Dark Streets (2008)

19% of critics liked it
(37 reviews)
17% of users liked it
(340 ratings)

A naïve playboy investigating the suspicious death of his wealthy father finds his charmed life as owner of the hottest nightclub in town suddenly spiraling into disaster in this shadowy film noir fever dream from director Rachel Samuels. Gabriel Mann, Bijou Phillips, Izabella Miko, and Elias Koteas… More A naïve playboy investigating the suspicious death of his wealthy father finds his charmed life as owner of the hottest nightclub in town suddenly spiraling into disaster in this shadowy film noir fever dream from director Rachel Samuels. Gabriel Mann, Bijou Phillips, Izabella Miko, and Elias Koteas headline the film, which features music by Aaron Neville, Etta James, Dr. John, Natalie Cole, Chaka Khan, and more. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 24 min.
Directed By: Rachel Samuels
Written By: Wallace King
Genres: Musical & Performing Arts, Drama

In Theaters: Dec 12, 2008 Wide
On DVD: Jun 30, 2009
Studio: Samuel Goldwyn Films

Critic Reviews

Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter
An unwieldy combination of film noir and film musical, Dark Streets doesn't manage to be effective on either level.
Nathan Lee, New York Times
Dark Streets has atmosphere coming out its ears, but not much going on between them.
Lou Lumenick, New York Post
I love musicals, but I'd be hard-pressed to recommend this curiosity.
Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune
Dark Streets lost me early, real early, like still-adjusting-my-eyes-in-a-dark-theater early: Welcome to the blues, growls the entertainer with the mohawk and the full-length ringmaster gown.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
It's a lovingly souped-up incarnation of the film-noir look, contains well-staged and performed musical numbers, and has a lot of cigarettes, tough tootsies, bad guys and shadows. What it doesn't have is a story that pulls us along.
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader
This charmless fantasy tries to recapture the mix of hot jazz and cold cynicism that lit up Chicago, adding a dash of punk for good measure
Mike Scott, Times-Picayune
A flimsy blues-oriented Moulin Rouge with a touch of Chinatown-style public corruption thrown in.
Brent Simon, Shared Darkness
A slight musical murder-mystery with style to spare, Dark Streets' problematic narrative is sustained for vast stretches by gorgeous cinematography and a certain smoldering energy.
Avi Offer, NYC Movie Guru
Looks great and sound great, but it doesn't have enough heart and soul and, ultimately, seems too artsy-fartsy while leaving feeling cold.
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com
There's nothing worse than a soft-boiled noir. Dashiell Hammett this is not.
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
The cast of lightweights come off as kids playing dress-up in their parents' old clothes.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
A film noir musical fantasy that falls flat due to a weak screenplay.
Ron Wilkinson, Monsters and Critics
A poetic, rambunctious film that shows no matter how much we see, we never see, and no matter how much things change, the more they stay the same.
John P. McCarthy, Boxoffice Magazine
The roster of R&B artists heard on the soundtrack is impressive; the movie is not.
Nora Lee Mandel, Film-Forward.com
Sophisticated elements rise above this murk - Toledo as the MC and music that is a serious contribution to the blues repertory.
Travis Nichols, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
It's atmospheric like a steaming pile.
M.E. Russell, Oregonian
The script is just all kinds of terrible.
Robert W. Butler, Kansas City Star
If only I cared.
Josh Rosenblatt, Austin Chronicle
A collection of 1950s B-movie mannerisms that would have made for a great parody if only it were capable of laughing at its own hard-boiled absurdity.
John Beifuss, Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)
According to its press kit, this is 'an atmospheric film noir musical fantasy,' 'a noir fever dream' and a 'blues-infused noir mystery.' If you suspect those are code words for 'pointless hooey,' you're right.