Street Smart (1987)

Director:

Jerry Schatzberg

Writer:

David Freeman (writer)

Release Date:

20 March 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Everything you say can and will be held against you.

Plot:

A New York journalist lies when his fake story about a pimp describes a real pimp up for murder.

Plot Keywords:

Pimp | Murder | Stabbing | African American | Criminal

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 6 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Christopher Reeve	...	Jonathan Fisher
Kathy Baker	...	Punchy
Mimi Rogers	...	Alison Parker
Jay Patterson	...	Leonard Pike
Andre Gregory	...	Ted Avery
Morgan Freeman	...	Fast Black
Anna Maria Horsford	...	Harriet
Frederick Rolf	...	Joel Davis
Erik King	...	Reggie
Michael J. Reynolds	...	Art Sheffield
Shari Hilton	...	Darlene
Donna Bailey	...	Yvonne
Ed Van Nuys	...	Judge
Daniel Nalbach	...	Singer
Rick Aviles	...	Solo

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (TVC)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Iceland:16 | France:-12 | Sweden:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Montréal, Québec, Canada

Company:

Golan-Globus Productions

Trivia:

One of the locations used was the old Seville Theater in a rundown section of St. Catherine Street near the old Montreal Forum. By that time the theater had been closed for quite a while and they redressed it as an Adult Movie Theater on NYC's 42nd Street leaving many to believe that the Seville Theater was being turned in a porno palace. After the filming was down everything was taken down and the theater still remains to this day (December 2006) closed, but is basically a shell as the owners have let it fall into disrepair. But the city has deemed that the front of the building historically important architecture and will not allow the building to be torn down unless they incorporate the front of the building into the new project.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Century of Black Cinema (2003) (V)

Soundtrack:

My Girl

very enjoyable and taut crime thriller

I found this movie to be very entertaining and well done, with good performances across the board. I agree with previous reviewers that the late Chris Reeve's performances in other movies, and at times this one, could be seen as wooden. That being said, I think he played his role extremely well, because it was able to work with Morgan Freeman's outbursts and explosions. Because of the problems encountered by his fabricated story, Reeve's performance was handled well being outside of his environment as much as he was. He was unsure and understated, and being a reporter, being unemotional was in his well being. On the other end, Morgan Freeman was fantastic! Seeing him in a role like this makes you want to see him take on a role where he can be the loose cannon.

This movie can show what happens when you "create" a story and you do it TOO well. More people should see it and comment on it.