I bought the 2-disc special edition DVD this when it first hit back in late '08 but haven't made the time to do a thread about it until now.
Writer/Director Danny Steinmann catches a lot of shit for his personal and professional behavior, the guy is undeniably sleazy, yeah, but his short filmography has him channeling any flaws he may have into his work, and its effectiveness is, I think, sort of undeniable (watch F13 pt. 5 again, that movie is mean and lurid on a level never again touched by the series).
Savage Streets, however, is on a wholly different plane of screwed up. Basic plot has Linda Blair (who apparently replaced Jamie Lee Curtis, who either bailed b/c of the film's troubled production, or because she realized how goddamn sleazy it was going to be) in the role of Brenda, a 25-year-old high school bad girl, who spends her nights strutting around Hollywood with her all-girl clique (including the token black girl who barely speaks and always lags behind, of course).
Out with her on the night of the inciting incident is her deaf/mute sister, Heather (played by Linnea "I'll do anything" Quigley).
Also cruising the streets are the Scars, a gang of greasy street punks and drug dealers led by the sociopathic and probably closeted, Jake (a fucking awesome Robert Dryer).
The Scars nearly run down Heather (an accident), and Brenda and her crew retaliate by trashing the gang's car. Big mistake. Huge.
To avenge the damage done to their automobile, the Scars decide on the equal and measured response of gang raping the child-like Heather and beating her into a coma.
Now, some of the film's promo material pitch Savage Streets as a gang war, where Brenda's crew goes to war with Jake's (an alternate Pakistani title for the film is the very misleading "5 Deadly Angels", and the downright nonsensical, "Zombie Brigade"), but this is completely inaccurate. It's a war alright, but it's very one-sided as Brenda's crew pretty much folds under the Scars violent retribution. Her best buddy getting pitched off a bridge is the final straw, and Brenda, contemplating her next move in the bathtub (the only place to do it really), decides it's time to crossbow some motherfuckers to death.
So, yeah, it's Death Wish with a female lead, 100% more group shower scenes, and topless catfights.
As one might expect, the actresses in the film are not made to be terribly interesting, and Linda Blair is honestly kind of awful, saddled with that voice that I'm convinced harmed her career along with her general lack of charisma and choice in roles. However, for the type of film that this is, she fits, and the picture moves, so no harm no foul. The Scars (Robert Dryer, Johnny Venocur, Sal Landi, and Scott Mayer) are the guys to watch, they give this movie a vicious bite, especially Dryer, who is genuinely scary and intimdating as Jake.
The infamous rape scene is ugly, but there is another scene long before Brenda and Jake's crews run into one other that is pure Danny Steinmann and involves The Scars collecting pay from a buyer. They beat on this guy and molest his girlfriend (Chopping Mall's Suzee Slater) and it's the business Steinmann has going on in the scene that makes you squirm. One of the Scars (Sal Landi), holding Slater from behind, gropes at her breasts and runs his fingers across her nipple. It's just a really uncomfortable thing to watch, and I'd give anything to be on the set when Steinmann asked for that particular action just to see what the response was.
The third act is sort of weird. Through most of it, Brenda is this real smart ass, spouting off these absurd taunts and whatnot as she lures the Scars into death traps and so on, but when she faces Jake, and there's a moment where the tables are turned, the character does a total 180 and turns into a squealing final girl. It's jarring, but not in a good way. I feel it simply doesn't make a lot of sense for the character or the scene.
As far as content is concerned, many of us have seen way crazier shit than Savage Streets, but it's the tone that Steinmann sets that really works you over. If you notice, and as strange as it sounds, F13 pt. 5 has its sweet, wholesome moments, and so does Savage Streets. Steinmann's sprinkling these bits amongst the rougher and sleazier material is no accident and it totally works.
So, reply if you care, or put it on the Netflix, whatever, I just think it's worth your time if one is interested in such things. =)
Writer/Director Danny Steinmann catches a lot of shit for his personal and professional behavior, the guy is undeniably sleazy, yeah, but his short filmography has him channeling any flaws he may have into his work, and its effectiveness is, I think, sort of undeniable (watch F13 pt. 5 again, that movie is mean and lurid on a level never again touched by the series).
Savage Streets, however, is on a wholly different plane of screwed up. Basic plot has Linda Blair (who apparently replaced Jamie Lee Curtis, who either bailed b/c of the film's troubled production, or because she realized how goddamn sleazy it was going to be) in the role of Brenda, a 25-year-old high school bad girl, who spends her nights strutting around Hollywood with her all-girl clique (including the token black girl who barely speaks and always lags behind, of course).
Out with her on the night of the inciting incident is her deaf/mute sister, Heather (played by Linnea "I'll do anything" Quigley).
Also cruising the streets are the Scars, a gang of greasy street punks and drug dealers led by the sociopathic and probably closeted, Jake (a fucking awesome Robert Dryer).
The Scars nearly run down Heather (an accident), and Brenda and her crew retaliate by trashing the gang's car. Big mistake. Huge.
To avenge the damage done to their automobile, the Scars decide on the equal and measured response of gang raping the child-like Heather and beating her into a coma.
Now, some of the film's promo material pitch Savage Streets as a gang war, where Brenda's crew goes to war with Jake's (an alternate Pakistani title for the film is the very misleading "5 Deadly Angels", and the downright nonsensical, "Zombie Brigade"), but this is completely inaccurate. It's a war alright, but it's very one-sided as Brenda's crew pretty much folds under the Scars violent retribution. Her best buddy getting pitched off a bridge is the final straw, and Brenda, contemplating her next move in the bathtub (the only place to do it really), decides it's time to crossbow some motherfuckers to death.
So, yeah, it's Death Wish with a female lead, 100% more group shower scenes, and topless catfights.
As one might expect, the actresses in the film are not made to be terribly interesting, and Linda Blair is honestly kind of awful, saddled with that voice that I'm convinced harmed her career along with her general lack of charisma and choice in roles. However, for the type of film that this is, she fits, and the picture moves, so no harm no foul. The Scars (Robert Dryer, Johnny Venocur, Sal Landi, and Scott Mayer) are the guys to watch, they give this movie a vicious bite, especially Dryer, who is genuinely scary and intimdating as Jake.
The infamous rape scene is ugly, but there is another scene long before Brenda and Jake's crews run into one other that is pure Danny Steinmann and involves The Scars collecting pay from a buyer. They beat on this guy and molest his girlfriend (Chopping Mall's Suzee Slater) and it's the business Steinmann has going on in the scene that makes you squirm. One of the Scars (Sal Landi), holding Slater from behind, gropes at her breasts and runs his fingers across her nipple. It's just a really uncomfortable thing to watch, and I'd give anything to be on the set when Steinmann asked for that particular action just to see what the response was.
The third act is sort of weird. Through most of it, Brenda is this real smart ass, spouting off these absurd taunts and whatnot as she lures the Scars into death traps and so on, but when she faces Jake, and there's a moment where the tables are turned, the character does a total 180 and turns into a squealing final girl. It's jarring, but not in a good way. I feel it simply doesn't make a lot of sense for the character or the scene.
As far as content is concerned, many of us have seen way crazier shit than Savage Streets, but it's the tone that Steinmann sets that really works you over. If you notice, and as strange as it sounds, F13 pt. 5 has its sweet, wholesome moments, and so does Savage Streets. Steinmann's sprinkling these bits amongst the rougher and sleazier material is no accident and it totally works.
So, reply if you care, or put it on the Netflix, whatever, I just think it's worth your time if one is interested in such things. =)
