“A Rock ’n’ Roll Fable. Another time, another place.” – That’s your tagline. But make no mistake — this ain’t just a synth-drenched fever dream.
This is a Western, baby. Maybe the most overlooked one of the 1980s
Streets of Fire is it. Yes, I posted about this previously, but this a different look at the movie.
The Stranger Rides In
Tom Cody doesn’t make an entrance — he materializes off a subway train like vengeance made flesh. Trench coat,
thousand-yard stare, and a complete lack of patience for
scumbags.
He's the classic drifter gunslinger, just upgraded
with a butterfly knife and a pump-action.
The Damsel in Distress (But Make Her a Rock Star)
Ellen Aim (Diane Lane, somehow both vulnerable and iconic) isn’t
just the town’s sweetheart — she’s the lost flame. Kidnapped
by The Bombers, she's the spark that draws Cody back to the
Richmond.
It’s Shane with synth-pop. And honestly?
That works.
The Villain: Raven Shaddock
Willem Dafoe in vinyl overalls looking like Nosferatu took a
detour through a biker bar?
Check.
Raven is pure menace —
the kind of guy who probably licks knives and monologues to pigeons.
And he's perfect.
The Weapons, the Ride, the Arsenal
Before storming the gates of Torchie’s, Cody stops by Pete’s
garage and loads up like he's prepping for Commando 2.
Shotgun?
Check.
Custom ride stolen from the Roadmasters? Oh hell
yes.
Backup in the form of McCoy (Amy Madigan)? Absolutely.
She's a hard-drinking ex-soldier with a mean right hook — a
sidekick worthy of any spaghetti Western.
The Rescue and the Wreckage
Sneak into the Bomber's lair.
Deliver a one-liner to Raven promising the real reckoning.
Gaze longingly through the window at the captive Ellen while a synth ballad swells.
Blow the place to hell.
Use a butterfly knife like a ninja with PTSD.
Escape through a thousand-to-one odds gunfight.
Standard Tom Cody procedure.
The Escape and the Aftermath
Hijack a motorcycle.
Fight with the girl. Kiss the girl. Let the girl go.
Jump a roadblock.
Shoot at cop cars.
Stop a moving bus with your hands.
All in a night’s work.
The Final Duel: Cody vs. Raven
No guns. No backup. Just two guys. Two sledgehammers.
Industrial
floodlights. Sweat. Rage. Cinematic glory.
Tom could kill him.
Doesn’t. Because Tom doesn’t need to prove anything — he
already did.
That Final Scene…
As Ellen sings “Tonight Is What It Means To Be Young”
(seriously, peak Jim Steinman nuclear-operatic thunder), Cody walks
off into the night.
He could stay. He could cash in.
But
that’s not who he is.
He came. He saw. He exploded some jukeboxes.
And he left like
a myth.
TL;DR
Trench coat? ✔️
Western at heart? 💯
Rescue the girl? ✔️
Sledgehammer duel? ✔️
Ride off alone? ✔️
So yeah. Call it a Rock ’n’ Roll Fable all you want.
But when the neon fades and the synth dies down, you're left with a gunslinger, a showdown, and a damn fine walk into the sunset.
Tom Cody: Level 10 Fighter, Chaotic Good (with CN tendencies), weapon specialization in ass-kicking and throwing punks through windows.
“There’s nothing wrong with going out and looking for a fight. As long as you know you’re gonna win.” – Tom Cody
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