Streets

Director Katt Shea deserves a lot of credit for "Streets", a gritty, honest, heartfelt little movie that serves as more than mere exploitation, creating a hard hitting portrayal of runaway youth in Venice, California, personalizing the story by focusing on Dawn, played by TV star Christina Applegate in a wonderful, tour-de-force performance. Dawn is a heroin addicted, teenage prostitute attacked by a john, and who forms a friendship with a kid named Sy (David Mendenhall) who distracted the cop long enough for her to get away. The budding relationship between Dawn and Sy forms a solid basis for the rest of the movie, written by Shea and producer Andy Ruben, which devastatingly illustrates the kind of hard scrabble existence led by people like Dawn. Applegate delivers a performance that is alternately tough, feisty, sympathetic, kind, and vulnerable - but, most of all, it's believable. Mendenhall also does well as the nice guy who is new to the life being lived by Dawn and her contemporaries, who can't really identify with them as he is definitely not of their world. Enjoyable contributions are also made by Patrick Richwood as Bob, Aron Eisenberg as Roach, Mel Castelo as "Elf", and Alan Stock as Allen. This coming from Concorde, it's still exploitative enough for those watching who expect a certain degree of trash. Applegate does bare her breasts for a scene, but this particular scene is played for romance rather than just sex. And the ongoing subplot with the deranged john, a motorcycle cop named Lumley (played with convincing intensity by Eb Lottimer), is standard enough stuff, although the viewer may be taken aback by Lumley's home made weapon that metes out brutal punishment. The music score by Aaron Davis is supremely effective, as is the beautiful and haunting composition "Dawn's Theme" sung by Elizabeth "E.G." Daily. The use of the locations is excellent, and in general this is quite well made and stylish. Although mostly played (very) seriously, it's not without its humorous moments. Cameos are made by ladies who'd previously starred for director Shea: Kay Lenz ("Stripped to Kill") and Starr Andreeff ("Dance of the Damned"). This is genuinely potent stuff, right up to its riveting ending, and worth watching, both for Applegate fans interested in seeing her show off her dramatic chops earlier in her career and for exploitation film aficionados. It's too good to miss. Eight out of 10.

A psychotic cop in Southern California is targeting prostitutes for execution; meanwhile, a pretty blonde urchin tries getting her life together. I rented this because I was very impressed with director Katt Shea's work on the underrated "Poison Ivy" and I was not disappointed. The psycho stuff doesn't really jell with the homeless kids angle, but it's a commendable attempt to mix genres, and Christina Applegate gives a superb, surprisingly serious lead performance (her final scene in a bus depot is riveting and heart-rending). Much better than I was expecting, "Streets" is a good, hearty try at both social drama and crime thriller. **1/2 from ****

A police officer is loose on the streets killing runaway teenagers who were forced into prostitution in Venice, California. His main target is a would be victim (Applegate) who escaped.

Compelling look at homeless teenagers manages to blend in a thrilling suspense story also. Applegate is very good in the lead role, the situations are done realisticly and the direction is terrific. Very well made thriller is highly underrated.

Rated R; Extreme Violence, Lanuage, Brief Nudity, and a Sexual Situation involving teenagers.

The first sights and sounds to greet us make for an inauspicious start, and my first impression was to reflect "I'm not saying that it's entirely without value or can't be appreciated on its own merits..." I am saying that the song to greet us over the opening credits (and the end credits) is so overwrought that it sounds like a parody of a more earnest ballad. In fairness, elsewhere I quite like Aaron Davis' score, especially in tense moments where it embraces a more discordant slant. Beyond the misogyny suggested in the basic premise, we're also subjected to dialogue filled with tired and unnecessary strains of sexism, transphobia, and ableism, to say nothing of unseemly prejudice against sex workers. Even putting this aside the dialogue is a little questionable, and all over the place; the scene writing and plot development are decidedly brusque; some scenes in and of themselves feel scattered, and inspire a bit of skepticism.

Meanwhile, even with the focus on one particular character, 'Streets' is probably at its best in providing a portrait of, well, life on the streets, and all the trials, tribulations, and varieties of people that come with it (not unlike 1992 drama 'Where the day takes you'). Where the picture centers a thriller narrative it comes off as a tad common, and arguably even contrived - which is strange since the crux of the plot, a beast of a cop who is also a brutal killer, is all too realistic and believable, especially as his coworkers are characterized with the true to life pathos of protecting their own and moreover disbelieving anyone who actually needs help. Plus, in 2022 it seems odd that anyone could possibly be as trusting of police as some of the secondary supporting characters are here, though even if we take the story at face value, these characters are rather lacking of intelligence as written.

Suffice to say that this is a mixed bag in some measure. It's still enjoyable and worthwhile; the bones of the plot are solid, and while the screenplay is troubled otherwise, there are some scenes that are written and executed with fine intelligence. I think the cast are actually quite excellent: Christina Applegate, only 19 at the time, commands the main role with deft skill; it's always a pleasure to see Aron Eisenberg in a film, and Eb Lottimer's portrayal of nasty Lumley is filled with grit, spite, and chewing of scenery. Even those in smaller supporting parts make the most of the time they have on-screen. The production design and art direction are commendable, and those sparing effects we see are done very well. Any stunts, and bursts of action or violence, look really good. Despite any dubiousness, for as emphatically dark and ugly as the core of the feature is, it does manifest a certain grim atmosphere as Lumley pursues his prey, and meaningful suspense. If weakly, this is a film we can get invested in.

More so than not I think this is pretty good. The most substantial weakness is probably the uneven writing, which feeds into a broader issue of 'Streets' not giving us something to wholly latch onto, something that particularly elevates it. At its best it's strong and actively engaging, but that sense of absorption isn't sustained throughout the length. Even at that, however, the movie is suitably well done in other regards to earn a soft recommendation. Unless you're a diehard fan of Applegate or someone else involved you don't necessarily need to go out of your way to see this; on the other hand, if you come across it and aren't looking for The Best Of The Best to fill your time, then it's a decent way to spend 85 minutes. Nothing remarkable at large and imperfect, all the same I admire the hard work and earnestness that went into 'Streets,' and it's duly worthy after all.

And that one reason is Applegate's lead performance, of all things. This film is mostly typical late 80's Cali-based dramatic thriller fare, with its requisite abusive cops, rundown underpasses and throwaway dialogue.

Or is it? Christina Applegate sticks out like a sore thumb with her deeply poignant performance as the teenage hooker lead. She has at least one memorable monologue detailing how she grew up in motel bathrooms all over town while her hooker mom conducted biz with her clients next room.

She and her character honestly belong in a better film. Unfortunately, that film never materialized.