation. Jesus as an evil biker is a weird thing to see!
@@samanthab1923another great movie. One of the best chase scenes ever.
I saw the first five minutes of your video, turned it off, ordered the Blu-ray, it got here today, I just finished the movie and it’s one of the best movies I’ve seen this year. Easily. And I’ve seen 117 movies so far in 2024. I loved it!
Thanks for making me spend money. Money well spent.
Watched it last night and I really enjoyed it. I'm really enjoying lots of older films; The Warriors, The Thing, The Abyss. I'm really enjoying them, and they all look, sound and are fantastic!
@@varsas10 that’s so cool, I watched the abyss and the warriors for the first time this year as well!
@@varsas10 Holy crap, is "The Abyss" old enough to be called... old? Damn. i saw it in a theater opening weekend when I was a conscious human being. Okay, I'm old too. Oh, and "The Thing" IS A GODDAMNED CLASSIC OMG OMG OMG. Don't forget to watch another John Carpenter masterpiece, "Big Trouble in Little China."
You watching 117 movies 180 days into 2024 is an interesting offhand detail.
I actually screamed, "Yes!" in real life when I saw this video was about Streets Of Fire. I've been telling people about this movie for years. I mainly watched it because of Jim Steinman's involvement (because I'm part of that cult), but Willem Dafoe is also incredible in it. Excellent bad movie.
Patrick was praising the amazing energy of the beginning and the end of the movie, and I was like, "Okay, Willems, you've got 2 minutes to mention Jim Steinman, or it's over between us!"
Steinman is a wonderful little Pandora's Box isn't he
Jim Steinman is God, and Meat Loaf is His prophet
I see we have some fellow cult members in the comments 😸
Willem Defoe is incredible in everything he does.
I never thought Cody looked old. He looked like someone who had been through shit. Like a soldier who had been to war and never come home. He's weathered and it's that strain and stress he's endured, that gives him the skills he needs to save Ellen.
So hot. Always thought he’d have a bigger career
I agree. It would've helped if they called that out in the movie.
@@rolanddenzel-authorcoachIt would have pretty funny if everyone who knew him said "geez Tom, you look like $#!+" as a running joke.
Michael Paré is one of my favorite actors. 😊
Agree, I never saw him as old either. He just looks like a bit of a meathead - I've been friends with guys who have that exact same build and look in their early 20s.
Since this movie is mostly shot on the universal back-lot. The diner is the exact same diner that appears in Back to the Future. So I have a head canon where Streets of Fire is the timeline in BTTF 2 when evil Biff takes over Hill Valley.
And Biff is now played by Willem Dafoe
I love this theory, thank you
And if you switch the seasons, you'll see Billy Peltzer taking out Stripe and his gang in Gremlins.
I love it.
That backlot is like a real locale in my dream-psyche. Deja-vu City. Every movie I'm looking for its skeleton. So iconic, deserves to be on the National Registry of Historical Places.
I feel bad for Michael Pare - everyone involved in the film says he gave a bad performance but I’m like, “You auditioned him. You cast him. You directed him. That’s on you. Not him.”
Everyone involved that said that, needs to get their heads examined, because Michael Pare's character (Tom Cody) was a Badass and he portrayed him the way he was meant to. What did someone think William Dafoe would carry the movie?? Or Diane Lane?.... gimme a break.
@@rnkmode1876 'Why don't you tell me your name boy?'
'Tom Cody. Pleased to meet ya'
Oh man the testosterone in that scene 🥵
You must feel bad for Marlon Brando in Apocalypse now, too.
Pare was a complete and utter asshole on set and gave a terrible performance. there's no reason to have sympathy for the guy.
@@maxkproductions to make a claim like that, surely you have proof or testimony??. I never heard that from any of the actors that worked with him.
I'm a simple TH-cam consumer - I see a video with a haunting thumbnail of WIllem Dafoe's face on it, I click.
That is also why I'm here. It's a plus that is from a great channel too
You know, I'm something of a clickbait myself.
I feel that way about Diane Lane. She’s one of the most beautiful women in the world.
Same here brother 😂
That was a champion thumbnail.
The fact that it was titled Streets of Fire (a springsteen song) before they got permission to use his music is so funny. They brought Steinman in because his whole Schtick is parodying Springsteen - thats how he created Meatloaf. He even used Springsteen's keyboardist and drummer.
Max Weinberg?😂
There are so many music video directors who wouldn’t be who they are now without this movie.
Can you name any of them?
All of them were named Michael Bay.
I would like to know whom as well
This film was highly influenced by MTV.
@@damienmb2365 22:56 was directed by Michael Bay. Second time that music video has been relevant in a Willems video.
I watch your films on Nebula, but since I can't comment there, and my discretionary budget post Nebula support doesn't allow me to support anyone on Patreon, I came here to say thank you for making me laugh and think so often. I bounce around watching various film critics, but you are the benchmark by which they are judged. That doesn't make me unique, but the fact that I'm nearing 70 years-old, and am not a personal friend of your parents, at least makes me rare. Thanks for all your hard work, and the hard work of all those who surround you.
Who are his parents? Is Patrick another Nepo Baby?
Been watching Patrick for years. (Also a Nebula subscriber.)
I’ll dip my toe into other movie channels from time to time but I only subscribe to two - Patrick and Thomas Flight.
And to get to the actual reason for this reply…I’ve got you beat. I’m 73.
Me: "This gives me big Bubblegum Crisis Vibes"
Patrick (minutes later): "It inspired Bubblegum crisis"
It also gives me big "Repo! The Genetic Opera" vibes
. . .and the game Final Fight.
STREETS OF FIRE hit Japan harder than anything save Godzilla
Oh good, came here to say this! Now I can watch the rest of the video :)
and the game The Bouncer!
The vibes I get is Barb Wire.
Bubblegum Crisis before Bubblegum Crisis may as well have been Jim Steinman's whole oeuvre, up to and including turning Total Eclipse of the Heart into a second-act vampire love song in German.
My aunt showed me this movie last fall when she was staying over. Said it was her "comfort movie" and always brought her back to when she was in her early 20's in college and saw it in the theater. I was honestly kind of blown away by it. It's like something that was so influential but the actual source being not very widely known. I kept commenting about stuff like how it seemed like an anime. Like Cody in Final Fight is just Cody from Streets of Fire. I actually thought Michael Paré's performance was fine and highlighted how out of phase he was with the town and why he would stay away. Also the entire sequence in The Battery area that happens at Torchie's place is awesome. You really made it sound like the middle hour of the film drags and is a bit of a flop, but it isn't.
Torchy’s show up in a bunch of Walter Hill films. Best one, 48 hrs
You forgot Amy Madigan being amazing as the ex-soldier who helps Cody. Her part wasn't even meant to be a woman, but she gave such an good audition, they rewrote the part and hired her.
Yep. Hill was going to cast Edward James Olmos for the role. It took me years to understand why McCoy told Tom on two separate occasions “you’re not my type” 😂
As had happened in another Walter Hill-associated movie, "Alien," wherein Ripley was never stated to be a woman yet cast as such.
Amy was such an awesome part of the movie, in the end it shows the two of them teaming up (non romantically) and driving off for further adventures, it really is a shame we never got that sequel with Tom and McCoy.
One of the greatest movie sidekicks of the 80's.
Uncle Buck's Girlfriend! 😀
I love this movie ever since I saw it at the theater! It's a classic now. Don't forget Eddie and the Cruisers!
I actually want to defend Cody as a protagonist a bit and why he looks and acts like THAT.
Cody is an ex-soldier, he was enlisted right after he graduated from high school and served for several years. Ellen Aim (his ex) represents the life he left behind. Cody went to grow up and fight in war while people like his girlfriend stayed home, partied, and became rock stars. With this in mind (especially if you interpret the movie has taking place in a heightened reality), of course he looks older than everyone around him. Of course he looks out of place in a world of greaser punks and spoiled preps, because it’s a world he was disconnected from.
Edit: for some reason I called Cody "Hardy", I'm bad with names in general but that was embarrassing even for me.
Am I crazy or does he not even look that old?
Thank you, I think that perfectly encapsulates the different lives that Tom Cody and Ellen Aim have been living, he's been in hell for the past several years and it clearly did a number on him, I don't think he looks that old and but I think he looks like he's had a hard life which is 100% appropriate for the damaged character he's supposed to be, a man who is tough, will be there for you but will never really find love.
@@deparinge I don't think he does either, he was only 26 when this movie was made. Dafoe was 29.
@@Hessic Diane Lane: 19. For some reason it's hard to believe she would turn a mere 20 while making The Cotton Club!
Great comment, agree completely.
The thumbnail made me think this was Trouble In Mind (1985) in which Keith Carradine also becomes a villain with a hooked, lightbulb shaped pompadour. This wasn't a common look in the 80's, it's just weird that it happened twice. Trouble In Mind was a critically praised neo-noir with an out-of-drag Divine as a crime lord, and today it plays shockingly like a lost Joker origin movie. If you haven't seen it (no mention with Willem Dafoe's coiffure) it may be worth a movie lover's attention.
I love the Peter Gabriel reference any time Patrick says "Sledgehammer". I didn't get it until the second time he did it, but it's awesome!
Dancing chickens! Iconic. :)
Yes came here just to say this. Hilarious!
Those "sledgehammers" are actually the hammers they would used to hit railroad spikes into the ties. They are called "spike mauls"
It took me until the second time I heard it too. Then I went, “OHHHHHHH, that’s clever”
If they had gotten Tom Cruise it would have been one the top 5 movies of the 80's. Michael Paré was dreadful. Willem Dafoe is the most underrated actor in history. If you haven't seen "The Lighthouse" he is incredible. He embodies everyone's idea of the ancient Mariner. He was perfect.
Lee Ving ( lead singer of legendary punk band FEAR)
Is in this movie as one of Dafoes biker members. I think it should be noted. Lee is a true bad ass and steals scenes in whatever he does.
Their 1981 appearance on SNL was my introduction to punk rock, although I was still a little too young at the time to truly appreciate it...
He’ll always be the “All nude, all the time” guy from Flashdance to me
Also played Mr Body in Clue
Beef, beef, beef, beef bologna! Or how about, I love... Living in the city!
Honestly, it cannot be understated how much of a rosetta stone for late 80's-early 90's Japanese otaku culture Streets of Fire is. Anime, video games, tokusatsu, they all took from Streets of Fire. It's basically that and Top Gun and you unlock the secrets of the OVA boom.
I recently learned about the huge rockabilly/biker subculture in Japan, and Streets of Fire had to at least be partially responsible.
@@christianlarson2933 made sure to quickly double check and the stereotypical delinquent hair seems to predate this movie. For example manga that started from 1982 to the year this premiered like Bats & Terry, Shonan Bakusouzoku, and Be-Bop-Highschool gave multiple characters the same pompadour. I think they both just liked greasers
@deparinge Yup, see also: River City Ransom (NES)
I got Bubble Gum Crisis vibes from that intro
@@christianlarson2933No, BIKER CULTURE is what is responsible.
I showed up in 84, and I loved it. Everyone and their brother is playing so very tough (including Rick Moranis!). Yes it has the most passionless kiss in the history of Hollywood, but it is on my list.
So, I was watching this past Friday (It has been on my list of movies to watch for years, and this upcoming video pushed me into finally watching it). During the opening concert, my 18 year old comes down, watches briefly and goes back upstairs. Found that she searched out the soundtrack and started listening to it. She came down and responded, "How have I not heard about this movie? The music fucks." You can always count on Jim Steinman to write bangers.
Wait until she sees Eddie & the Cruisers.
@@adellis24 My Mom tried to tell me that Eddie and the Cruisers were a real band. I believed her until I looked for more information on them online.
@@adellis24 I admit, I had conflated the two films in my mind. I'm guessing the 50s retro asthetic. Or, that Michael Paré starred in both.
Well, they were a real band ... it was just John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band. So, yeah, technically mom was wrong.@@bl3343
@@adellis24 Hell to the yes to this. I frickin' love that movie.
The song from the finale “Tonight Is What It Means to Be Young” was actually used for a musical once. Jim Steinman adapted a lot of his songs for the German musical “Tanz der Vampire” - itself an adaptation of the 1967 Polanski film “The Fearless Vampire Killers”. The song is called “Der Tanz der Vampire” in the show. Here’s the link (starts at 2:32): th-cam.com/video/iEtez3VeAhg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=lSv2c0uy9W-abFoh
I just wanted to add the link in here as well! Because I am a huge fan of the musical, thats why I found about the movie in first place haha
Patrick’s feelings about Streets of Fire mirror my exact emotions regarding Tron Legacy. It carries many of the same critiques and flaws. Furthermore, my friends call me dumb when I show it to them. However, the cinematography, production design, music, and most of all vibes are transcendent to me.
A quick note to add about Streets of Fire; it has a killer poster!
Tron Legacy is an amazing movie and it makes me sad when people think it isn't. Is it perfect? No, but DAMN are the vibes impeccable all the way through
If you haven't, I would definitely recommend the cartoon series 'Tron: Uprising,' set before Legacy.
It's more of an adventure, but it does have its own visual flair to it.
Sadly ended on a cliffhanger, but fortunately it did manage to somewhat develop its plot to a satisfactory point.
Edit: Accuracy
You bet Tron Legacy is a very special mention to go along with Streets of Fire. The TLegacy story really appeals to how emotional its willing to get and amplifies the sacrifice Kevin is willing to make. It's a shame a lot audiences feel like once is enough and don't regularly rewatch Tron Legacy. It's got some beauty beyond light cycles and identity disc battles and stands on its own. Great mention!
Never trust anyone who says, “vibes”, they are not serious people.
As it turned out, this was not the only Walter Hill movie to deal with music. A couple years later, he did Crossroads with Ralph Macchio and Joe Seneca inspired by the legend of blues musician Robert Johnson and how he supposedly sold his soul to the devil. Very underrated. Walter Hill is definitely a very underrated director.
I am surprised you didn't mention his directing debut Hard Times. Great pairing of Charles Bronson and James Coburn about bare-knuckle boxing in New Orleans during the Great Depression.
The soundtrack for Crossroads confirmed my fandom for Ry Cooder. I ended up buying a handful of other Cooder albums from 70's and 80's (Get Rhythm, 1987, is my favorite Ry Cooder album). Streets Of Fire also introduced me to The Blasters who I did not really start to 'follow' until I heard the song Dark Night which was in the Robert Rodriguez movie From Dusk Till Dawn (1995).
BUT, Walter Hill's cool modern Film Noir Johnny Handsome (Mickey Rourke) also had a soundtrack (instrumental) by Ry Cooder.
Oh yeah, good call. Hard Times seems to be neglected. I haven't seen that on tv in it seems a decade. I've considered DVD. Maybe it can be found on Prime Video or TH-cam.
@@BruceWalther-s2l I grew up in Hawaii and love his work with the Pahinui Brothers.
@@mmmpotstickers8684 Sounds like Chicken Skin Music to me🌞😎
Amazing- I watched the first ~20 minutes of this movie like two years ago on a whim, decided I was too tired and went to bed despite loving it so far, and never went back to it. Didn't know I was in the know.
You never picked it back up and didn't see the final 20 minutes, not you are NOT in the know... you are a part of the problem as to why this film doesn't get more respect.
Same thing happened to me! And I only made it to about 10+ min.
Try ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST. Maybe best opening twenty in history
Netflix would remember. And add it to the viewing figures.
I have watched the Nowhere Fast music video hundreds of times since first discovering it. The energy, the world, the characters, the music, it's a perfect music video, short film, trailer. I even downloaded the highest quality version i could find (of just the music video) to archive in my collection. But i chose to avoid the movie, because a) I would have already heard of it and seen it if it lived up to the music video, b) i didn't want to ruin the music video experience. To this day i haven't seen the movie, and this is my first time learning another person's opinion about it.
YES! So glad someone else is singing the praises of "Streets of Fire" - it is WILDLY underrated. And gosh, Diane Lane in that opening might be the most beautiful woman ever committed to film. Have had such a crush on her for years... "Nowhere Fast" *is* a top-20 movie song, no hyberbole there at all. Such a great track!
I'm gobsmacked that anyone not Gen X or older has even heard of this, let alone is covering it, let alone is singing the praises it deserves. Beyond "I Can Dream About You" being in the Top 40, the movie was underrated even in its time. So happy to see new generations find this diamond in the rough.
This movie is a gem for sure
Patrick is gonna love the Protomen when finds out about them
Think that The Protomen have introduced a lot of people to this movie, me included.
"led by a young William Defoe with his hair combed into some kind of demonic horn"
Lol, the hairstyle Is called a Jellyroll, it's the same haircut that Wolverine has in the comics from his origin in the 1970s during a time when 50s Americana was having a nostalgic Moment.
but it's almost a devilock, tho
Dafoe as Wolverine!
@@davidjames579he woulda been perfect
It's called a pompadour kids
@@Jason-cm6uh is it tho? I mean it's a type of pompadour maybe.
From the 80's and early 90's. Time of greatest looking movies and camera work - no green screens or other shortcuts - real sets, great soundtrack
5 minutes in, I hit pause, listened to the soundtrack and the Blu-Ray arrives on Friday. Good job Willems
Have the soundtrack already, finally gonna drop the money for the 4K disc as well
I was a senior in HS in '84 and went twice to see it. Loved it. Bought the album.
Me too. I graduated in 85. The summer of 84 was fun as far as movies and pop music.
I'm one of the rare people that love this movie (along with The Warriors). It drags a bit in the middle but the beginning and end more than make up for it and I love this film.
A 90 minute film that drags in the middle? Yikes.
The warriors never gets boring. Bu this one...
I was born on '78 and saw this movie on HBO or something when I was about 6-7. Absolutely LOVED this movie and soundtrack as a kid, and still do. Don't forget the awesome camo from FEAR's lead singer/bass player Lee Ving (he's the gang member that tells the gang to ride out after Dafoe gets his ass beat)
Jim Steinmann is such an undervalued composer he (co)wrote a lot of Meat Loaf’s greatest hits. And he wrote the music for my favorite musical ever, Tanz der Vampire (Dance of the vampires, a German musical).
Sometimes it pays to wait to comment XD
))))) @@TRPLD
That tracks. SOF's soundtrack is really good. Sorcerer; I Can Dream About It, and Tonight Is What It Need To Be Young! Are awesome.
Steinman also wrote 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' and 'I Need A Hero' for Meatloaf, but they weren't speaking at the time, so he had Bonnie Tyler sing the songs, which he also produced.
If we can accept that Stockard Channing was in high school, we can accept that Michael Pare was 20. 😂 Great video! Love this movie so much!
This video coming after the “Video Game Adaptions” essay feels like the perfect time to mention the musical oeuvre of The Protomen: the Stienman/SOF-influenced rock opera based off of the Mega Man games. An absolute must-listen
Dude. YES.
This is crazy-I've never met a fellow Protomen fan in the wild before, from which I can only conclude we are exceptionally rare creatures.
Yes!! Incredible band, Act II remains one of my favorite albums
Thank you so much for bringing the existance of this to my attention.
And, connecting it to this video, they have a cover of In The Air Tonight by Phil Collins, which, if someone didn't know already somehow, is the drum fill right before the ad read. It's a pretty good cover!
Streets Of Rage is Streets Of Fire. Diane Lane is Blaze!
Streets Of Fire is so slept on. Walter Hill's direction, the cinematography, the cast is perfect (at least visually), the music.The entire look of the film is great, even details like Diane Lane's geometric dress and Dafoe looking like greaser Dracula. The movie's bookends do get your heart racing. That fight scene at the end is tough. It's a many genre mashup and that's what makes it great.
I always enjoyed Michael Paré in this because I thought he was a hardened soldier coming back from active duty (my dad insisted it was because the cold war had heated up in the late 50s and society just... stagnated for decades, ostensibly this is the 80s) to take care of a problem at home. He's playing it world weary because he is world weary. He looks older because emotionally, he is.
agree!
Am I crazy or does he not even look that old?
@@deparinge He was 25 when he made this.
Yeah it made sense to me. Definitely didn't seem too old, except relative to Diane Lane if they were meant to be same age.
Active duty ages people, even if they never see combat.
This movie's mixture of earnestness, energy and utter batshittery makes it one of those movies you have to see in a busy cinema on a Friday night. I saw it at a screening in Leicester Square just a few years ago and it absolutely brought the house down.
I did not expect a Yu Yu Hakusho reference when clicking on this video, but I'm here for it. Glad to see Patrick is a man of culture.
I used to rent this from a great place that no longer exists and it was kept in the Sci Fi section.
That is when I realized how this film has gotten over so many people's heads since the 80s.
It's a legit time-jump film spanning eras from the late 50s to the 80s.
The kicker is how they use the elevated trains and tunnels to travel from one era to the other.
It's awesome when u really put your mind to it
I'm not ashamed to say on first viewing it took me well over an hour to finish the opening sequence of Streets of Fire, nowhere fast remains one of the greatest songs ever made for a film.
AGREE
Was it the end of level boss that got you? He takes repeat attempts to defeat.
@harrywilliams9982. "Nowhere Fast" is not the best song- it's the final song "Tonight Is What It Means to Be Young" which is the best. Both were written by the late great Jim Steinman (Bat Out of Hell Album; Holding Out for a Hero; It's All Coming Back to Me Now; Making Love Out of Nothing at All, etc.). The amazing thing he wrote the final song in three days. The man was a musical genius.
@@slimjimnyc270 i’m not willing to disagree considering they’re both great!
I watched Streets of Fire when I was fairly young. I was blown away by the opening, the fever dream style, and definitely the soundtrack. Years later I watched it again and had some critiques and thought certain things didn't hit as well as they did when I was younger, but I still loved it.
This is one of my favourite films; especially the shot of Raven being carried away on the trike that mirrors "La Pietà". The costumes, props, sets, music and, especially, the hair-design are all top-notch; and the buzz-saw transitions are great fun.
This was one of the first “80s” movies I had ever seen. My dad bought it on DVD about 11 years ago when I was 13. Talk about a trip man
"Grease by way of Escape from New York" is not something I knew I needed in my life
Diane Lane has a power ballad and Rick Moranis has a non conventional type as an antagonistic role.
Awesome synopsis
It is glorious! I have seen it like 30 times since it came out. LOVE it so much!
The opening and closing songs are TOTAL PERFECTION.
It’s really not, it’s just hyperbolic corporate suit elevator pitch BS.
Give Emma a Vito for the way she said "title sequence" before the title sequence started!
Without this movie inspiring Mike Pondsmith, we wouldn't have the Cyberpunk 2020 TTRPG.
YES. Cody and McCoy are the Solos (or maybe one is a Nomad), Fish is the Fixer, Ellen is the Rocker, Raven and his bikers are the Boostergang. It all fits.
@@digitaljanus Isn't McCoy more a Tech?
Remember that Cyberpunk 2020 is the remake/update of R Talsorian's original Cyberpunk RPG, which was set in 2013 and came out in '88.
So much of Cyberpunk 2020 was deeply rooted in 80's aesthetic it wraps around from being dated and passe to being incredibly stylish and cool again. No wonder CDPR decided to resurrect it for their game.
And arguably the Protomen too. I had no idea Pondsmith took inspiration from this, that's a very cool tidbit
I watched Top Secret again with my partner who hadn’t seen it before last night and I cannot tell you how much joy the references are bringing me
Top Secret is fun. Spoofing Elvis movies, spy movies, 50's teen flicks. Ha I want to see it again now.
Triple feature Walter Hill's "Streets of Fire" with Francis Ford Coppola's "One From the Heart" and Kathryn Bigelow's "The Loveless".
Tripped over and found this channel and instantly love it. Love these two. Praying for one million views for you.
Streets of Fire is still a 5/5 for me, but thank you for arguing for the last few minutes and Jim Steinman! I actually do think "Tonight Is What It Means to Be Young" is the best song written for a film. Personally, I don't think Cruise would've fit into the cowboy archetype that Hill wanted and Pare filled in decently, and I'd argue him looking too old actually works in the film's favor. That stilted delivery is all apart of the package, baby. Rock 'n Roll Fable, man.
I love Tom Cruise, but I can’t imagine him being able to grab Rick Moranis by the scruff of the neck.
The moral of this story is that Diane Lane is a goddess who is still beautiful, she is always getting kidnapped (see the underrated Lonesome Dove series), and yes, I want to rescue her because I'm a red blooded American.
I didn't know about this movie but the second I saw Ellen Aim I was like "oh yeah, that's where Priss and the Replicants came from." Always fun to hear someone shout out old anime like Bubblegum Crisis!
p.s. as much as people love the original, Tokyo 2040 is extremely underrated imo.
Yeah, I had already seen a lot of 80s anime before I saw this for the first time, and it's funny how many tropes I recognized in it. Especially William Dafoe's hair, which became THE hairstyle for any bosozoku type afterward.
This was the inspiration for the anime. If you listen to that first song, "Nowhere Fast", you'll hear parts of it that were... borrowed for "Konya Wa Hurricane."
@@ShineAqua There's a video edit on TH-cam placing the opening of this film with the first episode of BGC and it's practically a shot-for-shot remake.
Oh yeah, I got that exact same reaction when I saw Streets for the first time. BGC is one of my favorite anime series'. I had to go back and re-watch the BGC opening after watching Streets just to make sure I wasn't mis-remembering how similar it was.
@@jasonblalock4429 made sure to quickly double check and the stereotypical delinquent hair seems to predate this movie. For example manga that started from 1982 to the year this premiered like Bats & Terry, Shonan Bakusouzoku, and Be-Bop-Highschool gave multiple characters the same pompadour. I think they both just liked greasers
this film gave us streets of rage and final fight, 10/10
If true, that's incredible.. it means theres nothing original ever, life is a remix of other things
I actually first watched Streets of Fire earlier this year and somewhere in the middle I actually said "This is what a Double Dragon movie should've been like" and between its influence on Japanese pop culture and its connection to The Warriors I guess that reaction makes sense?
The way you lean into the great music of this movie validates everything I’ve known about Streets of Fire since I first watched it decades ago. The fact that Tonight Is What It Means to Be Young has been on my playlist for years and I didn’t know it was written by Jim Steinman is a great embarrassment.
Emma hasn’t seen Little Shop of Horrors OR Honey, I Shrunk the Kids? This show truly is always shrouded in mystery.
It's a different generation, I'm the same age as her and I haven't seen them either
Forget the songs, the storyline, the characters and the fights. The EDITING is what makes this movie a masterpiece.
Keeping the memory of Jim Steinman alive, bless you Patrick. I knew it when the opening of Night of the Coconut hit me like a sledgehammer! What is that motif every time he says the word sledgehammer, I can't quite place it
It’s the electric organ from Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer”
@@leviconrad3752 to be precise, it’s a digital sample of a shakuhachi from Peter Gabriel’s E-mu Emulator II
What a boldly, original statement!
F*** off Alice, that's my comment. Is this a thing now? We can just cut and paste some else comment. Why, what's the point?
You nailed it, Patrick. Yes, these first ten minutes of the movie saw me standing up from my couch and staring at my TV thinking « why haven’t I seen this movie before ?!? » (and by the way, yes, Temple of Doom is my favorite Indy, by far)
This movie is such a gem. So amazing to see all the talented actors so young. And the track “Nowhere Fast” is still a bop.
I had the pleasure of watching this fabulous film at the ABC cinema, Broad Green, Croydon UK, when it was first released and it blew me away. I then had the pleasure of sharing it on video with both my sons 38 years later over the Christmas holiday and it blew them away too. They had never heard of it.
The editing is amazing, the splatter wipe scene transitions stunned me first time around, I had never seen anything so dynamic before.
With regards to the Western aesthetic, all the firearms are straight from a cowboy film and the ambition of using tarpaulins to cover over the Universal backlot to allow night shooting during the day was inspired. Thanks for this one Patrick.
Man, what I wouldn't give to have seen this in a theater when it came out. The opening scene gives me chills like nothing else in film, and to experience it in a room full of people on a giant screen must have been mindblowing.
What I find interesting about the Soundtrack (which I have on Vinyl...) and the song "I Can Dream About You" is the song was performed by the fictional group "The Sorels" in the film.
The real voice behind the version used in the film was Winston Ford, but Dan Hartman's version (he wrote it) was the one used on the soundtrack album and released as a single.
As an aside, I didn't know I wanted a long form video essay on fantastical cities and now I need it.
I wonder if that will include cities on wheels, like Mortal Engines.
I just hope he was in Europe to see Megalopolis at Cannes so it's included.
Oooh, and the visuals of Poor Things!
I like how quickly Cody turns away. He is already verbally commited to leaving Ellen but, you get the sense that if he stood in the doorway a moment longer he'd go back to her.
I love Streets of Fire, and I love the crazy story of how it got made, and all the crazy talent behind it. I love that it exists and I can't believe my favorite video essayist about movies covered it. I feel like you made this just for me 💜
The Charlton Heston movie The Omega Man from 1971 is the same way for me. It’s so great for the first 45 minutes but once the other survivors show up it just dies.
So what you're telling me is that this is due for a kick-ass Broadway adaptation to turn it into a full-on rock musical, like Newsies not being a hit until the Broadway adaptation
I LOVE how influential this movie is in Japan. Wish you'd mentioned Street Fighter and Final Fight, though. I mean, Cody is in both!
I would highly recommend listening to The Protomen: Act II. A shameless rock opera that is admittedly inspired by this movie.
I tracked down this movie specifically because an issue of Cable from the early 2000s had writer David Tischman make Cable do an entire monologue on Tom Cody. I was so happy to watch this!
I literally grew up with this movie. VHS recorded off HBO, I watched it on loop for decades; and continue today with the dvd. My #1 movie of all time, great bad ass movie
The freaking Sledgehammer flute edits are sending me!
I was introduced to this movie in a film class in college, and I've unapolgetically loved it from that moment on. It was presented as an example of how a simple story can have other elements that elevate the whole of the experience. The art style and the soundtrack carry SO MUCH of the weight and, in the end, it's more than enough for me. And, as you say near the end of your essay, it's always enjoyable to find other people who feel the same about it.
Walter Hill also was one of the people responsible for the Tales from the Crypt series and directed two of its best episodes-- The Man Who Was Death and Cutting Cards.
I always found Raising Arizona the perfect movie for about 20mins. Right up to the beginning credits. The whole movie is good, but that beginning is non stop perfection.
Patrick "I wish this city were more well defined..."
Me "Like Walter Hill's The Warriors!"
Patrick "...like Walter Hill's The Warriors."
Yessss. What a perfect journey through cartoonish gang ridden hyper violent 70s NYC that always gives you a good idea of where the characters are.
I remember watching this movie on tv as a kid for about 30 minutes. I thought it was the coolest and weirdest thing I had ever seen. The trench coat, the big gun he carries, the big car, his voice, the atmosphere... Never saw it again and always wondered what movie it was. Just figured it out with this video. They should remake this one or re-release the original in theaters.
Patrick Willems doing a video on Streets of Fire??? True perfection.
In case anyone missed it, the doo-wop group in the movie is also full of stars: Robert Townsend (A Soldier's Story, Hollywood Shuffle, Meteorman), Mykelti Williamson (Forrest Gump, Con Air), Grand Bush (Die Hard, Lethal Weapon) and Stoney Jackson (227).
I was so excited to see this thumbnail. I have always loved this movie SO much. I first saw it on HBO in the 80s, and it stuck with me. The weird, otherworldly, cyberpunk-ish setting, the music, it just works for me on so many levels! I am not blind to SoF's flaws...but they don't dampen my love for it at ALL.
Those songs, though - Tonight Is What it Means To Be Young was my ringtone for a couple of years. Just great stuff.
You had me at "Greaser Psycho Willem Dafoe"
My headcanon says this takes place on Dark City after the strangers have gone. The flaws are so many obvious story flaws in the middle though, it's frustrating.
Wow a "serious" movie analyst talking about Streets of Fire. One of my favorite shoulder shrugging movies. I adore the soundtrack, it is my all time favorite, with no competition. And when I watch the movie I always have to wonder "how does a movie have this soundtrack, that cast, be this well shot, and yet be so... meh?" I think you actually answered that. Thanks
holy crap. i've been trying to remember this movies name for 2 decades. i remembered it vaguely from when i was a very young kid, and always thought it was so ridiculously cool in that camp way. and now i'll finally get a chance to rewatch and see how it holds up, plus its great to hear you think the first and last minutes are a masterpiece. i kinda recall that part and the music as the most memorable. thanks.
The Peter Gabriel sting at 8:40 was perfection.
One of my favorites when I was a kid . The music the vibes the bad guys,the bikes, the cars,RIck amazing Moranis,the beautiful DIane Lane,etc. What an amazing fillm.A rock and roll film .
Gen Xers who watched this on repeat on daytime basic cable also know it's a classic.
I'm probably the only person who loves the line delivery in this movie.
"Yeah, well I'm all out of medals!"
"I grew up in the Battery! It's the shits!"
Everyone is delivering the lines in this monochromatic way that is for me at least, hypnotic.
Oooo Walter Hill, that's exciting!
Absolutely glorious movie! Criminally underrated. Jim Steinman's music is perfect. It's a truly heroic movie. Love everything about it. In the 90s I worked in a video store and we put movies on to watch. Streets of Fire was in HEAVY rotation.
This movie fucking rules! We discuss it on our Illinois episode and pit it against Ferris Buellers' Day off and The Untouchables
Blues Brothers?
I don't think it's a fair criticism saying that Michael Parré looks too old. None of the people in this movie look under 30.
46 year old guy here and I loved this film since I was 9. Definitely near the top of my list. I don't know why more people don't talk about it!
Of all the old movie reboots, can you imagine Streets of Fire with Tom Hardy (or another strong lead) and contemporary film techniques?
Just respect Jim Steinman's music and DO NOT change it.
Recommendation for a future video: Buckaroo Banzai. It is hilarious! and it is intentionally hilarious, yet most people might not notice it is meant to be funny. They might think it unintentionally funny because it is so-bad-it-is-good. But that is because they don't get it. When you finally do get it... wholly shit it is genius.
In all the years since it came out, I have only talked to a few people who have seen or even heard of that movie... Like other "cult films," I think it was just too damned weird to have a mass appeal.
A wonderful movie. Fantastic performance by John Lithgow. And Yoyodyne….brilliant.
Great to see that so many others feel the same way as I do about this movie.
I have watched the video of "Tonight Is What It Means To Be Young" repeatedly and every single time it overwhelms me with emotion.
Easily one of the best songs ever written for a movie!
Great video, once again 🙏 I'm "Temple-of-Doom-Team" also, and the Peter Gabriel music gag made me laugh way more than it should've been, so my level of gratefulness to you is (cue the Phil Collins music gag) amazingly great 🙏🙏🙏