Fire with Fire

Saw a pic of Virginia Madden and remembered this movie from my youth. It was a really good teen love story, and kept me a fan of hers for years to come. If you get a chance, check it out. It's worth your time.

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

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.

This was a great movie made better by a brilliant performance from Virginia Madsen. She was the star of the movie beyond doubt. Virginia plays a girl in a Catholic school who falls in love with a boy from a prison camp. She organizes a dance at her school just to meet him, and when she does, sparks fly all around. It's a shame that there was'nt a soundtrack that was released with this film because it has some catchy numbers. Fire With Fire is easily one of Virginia Madsen's best films. Not only does she look more beautiful than ever but she also displays her tremendous acting ability.

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.