An adult thriller with period charm, SAVAGE STREETS is, like CLASS OF 1984, one of those high school movies of the 1980s that mixes sleaze and ultra violence for a surprisingly explicit thrill-ride. Seen today it's an odd mix of depravity and high camp, as Linda Blair dresses in leather and hunts members of a criminal gang with her crossbow. Her performance is OTT to say the least, but then it fits a film which never goes for restraint. There's a nasty scene of gang rape straight out of a DEATH WISH movie, alongside the obligatory gratuitous nude scenes, the girl's locker room scene a notorious highlight; even Blair isn't spared. Why bother having a scene of quiet introspection when she's dressed, anyway? The revenge scenes take a long time to come, but until that point you get plenty of sassy dialogue, snarling villainy and John Vernon in a small but entertaining role as the principal.
Review of Savage Streets
