"Streets of Fire" was a motion picture released by Universal in 1984. Directed by Walter Hill in the prime of his career, he was fresh off the success of "48 Hours". In response to the success of MTV, "Streets of Fire" was almost a feature length music video, which was ahead of it's time.

Starring Michael Pare, Diane Lane, Rick Moranis, Diane Lane, and Willem Dafoe, "Streets of Fire" is set in 'another time and another place'. The story is simple...The Leader of the Pack kidnaps the Queen of the Hop, and Soldier Boy comes home to do something about it.

There are clues to it being futuristic, as the location is a dystopia. The visuals are stunning and clever, blending elements of 50s biker gangs, doo wop groups, Studebakers, and good old time cinematic elements that could make you believe you were at the drive-in. The music is a large element.

The strongest tracks are provided by Fire Inc., a group led by Jim Steinman, who wrote the big hits for Meat Loaf and Bonnie Tyler. "Streets of Fire" are bookended by epic tracks by Fire Inc. The some tracks strictly for 80s enthusiasts, specifically contributions by Maria McKee and Marilyn Martin and penned by Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks.

There's some good swing in the soundtrack to add to the 80s feel. And some old 80s new wave is included for good measure. "I Can Dream About You" by Dan Hartman is a major inclusion on the album.

"Streets of Fire" was billed as a 'rock and roll fable', and heavily marketed by Universal, in hopes of it becoming their big summer blockbuster of 1984. Yet, where it drew over 5 million at the box office, it was considered a failure considering the budget invested in production. They were up against major competition against another rock and roll film, which displayed Kevin Bacon dancing in a barn ("Footloose"), and another film with four New Yorkers chasing ghosts ("Ghostbusters").

What was meant to be a trilogy of action films directed by Walter Hill and starring Michael Pare, it never launched the franchise it was intended to. Pare's career went into obscurity, and over time, the rest of the principle cast would overcome the failure of "Streets of Fire". Director Walter Hill was accused of selling out to the MTV generation, even though he directed "The Warriors", and arguably invented the feature-length music video.

"I Can Dream About You" was the lone hit of the film, outshining the film itself as far as chart success is concerned. Where "Streets of Fire" has become a cult hit through it's soundtrack and the film's following, it sadly remains an underappreciated, forgotten gem of the 80s.

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