Street Smart (1987)

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

Director:

Jerry Schatzberg

Writer:

David Freeman

Stars:

Christopher Reeve, Kathy Baker, Mimi Rogers

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 6 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Magazine reporter Jonathan Fisher, in danger of losing his job, promises to write a factual hard-hitting story of prostitution. But when he tries to get information from the subjects, he is ignored. So he ends up faking a well received story of a pimp, describing his life and crimes. But police think the story is of a real life pimp who is wanted for murder and start pressuring him to reveal the identity of subject in his story, and all he knows. The pimp the police suspect, also thinks the story is about himself, and wants to know what Jonathan knows, and who told him.

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Plot Keywords:

pimp | murder | new york city | stabbing | prostitute | 

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Taglines:

Never let the truth ruin a good story.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 March 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Armação Perigosa

Filming Locations:

Montréal, Québec, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$325,835, 22 March 1987, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,119,112

Company Credits

Production Co:

Golan-Globus Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (TVC)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Christopher Reeve had the script in his possession for a long time, before he agreed to make it. Reeve had read a few pages, and felt it wasn't for him, before dumping the script on a pile of other screenplays in his bedroom. A few weeks later, he picked it up and decided to try again, and instantly liked the script. He made the material his next project.

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Goofs

Right when Punch and her pimp enter the party, the editor announces them at the door..They cut to a woman on the stairs and Punchies leopard skin leotard clad legs are stretched out behind her. They have a scene on the stairs a few minutes later.

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Quotes

Fast Black: [to his partner who was running away from him] Reggie, are you crazy? What the hell you...
[Reggie fires the gun]

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Connections

Featured in The 60th Annual Academy Awards (1988)

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Soundtracks

Salsa Suite Part II
Written by Larry Harlow
Performed by Larry Harlow & Orchestra

User Reviews

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.