History Film / STREETSOFFIRE

* DropTheHammer: The sledgehammer duel between Tom Cody and Raven.

* StockholmSyndrome: Raven's stated goal is to induce this in Ellen. Apparently he prefers an active partner ([[QuestionableConsent however meaningless their consent might be]]) to a helpless victim tied to a bed:
-->'''Raven:''' "You know, you're making things real hard on yourself. You act nice, me and you fall in love for a week or two, and then I let you go. Nobody gets hurt."

-->'''Raven:''' "You're real dumb if you think you can pull this off."
-->'''Tom Cody:''' "I think you're forgetting something. I got the gun."
-->'''Raven:''' "I can get guns, smart guy, lots of 'em. Now... why don't you tell me your name?"
-->'''Tom Cody:''' "Tom Cody. Pleased to meet ya."
-->'''Raven:''' "I'll be comin' for her. I'll be comin' for you too."
-->'''Tom Cody:''' "Sure you will. And I'll be waitin.'"

* CasualDangerDialog: ''Tons'' of it.

* SpiritualSuccessor: To director Hill's own film ''Film/TheWarriors'', another film taking place in a gritty but stylized alternate reality overrun by gangs.

* TrappedBehindEnemyLines

From Creator/WalterHill, the director of ''Film/TheWarriors'' and ''Film/FortyEightHours'', ''Streets of Fire'' is a 1984 film, described as a "Rock & Roll Fable." Its setting is a kind of AlternateUniverse, a mix of an over-the-top 50s and a dystopian near-future as seen from the 80s; a card in the opening title sequence tells us it's set in "another time, another place." The charm of this film lies in its darkly beautiful shots with lots of shadow and smoke and piercing colors, the comic-book style storytelling, and fantastic music. It is especially [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff popular in Japan]], despite having no initial success, commercially or critically. Notably, ''Anime/BubblegumCrisis'' was influenced by this film -- not to mention the ''VideoGame/StreetsOfRage'' series.

The plot of the film involves Ellen Aim (Creator/DianeLane), lead singer of the Attackers, who is kidnapped by a gang of bikers known as The Bombers at her most recent concert. One of the people in the audience, Reva Cody (Creator/DeborahVanValkenburgh), sends a telegram to her brother Tom (Michael Paré), a war veteran - and Ellen's ex-boyfriend - asking him to return to "the Richmond", a district in [[CityWithNoName the city]]. Tom Cody and the ex-soldier [=McCoy=] (Creator/AmyMadigan) are hired by Ellen's surly manager and boyfriend, Billy Fish (Creator/RickMoranis) to rescue Ellen. The three of them search for Ellen to rescue her from the Bombers, only for Tom to find that he has feelings for Ellen that need to be reconciled.

* DinerBrawl: We're introduced to Cody through one of these, where he defends his sister from some rowdy diner patrons.

* IHaveYouNowMyPretty: Raven tries to put the moves on Ellen, and this is essentially why he kidnapped her in the first place.
* ILied: Raven lies to the police about bringing only two guys to the showdown.

* AndroclesLion: Billy Fish does end up rewarding the band whose bus they snuck through town on (and go confiscated) by signing them up for lucrative contract.
* AntiHero: Tom Cody has a bad attitude and initially only agrees to rescue the damsel because of the money.
* AscendedFangirl: One of Ellen's fans decides to tag along with the group, even giving them crucial information about the police patrols.

* BadassBiker: Raven and the Bombers, obviously. The Roadmasters ''think'' they're this. They're not.

* BadassLongcoat: Tom Cody wears a drab trench coat and Raven is often seen in a black leather duster.

* BigBad: Raven Shaddock, the head of the Bombers who kidnaps Ellen for his own purposes at the start of the film.

* BoisterousWeakling: Downplayed with Billy Fish. While he's not the traditional manly-man Tom Cody is, and while he's no good in a fight or a chase, he's also nervy, brave, and impossible to intimidate. He even stands up to Raven personally when Tom isn't around, and even having his lights punched out doesn't make him cower.
* TheCameo: Creator/EdBegleyJr as Billy Gunn.

* TheChanteuse: Ellen Aim, who's played by Diane Lane.

* ComplainingAboutRescuesTheyDontLike: Ellen is furious that Tom went to save her for money.
* CoolBigSis: Reva Cody.
* CoolCar: "I just picked it up today."

* DamselInDistress: Ellen Aim.
* TheDandy: Billy Fish wears a tweedy suit and bow-tie during the rescue operation, which completely contrasts with what everyone else is wearing.

* DidNotGetTheGirl: Tom and Ellen still have feelings for one another, but they both realize that they still don't work as a couple and depart on good terms.

* DoWrongRight: The police chief gives Cody permission to fight Raven after his plan to resolve it peacefully fails.
* TheDragon: Greer, Raven's second-in-command. The one who punches out Billy Fish. Played by Lee Ving, the former lead singer of the punk band Fear.

* GirlsWithGuns: [=McCoy=]. The role was written as male. Amy Madigan just happened to give an awesome audition.
* HellBentForLeather: Raven and the Bombers are covered in black leather. In the climax, Raven stripes down to some very fetishy leather overalls.

* HonorBeforeReason: Officer Price tries his best to uphold the law by the book, which means he can't go after Ellen as it's outside his jurisdiction.
* HypercompetentSidekick: [=McCoy=] has shades of this, though it could stem from the villains being unwilling to hit a girl.

* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Billy Fish is Ellen Aim's boyfriend as well as her manager, but he recognizes that Tom is Ellen's [[OneTruePairing True Love]] and offers to stand aside. For his part, Tom realizes the in the long run, Billy is better for Ellen's career and her happiness. He also doesn't want to take Ellen's music away from her. (His original complaint was that he didn't like "coming in second to her music.") Each says Ellen would be better off with the other guy, leading to this exchange:
-->'''Billy Fish:''' "Listen, Tom... I won't stand in your way with Ellen. I know how things are between you two."\\
'''Tom Cody:''' (after a beat) "I'd only slow her down. Besides, she needs you more than she needs me."\\
'''Billy Fish:''' "Sure, she needs me... but she ''loves'' you!"\\
'''Tom Cody:''' "She'll get over it. Besides, she's used to me being unreliable and disappearing on her."\\
'''Billy Fish:''' "Is that what I'm supposed to tell her?"\\
'''Tom Cody:''' (shrugs) "You're better with words than I am."
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold:
** Tom Cody. Saves his ex for money, kicks out her fangirl, and generally makes everyone dislike him... and then he lets Fish keep the money, reconciles with Ellen, and saves the town from the bikers. And is implied that he kicked the girl out to keep her safe.
** Billy Fish. For all his whining and complaining, for all his constantly insulting and condescending to ''everyone'' he meets except Ellen, he rides right into Hell for Ellen along with everyone else, not to mention charging out into the fight onstage in the opening scene and trying to face down Raven just before the sledgehammer fight (he's pathetically ineffective both times, but still. Whatever else you can call him, he's no DirtyCoward). Furthermore, he quickly comes to the defense of the new band, showing he is definitely no racist either. Also, despite his petty greed, he agrees to not one, but two benefits in Ellen's old neighborhood (with notably less complaining the second time). See also: IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy.

* KnightInSourArmor: Cody. A former soldier who has been disappointed by life, but he still knows right from wrong.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Your leader is beaten and unconscious, about a hundred people whose neighborhood you raided and wrecked earlier are pointing guns at you and just gave you a DramaticGunCock...yeah, "Let's get outta here" is a good idea.
* KubrickStare: When Raven calls in his reinforcements in the finale, his smug smile fades into a menacing Kubrick stare.
* TheLadette: [=McCoy=] was written as a man, but eventually cast with a female actor, turning her into one of these. Very little of her lines were changed.

** Ellen ''Aim'': "The things they say and the things they do / Nothing's gonna stop us if our aim is true".
** Raven's name is an apparent reference to his greased hair, which forms a black beak over his forehead.

* MotorMouth:
** Billy Fish, especially when agitated.
** Also Baby Doll, Ellen's fangirl.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Tom seems to have this realization after everyone is alienated from him, and soon starts to set things right.

* NoNameGiven: Ellen's fan, who's called "Baby Doll" in the script.
* NoOneGetsLeftBehind: Surprisingly, a villainous version. Once Raven is defeated, the Bombers pick him up and carry him away, not leaving him to be cleaned up by the police.
* NonActionGuy: Billy Fish, who nevertheless has balls made of pure brass and who doesn't let something like the knowledge he's about to get his ass kicked stop him.
** Also, Clyde. He's the only audience member who attempts to stop the kidnapping and gets stomped. He comes off as a blowhard and appears to run away in fear prior to the sledgehammer fight. He's actually assembling TheCavalry.
* NotSoStoic: The one time Cody really panics is when the Sorels' bus catches on fire and they can't cool it off.

* OnlyInItForTheMoney: Cody states that he's only saving Ellen for money, not love, but reveals his true feelings later.
* OnlySaneMan: Despite usually being AxCrazy, Greer seems to be the only one who realizes just how badly the fight is going for Raven, and is the one to realize you have to KnowWhenToFoldEm.
* OutGambitted: The police chief tries to get Cody and Ellen out of town while he arrests Raven. He didn't expect Raven to have an army of bikers at the ready. Good thing Cody returned when he did.

* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: The police chief tries to get Cody and Ellen to leave the city to avert a final showdown. Cody--though unwillingly--gets Ellen away, but heads back to take care of the Bombers.

* TheSquadette: [=McCoy=], who else.

* TechnicalPacifist: Tom shoots holes in the Bombers' bikes instead of the bombers themselves to avoid legal complications and a murderous escalation of conflict.

* TookALevelInKindness: Price is initially hostile towards Tom, but compliments him on the rescue, and tells him to go fight Raven after seeing that his own gambit didn't work.

* VillainousBreakdown: As the street fight turns against Raven, he loses his cool in a big way, going from trembling on the edge of tears to berserk rage to out on his feet.
* VillainousFriendship: See NoOneGetsLeftBehind. Greer (Lee Ving's character) in particular seems genuinely loyal to his boss.
** For his part, Raven at least cares enough to hold back Greer from doing anything foolish when [=McCoy=] has them at gunpoint.
* WhatTheHellHero: Reva gives one to Tom for his habit of alienating anyone who might care about him with his attitude. It works and he turns down his share of the reward, apologized to [=McCoy=], and makes up with Ellen.

* WrenchWench: [=McCoy=], who does most of the driving.

* ButterflyKnife: One of the gang members in the DinerBrawl whips one of these out. Tom smacks it out of his hand, then hands it back to the gang member with the challenge, "Try that again." The gang member does, with the same result, about eight times. Tom eventually [[ChekhovsGun keeps the knife]] and tosses the gang out of the diner.

* ChekhovsGun: The ButterflyKnife that Tom takes from the gang leader during the DinerBrawl gets put to good use later in the movie.

** An unusual case with Tom in that his pragmatism leads him to be merciful: [[TechnicalPacifist by shooting holes in the Bombers' bikes instead of the bombers themselves]], the conflict remains (Raven's version of) sportsmanlike and doesn't escalate to something murderous.

Ellen Aim (Creator/DianeLane), lead singer of the Attackers, is kidnapped by a gang of bikers known as The Bombers. One of the people in the audience, Reva Cody (Creator/DeborahVanValkenburgh), sends a telegram to her brother Tom (Michael Paré), a war veteran - and Ellen's ex-boyfriend - asking him to return to "the Richmond", a district in [[CityWithNoName the city]]. Tom Cody and the ex-soldier [=McCoy=] (Creator/AmyMadigan) are hired by Ellen's manager and boyfriend, Billy Fish (Creator/RickMoranis) to rescue Ellen. The three of them search for Ellen, to rescue her from the Bombers, only for Tom to find that he has feelings for Ellen that need to be reconciled.

* RealityEnsues:
** A small, humorous moment: during the chaos of Ellen's rescue, Tom smacks one of the Bombers in the face with a rifle butt and sends him tumbling down a staircase into a crowd of more Bombers. One of them shouts "Who is that guy?" The villains' lives don't revolve around the hero or even their boss's latest caper. As far as they're concerned, Tom is just some guy who's busting up their party for no reason that they can determine.
** When the police are asked to set up a One-on-one fight between Tom and Raven, instead they simply try to trap Raven and arrest him when he's off-guard [[spoiler:, something Raven had apparently anticipated]].

* StealthParody: Though advertised as a dark, edgy atmospheric action thriller the film is very tongue in cheek with a lot of bad dialogue delivered badly on purpose.

** While the main group is initially hostile to the Sorels, they all seem to warm up to the group when the latter sing for them in the bus. (Even Billy and McCoy seem happy to hear it.) At the end of the film, Billy has become the group's manager.

%%* ViceCity

* WrenchWench: [=McCoy=]

* BoisterousWeakling: Downplayed with Bobby Fish. While he's not the traditional manly-man Tom Cody is, and while he's no good in a fight or a chase, he's also nervy, brave, and impossible to intimidate. He even stands up to Raven personally when Tom isn't around, and even having his lights punched out doesn't make him cower.

* BigBad: Raven Shaddock.

* CrazyJealousGuy: Billy Fish is pretty jealous of Cody's relationship with Ellen, but he gets over it.

* DeconstructedTrope: The DamselInDistress plot. Cody's doing it for money, and Ellen is rescued about halfway through, the problem then becomes ''keeping'' her safe. It also touches on this when Ellen talks with the fangirl, admitting that she doesn't write her songs.

* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Billy Fish is Ellen Aim's boyfriend as well as her manager, but he recognizes that Tom is Ellen's [[OneTruePairing True Love]] and offers to stand aside. For his part, Tom realizes the in the long run, Billy is better for Ellen's career and her happiness. He also doesn't want to take Ellen's music away from her (his original complaint was that he didn't like "coming in second to her music" Each says Ellen would be better off with the other guy, leading to this exchange:

** Tom Cody. Saves his ex for money, kicks out her fangirl, and generally makes everyone dislike him...and then he lets Fish keep the money, reconciles with Ellen, and saves the town from the bikers. And is implied that he kicked the girl out to keep her safe.

* ActionGirl: [=McCoy=]. The role was written as male. Amy Madigan just happened to give an awesome audition.