It’s hard to overstate just how much of an iconChristopher Reevewas in the wake of the success of the initial Superman franchise. Outside of a few classic serials withGeorge Reeves,audiences had no understanding of what a cinematic superhero story could look like. The notion of a comic book character coming to life seemed completely ridiculous, yet Reeve delivered sensitive, inspirational performances that effectively launched an entire genre. While the first two installments in the Superman series are considered to beamong the greatest comic book movies ever made,Reeve sought other opportunities as the franchise began to decline in quality. The same year thatSuperman IV: The Quest for Peacedestroyed both its franchise and the genre itself for the foreseeable future,Reeve starred with a youngMorgan Freemanin the neo-noir crime thrillerStreet Smart.
While independent crime cinema would eventually take off in the 1990s thanks to the success of low-budget neo-thrillers likePulp FictionandThe Usual Suspects, the notion of a major movie star appearing in a filmproduced by the Cannon Groupwas seen as potentially embarrassing. AlthoughFreeman would later cite the film(which earned him a surprising Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor) as one of the most important of his career,Reeve’s secret role financing and overseeing the productionwas often ignored. It may have been destined to be nothing but a footnote in any reconsideration of his career, but Reeve’s incredible performance inStreet Smartis a perfect example of a prototypical Hollywood “good guy” finally getting to be bad.
Street Smart
When a reporter fabricates a story about a pimp to save his career, he unwittingly entangles himself with a real-life pimp under investigation for murder. As the line between his fiction and reality blurs, the journalist must navigate the dangerous consequences of his deception.
What Is ‘Street Smart’ About?
Set in the world ofNew York City’s crime reporting,Street Smartfollows an ambitious journalist as he attempts to break a major case about a local pimp.Reeve’s Jonathan Fisher, a struggling magazine writer, fears that he will not be able to come up with enough legitimate sources to impress his editor, Ted Avery (Andre Gregory). As his deadline rapidly approaches, Fisher is unsuccessful in collecting any compelling new information after talking to some of the city’s prostitutes. Out of sheer desperation, he decides to invent a story about a ruthless pimp that he refers to as “Tyrone.” The fabricated story ends up being well-received, and Fisher’s article catches the eye of the real pimp Leo Smalls Jr. (Freeman), also known as “Fast Black.” Smalls suspects that Fisher is trying to set him up, as the story of “Tyrone” mirrors that of his own series of crimes.
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Street Smartsucceeds as an anxiety-inducing thriller because of how completely unexpected Reeve’s performance is. It’s established very early on thatFisher is simply a bad journalistwho’s more interested in advancing his own career than paying any attention to the truth. It wasn’t just a contradiction of what Reeve did as Clark Kent, but a complete inversion; Fisher is cowardly, ignorant, and so self-centered that he doesn’t seem to care about the consequences that his lies leave behind. Although the screenplay byDavid Freemandoes a great job at identifying the qualities of a disreputable journalist, it’s a character that stands out because he’s played byone of Hollywood’s most iconic heroes.
Christopher Reeve’s ‘Street Smart’ Character Makes Unethical Decisions
Given thatStreet Smartwas released in 1987 in the pre-Internet era, much of its analysis of the state of journalism hasn’t necessarily aged well. That being said,Street Smartaddresses the fundamental ethical debates aboutsensationalism in journalistic reportingthat couldn’t be more important today. One of Fisher’s issues early on is that the stories that he pitches are not deemed to be “exciting” enough by his editors, forcing him to conflate the few facts he’s gathered into an entirely superficial article. While obviously Fisher is in the wrong, and the film goes to great lengths to show why, it does spark serious questions about the goals that a major publication actually has. If the truth isn’t glamorous enough for the base of readers, how are editors and writers supposed to make a career?
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Street Smartalso serves as a dire warning about the spread of disinformation, a topic that grows more relevant in today’s news climate with each passing week. Fisher is ignorant of the fact that his fake story about “Tyrone” may lead to an increase in stereotyping about the Black community, and that his privilege has allowed him to create such a lie. While Smalls was already a dangerous figure, he’s put under more pressure to lash out when he fears that Fisher is approaching the truth. It’s a fascinating example of how just one lie can leave two parties severely affected.Fisher and Smalls come from two completely different social sectors, and have radically opposing ideologies. That being said, they are similar in that they are both opportunists without a shred of dignity, so it’s not surprising that they find themselves in themidst of a psychological thriller.
‘Street Smart’ Helped Christopher Reeve Leave Superman Behind
While it was not a commercial hit,Street Smartdid help Reeve establish his merits as a character actorand allow him to break out into non-superhero films in the subsequent decade. It was evident that Reeve wasn’t interested in coasting off the success ofSupermanfor the rest of his career. Shortly afterStreet Smart, he showed his comedic chops inPeter Bogdnoavich’s adaptation ofNoises Off…and co-starred alongsideEmma Thompsonin the Academy Award-winning dramaThe Remains of the Day, a role that he cited as his personal favorite.Reeve’s career was sadly cut short by a critical accident that left him paralyzed in 1995, making it much harder for him to pursue roles in the following years.Street Smartdeserves to be remembered as one of the boldest, bravest, and most memorable films that Reeve ever appeared in.
Street Smartis available to watch on Tubi in the U.S.
Watch on Tubi
