Sep 21 2008
Blood on the Tarmac
Savage Streets (1984) ***1/2 - This Linda Blair starring vehicle has been called morally despicable by even the most hardened genre critics. And there is no denying it is rough stuff and sleazy as they possibly come. But that is why it is so good. This is the kind of movie that is simply not made any more; a well made, balls out sleaze/revenge thriller that takes it self completely seriously. But at the same time knows exactly what the audiences came for, blood, boobs and ultraviolence, all of which it delivers. Blair plays the top heavy, no bra wearing, leader of a gang of tough chicks whose only soft spot is her deaf mute sister (extremely well played by Linnea Quiggly in probably her best performance). When they run afoul of four of the most disgusting street toughs of all of the 80’s cinema, the girls pull a little prank to get even. To get back at the girls these scumbags gang rape the deaf mute sister, almost killing her in the process and things just escalate from there. But why make it just a rape revenge movie when you can have the villains throw a pregnant girl off a bridge too? It’s that kind of movie. In between this kind of thing is several catfights with lots of topless top heavy babes, shower scenes, and Linda Blair letting loose her cannons. The stalk and shoot ‘em with arrows climax is pretty tense too. Director Danny Steinman is actually one of the more unsung directors of the 80’s grindhouse scene with this being a near classic, his mongoloid horror The Unseen being terrific, and his Friday the 13th: The New Beginning being pretty underrated too. His direction is slick and economical, never wasting a moment. This new DVD from BCI is a terrific 2 disc affair with 3(!) commentaries and a 2nd disc full of interviews and trailers. My only complaint is the new artwork that pretty much apes the movie Grindhouse, (though this is truly a real Grindhouse movie!) when the original artwork was classic (its on the inlay card). Hell, even the 80’s synth rock music is pretty good!
