Street Smart *** (1987, Christopher Reeve, Kathy Baker, Mimi Rogers, Morgan Freeman) – Classic Movie Review 11,087

Christopher Reeve’s deal with Golan-Globus Productions for Superman IV included the chance to do director Jerry Schatzberg’s little-seen but watchable 1987 thriller Street Smart about a New York magazine reporter newsman called Jonathan Fisher who promises to write a factual true story of prostitution, but can’t get the information he needs and ends up fabricating a fake story of a pimp, his life and crimes, which the police and prosecutor think is true.

The police believe the fake story is of a real-life pimp being prosecuted for murder, and the real-life pimp then feeds Reeve real tales to establish an alibi.

Reeve is solid, but he is upstaged by Kathy Baker as hooker Punchy, Mimi Rogers as Alison Parker and Morgan Freeman (who was Oscar-nominated as Best Actor in a Supporting Role) as pimp Fast Black.

It is quite a good story. David Freeman’s screenplay is based on his own memoirs of his time at New York magazine.

Also in the cast are Jay Patterson, André Gregory, Anna Maria Horsford, Frederick Rolf, Erik King, Michael J Reynolds and Rick Aviles.

Made by Golan-Globus Productions and released by The Cannon Group (1987) (US), it cost a low $5,000,000 but failed to make its money back, grossing only $1,119,112 in the US, and was another nail in the coffin of the company.

Superman IV struggled too. Costing $17,000,000, it grossed $15,681,020 in the US.

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,087

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com