![]() ![]() However, the men mess up and Duke escapes, seething with anger and looking for revenge. Cookie seeks help from another pimp, Jason (Leon), who sends his men to take care of Duke. Cookie eventually sees Duke for the maniac he really is when fellow working girl Heather is beaten to a pulp by the psycho pimp. It's not long before Cookie is working for Duke, selling her nubile young bod to desperate johns. The film opens as pretty redhead teenage runaway Cookie (Melissa Leo) and her younger brother Tim (Randall Batinkoff) arrive in the city, where they are immediately approached by eagle-eyed pimp Duke (Dale Midkiff), who befriends the desperate kids. New York in the '70s and '80s wasn't like it is now: in those days, the trash strewn street corners were crawling with hookers, rent boys, pimps, vigilantes, muggers, psychos, rapists and flick-knife wielding gang members, and every cinema - I mean EVERY cinema - showed either hardcore porn, or grindhouse flicks like Streetwalkin', a prime slice of mid-'80s exploitation that revels in the filth and sleaze of the 'big apple'. The pulsating score by Doug Timm and Matthew Ender throbs to a neat syncopated beat. Steben Fierberg's glittery cinematography gives the picture a sparkling neon glow. The funky soundtrack hits the get-down groovy spot (the theme song in particular totally smokes). The startling moments of raw brutal violence pack a pretty mean punch. The sound acting from the sturdy cast helps a lot: Antonio Fargas as suave master pimp Finesse, Julie Newmar as tough, sassy, and maternal veteran whore Queen Bee, Leon Robinson as slick rival pimp Jason, Khandi Alexander as the gutsy and enticing Star, Annie Golden as pathetic strung-out junkie Phoebe, and Julie Cohen as the perky Tricia. Director Joan Freeman, who also co-wrote the seamy, yet engrossing script with Robert Alden, maintains an appropriately hard and gritty tone throughout, offers a vivid evocation of the Big Apple's grimy red light district underbelly, delivers a handy helping of graphic nudity and perverse sexuality, and stages the tense and exciting climax with real flair and skill. Cookie falls under the spell of smooth, but sadistic pimp Duke (well played with frightening conviction by Dale Midkiff), who turns her out as a Times Square hooker. ![]() Teenager Cookie (an excellent and affecting performance by Melissa Leo) runs away from home to escape her abusive stepfather and goes to New York City with her younger brother Tim (a solid portrayal by Randall Batinkoff).
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