Director Walter Hill describes the movie this way: The Leader of the Pack (Willem DaFoe) kidnaps the Queen of the Hop (Diane Lane) and Soldier Boy (Michael Pare) comes home to rescue her. Sounds REAL strange but it works. It starts off with the words "A different time, a different place" then goes whizzing into action. Ellen Aim (Lane) is playing a concert in her home town. A guy from the bad side of town (Dafoe) and his gang kidnap her. Her former lover (Pare) comes back to save her.

OK let's get the bad things out of the way--lousy poster (I've NEVER seen such bad artwork),laughable dialogue and what-the-hell-is going-on performances. But everything else is great! Incredible sets (all neon and moody lighting),fantastic rock score, colorful costumes, wonderful direction by Hill, great action sequences and a total refusal to take itself seriously. It moves VERY quickly and there's never a dull moment! It does lose a lot on video--this should be seen on a wide screen with stereo--that's how I originally saw it in 1984, and for the entire length of the movie I was mesmerized! This was a huge bomb in its day but now has a cult following

A great movie all the way. I give it a 10.

Ellen Aim (Diane Lane) is the lead singer of Ellen Aim and the Attackers. While performing a concert, she's kidnapped right off the stage by Raven (Willem Dafoe) and his motorcycle gang which has been harassing the neighborhood. Reva asks her brother Tom Cody (Michael Paré) to come home and rescue his ex-girlfriend. He befriends tomboy mechanic McCoy (Amy Madigan). They are hired by Ellen's manager and boyfriend Billy Fish (Rick Moranis).

I like the neon-colored Rock-and-Roll alternate-universe 50s era. It's weirdly energetic and compelling. Sexy Diane Lane starts it off with a rock performance. This reminds me of Walter Hill's other fable The Warriors except I like this more. Michael Paré used to be leading man material for about two seconds around this time. His masculine ruggedness fits this material. This doesn't work if one takes this too seriously. It's fun like a comic book movie.

After the success of 48 HOURS, producer Joel Silver put together this movie using the same writer and director and I certainly hope this is the worst movie that Walter Hill has or will direct. Michael Pare is hired by Rick Moranis to rescue his girl friend, Diane Lane, from a motorcycle gang led by psychotic Willem Dafoe and recruits ex-army Amy Madigan to help. Not one of these illogical, paper-thin characters can speak an overwritten line without sounding like they just want to get through the scene as fast as possible.

Apparently Walter Hill didn't want to leave California, so they built a Chicago in Hollywood, then sent a second unit to the Windy City, taking particular care that nothing matched. Other actors whose careers survived this turkey include Bill Paxton, Robert Townsend, Mykelti Williamson, Lynn Thigpen, and Ed Begley Jr.