I saw this movie when I was fourteen at a late showing on a Friday night. I still remember walking out of the theatre, it had been raining all day and finally stopped, there was a full moon out and the streets had that black glistening sheen to them after a long spell of rain with the light reflecting off. It felt like I was still in that world that Streets of Fire created for me for a minute or two.
Being the age I was, the film re-enforced all my youthful imaginations on what romance meant, the power of music in a person's life, what manhood meant, all very fantastical but it had such a powerful effect, evoked such powerful emotionsI was completed engrossed the whole way through the way I would be by a good music video at the time. My "suspension of disbelief" was complete.
The music played a huge role for me as well, I was too young to have had much exposure to any of Steinman's music before other than Total Eclipse of the Heart, so those booming Wagnerian anthems touched and stroked a flame of youthful rebellion and an optimism and innocence that a person only has at that tender age of idealized love, romance, heroism, etc. At 44, I still get that same old stirring watching this filmit let's me remember thirty years on what it was to be young, and it's a helluva nice place to go back and visit after having thirty years of the realities of life disillusion those youthful ideals we all once had.
I've introduced the movie to people over the years who never saw it when they were young, and they think it's terrible. Maybe this is one of those that you had to experience when you still had a bright-eyed optimism to really be a fan of; if at first exposure you are already too jaded by life, it won't connect with you the way it has with so many dreamers; ; it was like an old western if written by the Grimm Brother's in some alternate Rock 'n' Roll reality where the men were men, the women were women, and you settled your problems with sledge hammers and kissing. Ah, to be 14 again.

I saw this movie when it came out in 1984 and just loved it. It never got much recognition, probably because the script and acting are weak. Poor Michael Pare is such a stiff. But here I am 29 years later watching it again and sending copies to some of my younger family members. The story is just goofy as are Moranis and Pare, but Diane Lane is unbelievable looking and a young Willem Dafoe is just an awesome bad buy. The music is superb. The final number, Tonight Is What It Means To Be Young is an incredibly powerful and joyful piece. It is indeed a cult classic for me and today's young people would really enjoy it if they get a chance to see it.

I agree with the general tenor of the replies: though it wasn't as deep a coming-of-age movie as The Breakfast Club, a notable contemporary, it still hits deep with we who were coming of age at that time. It's been years since I've seen it, but the soundtrack is effin' EPIC, though a number of the tunes owe their style to earlier eras. The look is timeless as well. Very 1950s, but they don't hit you over the head with it, some of the music is very '80s, and the dark, moody atmosphere keeps it from being pigeon-holed to one time or another. As the tagline says, it's a rock 'n roll fable, so it works like that, but it does owe some of its structure to classic westerns. Lots of bits and pieces to it, but it was very well assembled by folks who cared enough to make it great. A cult classic, to be sure, but with great emphasis on "classic!"

Not to be too terribly shallow, but I wanted every girl to look like Diane Lane did in this movie. I still do.

I agree with the last two sentences.
Ozy
And I stood where I did be; for there was no more use to run; And again I lookt with my hope gone.

The soundtrack. Like others I bought the film on VHS, I bought the soundtrack on cassette, then CD, now I want the film on DVD. I remember the big deal they made about this movie when it came out. I thought it would do better at the box office but I'll always love it because of the great music. the wonderful sets and costumes. Along with a diverse casts. I had a video copy of the interviews some of the cast did while making the film. The McCoy character was supposed to be male but Amy Madigan asks if she could audition for it and Walter Hill let her. I think that change made the film better.
Just for the record, I'm not a Dude, I'm a Dudette!

Because like many people in regard to many movies, I liked some aspects of the movie while noting other overall weaknesses.

Cult classic. This movie came out when I was 7. Loved it then still love it now. I don't know why. It just worked for me.

What do you mean "shouldn't"? Says who? You're the arbiter of your own cinematic tastes, right? If you like it, you like it. Why should you feel weird about it?

there will be snark

It's one of those movies were I struggled to figure out why I liked it, even though I shouldn't.

I saw this again for the first time in ages a couple of days ago. When I analyse the components of this film, most of them are unconvincing. The strange 'out of time' setting is just that, strange, the performances are adequate, a lot of the dialogue is very poor but then I realise that the clich "greater than the sum of its parts" has probably never been better used. It's just a really good, fun, entertaining film. What more could you want?

Because it's a unique movie that makes you wonder what time period it's set in. The beginning says that it happens in another time and another place.
Michael Pare, Diane Lane, Willem Dafoe, Amy Madigan, and Rick Moranis were convincing in their roles.
Although Diane Lane was lip syncing, she put so much emotion in the music performances.
I like how the dancer named Marin (who did most of the dancing in "Flashdance") got to do a brief dance during the club scene.
The first and last songs were my favorite ones on this soundtrack. I also love "I Can Dream About You." The first song "Going Nowhere Fast" was the song that my favorite aerobics instructor would sometimes play.

The simplest answer is that it was one of those movies that captured the moment of the times when it came out. I was in my 20s back in the mid 1980s. The clubs had mostly either the spandex, neon colors, spiked hair, Prince's "Purple Rain" look. Or a mixed/updated/leather/punk 1950s look. Mainly depended which club you hung around. I first saw the movie on this new-fangled pay channel called "H-B-O," and watch it every time it comes on to bring back the memories1

:o( Alas! I too am mostly deaf in my right ear, largely due to my Army experience (all kinds of gunfire and explosions, even though it was only "practice"), but also from playing too much with guns and things that went "Boom!" before and after that on my own time, fool that I was. :o(
I wish all my fellow sufferers the best of luck with their hearing. May God someday open all ears that are shut.
Anyone who is at all into shooting, seriously, double up on the hearing protection. I mean use both ear plugs AND ear-muffs over them too. Deafness is very lonely.
Ozy
And I stood where I did be; for there was no more use to run; And again I lookt with my hope gone.

Another excellently written comment. I'm so sorry about your hearing. I lost the hearing in my left ear when I was 3 and had chronic infections for many years that would often clog my "good ear" and steal the sound from my world for weeks at a stretch. So far, I've always been fortunate enough to regain my hearing on the right when the infections cleared up. I adore sound and music, so I treasure them and know how precious that gift is. And how tenuous.
If you don't mind me asking, how did you lose your hearing?

Let me tell you a little story. You're an idiot!

There are movies that just grab you, sometimes for reasons hard to define. For me, this is one of them. It is very much a Western, think Clint Eastwood in Pale Rider. The music, which I was fortunately able to enjoy before I lost my hearing, was powerful, moving stuff. I think Michael Pare did his best work in Eddie and the Cruisers and SOF, and am sorry he did not appear to have the range to do more. And Diane Lane was, to me, at her most gorgeous in this film. Moranis and Dafoe and Madigan were all great too. Again, this was a FABLE. Clearly labeled as such. And to me, overwhelmingly successful as that. I never tire of watching it, even though now it is with subtitles. And that final scene is one of the all time barn-burners. Just magnificent.

Very well said. Where you go to school in Atlanta? Tech? State?

Let me tell you a little story. You're an idiot!

I just turned 15 when SOF was released. I missed it during it's initial run but they ran it to death on cable (just like "The Beastmaster"). It was also as staple on syndicated TV when I was in college in Atlanta.
While the film's straightforward, it's a mish-mash of sights and sounds. The music's great (Ry Cooder, Dan Hartman, The Blasters & The Fixx) and so's everyone in the flick. The action is top notch (sledgehammers, they're fighting with sledgehammers?) and the dialogue is priceless ("You're making this real hard on yourself. You act nice, you and me fall in love for a week or two and then I let you go.")
Box office non-withstanding, I consider SOF to be a must for anyone who admires Walter Hill as a director. I'm actually impressed he did so much under a PG rating.

This message has been deleted.

Notice how many folks on this thread are putting how old they were when the movie came out? Well, I was 21 then and 1984 was one of the very best years of my life. So I think its more about capturing a moment of when we were coming of age and especially the music brings those memories and images roaring back.

Thanks sisterdebmac and daja ace! : ) I really love this movie, so it was worth it to me to take the time to post exactly what it is about this movie that makes me willing to watch it again and again.

Agree with Deb. Thanks for sharing your post.

What a great post. Thanks for sharing that with everyone.

Let me tell you a little story. You're an idiot!

I was 19 when I saw this in the theaters. I had never heard of it and it was shown as a double feature, where this was the lesser known of the two. I wanted to see it because I had been a fan of Diane Lane since "A Little Romance". From what I overheard from people in the theater, this movie blew away the other one!
Of course I loved it, for multiple reasons: Diane Lane is a fabulous actress and I always wanted to look like her. Michael Pare was so dreamy as the strong but silent kick-butt hero. Willem Dafoe was sooo creepy scary as the bad guy. Amy Madigan totally rocked as the unique side kick and was the biggest surprise by far. Rick Moranis was hilarious as Fish. And add to this all the great side characters: Lee Ving, Elizabeth Daily, Richard Lawson, Bill Paxtonthe list goes on!
Beyond the great characters that these actors/actresses brought to life, the 50's style with a post-apocalypse urban 80's feel, the great music, slices of life from various club/bar scenes and very entertaining fight sequences all merge together to give this a legend sort of feel. And since it's billed as a Rock n Roll Fable, I wasn't looking for anything deep but enjoyed it for what it was. As such, it is delightful!
I showed this movie to a (much younger) friend of mine who loves all kinds of music and though he called the movie cheesy, he said that it was good cheese and he totally got drawn into it. I'm glad I finally found it on DVD so that I can watch it as much as I like or lend it to friends who haven't had the pleasure of enjoying this overlooked little gem.