Synopsis: They Raped Her Sister… Killed Her Best Friend. Now She Must Seek Revenge!
After nearly being rundown by a gang known as the Scars, Brenda (Linda Blair) and friends trash the leader’s car. Gang leader, Jake, exacts his revenge by getting his cohorts to gang-rape her mute-dead sister, Heather (in a gloriously nuanced role by Linnea Quigley). Armed with a crossbow and a bad attitude, Linda Blair sets out to avenge her mute-deaf sister while blazing a bloody, Bronson-inspired trail through 80’s Los Angeles.
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Savage Streets 5.0
I sometimes like a good B-movie. Heck, ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll High School’ fits that label and it’s frickin’ wicked awesome! And sometimes I like gang-related films: ‘Boyz N The Hood’ is a bloody masterpiece.
But ‘Savage Street’ is neither. It’s not even a “so bad, it’s good” film – which, frankly, sometimes merits a few extra points (and which explains the status of a number of cult films). Nope, this film’s just a plain ol’ rehashed story thrown into an early-80s exploitation film, featuring lacklustre direction, terrible editing, and so-bad-it’s-not-funny “acting”.
In fact, the acting can be so grotesque at times that it makes me wonder if Linda Blair needs to be possessed by demons to be a decent actress – she’s just so over-the-top that it makes you wince almost each time she’s on screen. Apparently, I’m not alone to think so: in 1986, she won the Razzie for her performance in this and two other crappy ‘80s films. Ouch.
Anyway, I’d only recommend watching this out of morbid curiosity. I’ve seen worse movies, granted, but it’s really not a good time at the movies. Thankfully, I watched this alone – so my embarrassment was minimized.
thecriticaleye 