Streetwalkin' is no classic, but it does have some points in its favor. The film's gritty ambiance is certainly of tremendous value, and the undervalued Melissa Leo (21 Grams) delivers a reasonably good performance as Cookie, a young woman forced onto the streets when she runs away from home and her family refuses to take her back. She's also responsible for her annoying younger brother (Randall Batinkoff)and is soon in the grips of psychotic pimp Duke (Dale Midkiff), who likes to beat his women when he isn't selling them. The film's screenplay, a collaboration between Robert Alden and director Joan Freeman, takes a determinedly feminist stance, with all the male characters basically being scum. Alden and Freeman's only other credit is the nearly unwatchable rock and rock fable Satisfaction, which makes Streetwalkin' look like Citizen Kane in comparison. All in all, an interesting exploitation film that belongs more to the sleazy 70s than to the corporate 80s.
Review of Streetwalkin'
