Dark Streets
Genre: Musical/Mystery/Noir
Directed by: Rachel Samuels
Run time: 83 minutes
Rating: R
Format: DVD

The Lowdown: Playing like a fetish-lite version of “Chicago,” this 1930s-retro-noir oddity doesn’t have the stones to go all out, pulling back its sexual energy when it should be pushing boundaries and offering up low-rent, badly-lip-synched musical performances.

“Dark Streets” wants to be cooler than it is. With its smokey interiors, throw-back fashions (mixed with a penchant for out-of-time leather arm gauntlets and corsets) and pulpy dialogue, this could have been a cult favorite. And in one scene near the end, it really takes off, baring skin and flashing teeth with a dark and highly erotic stage production. 

But director Rachel Samuels doesn’t seem confident enough to capture the seedy soul of the booze-soaked bar owners and cheap torch singers she’s trying to convey.

And her decision to shoot every scene with a hazy camera eye that fuzzes the edges of each shot like some old-timey photograph is both bold and poorly executed. It gives “Dark Streets” a visually interesting foundation that she’s unable to build upon, which ultimately makes the camera trick just that – a trick, meant to distract from the slight proceedings.

Fans of movie musicals may find some interest in the original songs and colorful production numbers, but movie enthusiasts who like edgy, original fare likely won’t

The Stuff You Care About:
Hot chicks – Smoking hot babes throughout.
Nudity – Brief.
Gore – No.
Drug use – Yes.
Bad Guys/Killers – Ambition is a killer.
Buy/Rent – Rent it.
Release Date – June 30, 2009