Morgan Freeman really makes this a must-see.,
8:40PM on December 23, 2008
The late Christopher Reeve stars as Jonathan Fisher, an investigative reporter who tries to tackle the story of a pimp's day-to-day life. Caving in to the pressure of an impending deadline, he comes up with a fictional story. The unfortunate side effect of this fabrication is that the assistant district attorney (Jay Patterson) is convinced that he's telling the story of a real-life pimp, "Fast Black" (Morgan Freeman, in his breakout, Academy Award-nominated performance), who's being prosecuted for murder.
The Cannon Group made its fair share of entertaining thrillers, and action, horror, and sci-fi movies during the 1980's, but this has to stand as one of their more interesting efforts. It's a pretty good story (written by David Freeman), consistently  entertaining and easy to watch. Ultimately, it does a good job of portraying a seamy side of life, while contrasting that with the kind of high society that wouldn't ordinarily connect with it. And the fact that Fisher is not so different from "Fast Black" certainly comes across; the movie does have something to say about the way that certain types in the news business conduct themselves, and the potential repercussions of their actions.
I think that Reeve does a decent enough job in the lead, although it's definitely true that his co-stars fare much better. Kathy Baker is wonderfully appealing (and sexy) as Punchy, one of "Fast Black"'s girls; she shines in all of her scenes, especially when she's relating to Fisher the comedic account of her first ever trick. But Freeman emerges as the real star of the movie. In a role far removed from the calm, authoritative, and wise persona that has been his stock in trade in the years since, he shows his true range, portraying a cunning, ruthless and also intelligent criminal who can come off as genial and welcoming and then turn on a dime and reveal the ugly side lying underneath the smooth exterior.
Mimi Rogers, Andre Gregory, Anna Maria Horsford, and Erik King co-star, with each of them delivering good performances as well.
"Street Smart" is a solid movie with a good premise and presentation, enjoyable soundtrack, and some mighty fine moments, especially one involving Freeman, Baker, and a pair of scissors.
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