Fire with Fire

I saw this movie for the first time about 10 years ago when I was still a teenager. I fell absolutely in love with Craig Sheffer. Virginia Madsen looked absolutely beautiful in this movie and this is truly one of the most underrated romances of all time. The love story between Lisa( Virgina Madsen) a catholic school girl and Joe (Craig Sheffer) an honor camp prisoner was beautifully created and even dance scene had some funny parts to it. I thought the ending was awesome. The soundtrack to the film was also good except one was never officially made.A definite must see for anyone who loves a good romance. I give this 8/10 stars.

Since it's not clear which came first the juvenile offender boot camp, or the Catholic school for girls, I don't know whom to blame. But the mere fact that these two facilities are only a few hundred feet away from each other screams, "TROUBLE BREWING!" What could possibly be a more dangerous combination? A toxic waste dump next to a farm? A daycare center next to an attack dog training school? Or a nuclear plant next to an artillery range? Anyway... despite its unrealistic plot premise this really is a great forbidden love film.

Craig Sheffer stars as a hunk from the wrong side of the tracks now imprisoned in an "honor" boot camp without any wall or fences. Come on! That's just too tempting. Give them at least one fence with razor wire.

The camp's ONLY security is Jon Polito randomly threatening people with his double barrel shot gun. Shockingly the young Jon Polito isn't fat but he's still bald. Much like Patrick Stewart and Kevin Spacey he never had hair at any point in his life.

Since this is Hollywood only 10% of the prisoners are token blacks. Everyone else is a clean shaven English speaking Caucasian. Or perhaps the camp represents those criminals too clean to be in a real jail where everyone is black, has AIDS, and is gang affiliated.

The camp doesn't really seem that bad as we are never shown any horrors of prison life like gang rapes, beatings, or harsh conditions. Again, it's unclear if this is the film's intention to show a nice camp or just careless for not showing any hardships? Craig Sheffer predictably falls for Princess Irulan of 'Dune' (Virginia Madsen) during a dance arranged by the nuns for their sex starved teenage girls and the camps' criminal teenage boys. Again, this is just asking for trouble! The dance scene will go down in history as the only film to feature Prince's 'Computer Blue' besides 'Purple Rain' itself.

It's love at first sight for Sheffer and Madsen whom predictably agree to escape their respective prisons and meet later for a tryst at... a mausoleum. I've heard about people being too cheap to get a motel room but a mausoleum is just ridiculous. Are they trying to put on a show for the people inside? Sex in a mausoleum is just plain wrong even if both partners are alive.

Sheffer and Madsen's run off into the sunset also provides for even more unrealistic sequences, such as their race through the school electronic gate. See? Even the school has a gate. The boot camp should learn from the nuns. And Madsen failing to hear a helicopter approach until it's only a few feet away from her.

As I said, don't try and take this film too seriously otherwise you won't enjoy it. It's cute 80s fun.

Two teenagers fall in love--one is in a prison camp (Craig Sheffer), the other is at a Catholic school (Virginia Madsen). He escapes and they run with the law in hot pursuit...

I was one of the few who saw this theatrically back in 1986. I had seen Sheffer and Madsen in movies before. I knew they were good actors (although Madsen is a little better) and very physically attractive (especially Sheffer). The whole audience consisted on me and a bunch of teenage boys (I was 24 at the time). The guys hated it but I loved it! The soundtrack, the direction, the acting--all were just great. Sheffer and Madsen also worked well with each other which helped. Purportedly Madsen couldn't stand Sheffer but you'd never know it watching this movie.

It was being pushed by the studio as an updated version of "Romeo & Juliet" (the similarities are there) without the unhappy ending. But with no stars to "sell" it this died quickly and disappeared. That's too bad--it's one of the better teen romances of the 80s. See it if you get a chance.

Boy sees girl, girl sees boy, they fall in love and everything's great! It could be if wasn't the fact the boy's detained on a juvenile facility while the girl is studying on a girl's institution run by nuns. So, the young couple's challenge is try to visit each other, escaping from the places they're stuck, disobeying its authorities and rules.

"Fire with Fire" is short and sweet (maybe too sweet), simple, heavily clichéd, doesn't have much space for originality or clever moments, yet it's good to watch. Maybe because Craig Sheffer and Virginia Madsen made a nice couple, or perhaps because the kind of situation they're in is something some of us might have dreamed , who knows, but there's some bright appeal in here. Better: perhaps because we don't have flicks like this one now. Yes, it's corny, silly and very predictable (even though the ending isn't really what we were hoping for, could have been more plausible), but it's totally enjoyable.

Worths of a view for some inspiring and cool moments like the ball planned by the girls school to "help" the poor boys of the facility in dealing with their problems, the awkwardness between boys and girls before dancing with each other; the couple dancing to the sound of "Slave to Love"; Sheffer's best friend, the funny mapmaker (J.J. Cohen) who helps him in escaping from their prison; and Jon Polito playing the chief of security of the boys facility.

A sweet escape, very unpretentious and a good entertainment. 6/10

I am in my 30's now and i saw this movie when it was released. it has stayed with me all these years. for any romantic young teen it is a must! i have not revisited it in years but specific images are still very clear in my memory. i will rent it soon!