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Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Savage Streets is the absolute worst. Vulgar and really really stupid.After seeing this I feel I must narrow down my movie watching to more selective viewing, utter trash. Cringe worthy throughout, not one good character.

I am a 40+ year fan & connoisseur of exploitation movies. Call them whatever you like...schlock, trash-cinema, psychotronic films...it doesn't matter. I've literally watched thousands of these type movies, including nearly every notorious Italian cannibal film as well as plenty of rape-revenge flicks. Savage Streets is the rare exception in that I found it so genuinely distasteful that I regret watching it.In many superficial ways, Savage Streets is a typical 80s violent gang-action film. It's got some decent talent in front of the camera and a lead (Linda Blair) with a recognizable name. It's shot well enough for the B-movie that it is. But behind all the artifice of a generic violent movie, the screenwriter/director went out of his way to absolutely revel in sexual assault.Sexual assault was, unfortunately, a major trope in countless 70s & 80s exploitation films. It was not uncommon in major studio productions either. I've seen it plenty of times, and I admit, I don't like it. Generally speaking, most of these genre films use rape to amp up the sleaze and provide the protagonist some motivation. Personally, I think this was both distasteful and lazy...but hey, that's just me.Savage Streets, takes things to a different level. The rape scene is extremely drawn out, very cruel, and perpetrated against a character that is portrayed as very sheltered, vulnerable, and disabled (mute). And it's not even just a rape scene--it's a gang rape...and it goes on forever.Besides the rape, the film is replete with other instances of violence specifically targeted towards women including sexual assault and murder (of a pregnant woman). This is all done in service of setting up the "revenge" element of the movie.When I say that the "revenge" element is weak, I'm not lying. Whereas the rape scene was played out graphically, the ONE SCENE with Linda Blair getting "revenge" is shockingly tame (given that this is an exploitation film) and also brief. The film is very unbalanced in that the "revenge" seems a half-hearted afterthought that is only included in order to justify the gratuitous graphic depiction of violence towards women.I'm not Puritan by any stretch. I've watched plenty of sick stuff. But Savage Streets seems to really revel in glorifying violence towards women in a way that crosses a big boundary (for me). It doesn't do it because it's taboo, it really comes across as the writer/director really being a twisted person.

"Savage Streets" is a Grindhouse/Action movie from 1984, directed by Danny Steinmann.Basic plot: A group of tough girls, lead by Brenda (Linda Blair), are walking out in slutty-looking clothes at night, when Brenda's deaf-and-mute sister Heather gets hit by a car driven by the Scars (a gang of bad boys). Heather is okay, but the other girls get mad at the boys.In one fine school day, Heather gets gang raped by the Scars, and badly hurt. Later on one of the boys throws Brenda's best friend Francine off a bridge and kill her. And Brenda is soon to get to know the truth.This film is no doubt one of the best Grindhouse action movies of the 80s I've seen. The film really seems to have taken inspirations from some other revenge-flicks like Eastwood-, Bronson, or Pam Grier-movies of the 70s, the film is just a little bit more brutal. Here Linda Blair really kicks ass as the girl gang leader Brenda, especially during the climatic revenge sequence. The soundtrack is somewhat cool as well. But the gang rape scene is somewhat graphic and might be disturbing to some viewer. Oh, let's not forget there are several scenes of full female nudity as well.The Danish DVD version I have is completely uncut and runs for 93 full minutes. Thankfully I was in Copenhagen on vacation and bought this film. Recommended if you like Grindhouse action movies with revenge as the theme on the film. I give this film a well deserved 10/10.An another Grindhouse classic from the 80s to be honorable mentioned includes Mark Lester's "Class of 1984".

Linda Blair was notorious for starring in some rather risqué and controversial roles after The Exorcist. This baby is one of them, and I can say unabashedly that I enjoyed the hell out of it. This represents everything that I loved about the 80's. Bad hairdo's, hilariously dated outfits, and the no holds barred approach. It does have some powerful moments. Brenda (Blair) has a deaf sister who gets raped in the girl's locker room. (Linnea Quigley in an early role) It certainly hit home, and wasn't pleasant to watch, but once Linda Blair goes on the warpath to revenge, it's all fun and games from there. How can you not resist Linda Blair cursing like a sailor at her caring teacher while she's dangling a cigarette from her mouth in a classroom? Or spouting Freddy Krueger like lines in a dark alley at a group of thugs that raped her deaf sister? Hell; a girl gets thrown over a bridge onto the road, and nobody bothers to stop or look around. That was my favorite. Brenda and the token cheerleader Cindy have some hilarious verbal jousting and even get into it in a shower! I won't reveal everything, but it really is vigilante brilliance. Linda Blair is miscast, but a lot of fun to watch nonetheless. She goes all hammy and bad-ass with it. Her cheesy one- liners are a hoot, and I give the girl credit for being completely committed to the role with bravado and guts. It's probably my favorite role of hers. (Yes. Even more so than Regan) Robert Drake is excellent as the leader of the Scars, and I had a blast with his sleazy portrayal of Jake. He is typical bully fodder, but he was still fun. Linnea Quigley is infamous for cheesy roles and this is one of her best. John Vernon shows up to collect a paycheck and has a bit of fun as the foul mouth principal. He steals scenes that he is in. Loved him!Final Thoughts: A guilty pleasure at it's finest. For anyone that trashes this film, calling it uncouth or similar things like that… Don't be such a stickler! There are a few unpleasant scenes, but it remains one of my favorite exploitation movies. If you manage to find it online, give it a whirl. I'd even go as far to say it's worth tracking down on DVD. 7/10