AllMovie

On legitimate critical terms, Savage Streets doesn't work: the writing is ridiculous, the acting is absurdly cartoonish and the storytelling is too over-the-top to be taken seriously. However, Savage Streets can be quite entertaining if approached as campy grindhouse trash. The script might be ridiculous, but it combines raunchy dialogue and sledgehammer storytelling in a way that leaves the viewer wondering what nasty thing will happen next. In terms of acting, Linda Blair does the only thing a rational actor can do when confronted with a project like this: she has fun with it. She never condescends to the material -- indeed, it's easy to cheer her character on when she gets righteously angered -- but Blair brings a sassy, knowing sensibility to the role and works wonders with her character's trashy one-liners. All the villains overact, but they do so with such fierce intensity that it's fascinating to watch as they devour the scenery (top honors go to Johnny Venocur as the 'reluctant' participant of the gang). It also worth noting that reliable character thesp John Vernon steals his handful of scenes here, playing what might the world's most foul-mouthed high school principal. Finally, Danny Steinmann's direction seals the deal: his pacing gets a little rickety during the film's mid-section but he piles on the exploitable elements with nasty glee when the story demands it and creates the kind of overheated atmosphere necessary for memorable sleazoi filmmaking. To sum up, Savage Streets is trash -- but it is unapologetic trash that goes for the sleazy gusto so it will have a certain charm for devotees of exploitation filmmaking.