***SPOILERS*** Far better then you would expect crime drama involving a New York Cty magazine writer Johathan Fisher, Christopher Reeve, who's job is on the line if he doesn't come up with a major story for his magazine and come up with it fast.
In order to keep his job Fisher tells his boss magazine editor Ted Avery, Andre Gregory, that he plans to write a hard-hitting expose about prostitution in New York's seedy Times Square district. Fisher plans to do this by chronicling a local New York City Pimp's day on the job. Fisher finds that none of the hookers, by posing as their customer, that he interviews are willing to go beyond their work-habits and how much they want to be paid for them. When it comes to their boss, the pimp or procurer, they clam up and drop their conversation with Fisher altogether.
Having a deadline to meet Fisher just makes up this story about a pimp, whom he calls Tyrone, who he's been interviewing about how he does business on the streets. The story by Fisher is so convincing to everyone at the magazine that it becomes the mag's next front-page story! Making Fisher a cause Caleb in the world of undercover journalism both in NYC as well as all over the country. As it soon turned out the fictitious Tyrone that Fisher conjured up is an almost carbon-copy of a real street pimp Leo Smalls-known on the streets as Fast Black-played by Morgan Freeman. What's even more troubling for Fisher is that Fast Black in now standing trial for the murder of one of his hooker's customers. Fast Black had killed him when he complained, and threatened to report him to the cops, that the service that he was getting was far below what he was paying for!
The film has Fast Black-who knows that Fisher's story is total BS-use Fisher as an alibi for him in telling the local D.A Lenoard Pike, Jay Patterson, that he was nowhere near the murder scene, of his hooker's dead John, at the time that it happened. This places Fisher in the position,if he wants to stay out of jail, to expose himself as a liar on the stand by telling the world that his story that made him famous was nothing but a made up pipe dream on his part. This would bring his now skyrocketing career in TV news to a sudden and embarrassing end!
Despite being a vicious and murderous pimp which is the exact opposite part, as the perpetual good guy, he's been playing since then Morgan Freeman's film career took off and never looked back after his chilling performance as Leo Small/Fast Black in "Street Smarts". Christopher Reeve more then held his own against his co-star by even having Freeman as Fast Black work him, he Chris Reeve the Hollywood Superman of the 1970's and 80's, over and have him almost wet his pants by doing it.
***SPOILER ALERT*** It's when Fisher has nothing to lose but his life and the lives of his loved ones that he decides to take Fast Black on. Fisher uses Fast Black's "Main Man" and #1 gofer Reginald, Reggie Liggens, Eric King, to do his dirty work for him by tricking him into thinking that he's cutting, by pimping on the side, in on his boss' territory. The ending of "Street Smart" was a bit contrived in how the "street Smart" Reggie fell for Fisher's obvious trick that he could have easily explained to Fast Black. Still that didn't really take that much away from the films hard hitting approach on prostitution and pimping in the big city. The only thing that didn't make any sense is why Fisher was still able to keep his job after being exposed as a complete fraud as a top news reporter on his top rated news show "Street Smart". A show that exposed people like himself who are dishonest with the very public that their supposed to serve!
In order to keep his job Fisher tells his boss magazine editor Ted Avery, Andre Gregory, that he plans to write a hard-hitting expose about prostitution in New York's seedy Times Square district. Fisher plans to do this by chronicling a local New York City Pimp's day on the job. Fisher finds that none of the hookers, by posing as their customer, that he interviews are willing to go beyond their work-habits and how much they want to be paid for them. When it comes to their boss, the pimp or procurer, they clam up and drop their conversation with Fisher altogether.
Having a deadline to meet Fisher just makes up this story about a pimp, whom he calls Tyrone, who he's been interviewing about how he does business on the streets. The story by Fisher is so convincing to everyone at the magazine that it becomes the mag's next front-page story! Making Fisher a cause Caleb in the world of undercover journalism both in NYC as well as all over the country. As it soon turned out the fictitious Tyrone that Fisher conjured up is an almost carbon-copy of a real street pimp Leo Smalls-known on the streets as Fast Black-played by Morgan Freeman. What's even more troubling for Fisher is that Fast Black in now standing trial for the murder of one of his hooker's customers. Fast Black had killed him when he complained, and threatened to report him to the cops, that the service that he was getting was far below what he was paying for!
The film has Fast Black-who knows that Fisher's story is total BS-use Fisher as an alibi for him in telling the local D.A Lenoard Pike, Jay Patterson, that he was nowhere near the murder scene, of his hooker's dead John, at the time that it happened. This places Fisher in the position,if he wants to stay out of jail, to expose himself as a liar on the stand by telling the world that his story that made him famous was nothing but a made up pipe dream on his part. This would bring his now skyrocketing career in TV news to a sudden and embarrassing end!
Despite being a vicious and murderous pimp which is the exact opposite part, as the perpetual good guy, he's been playing since then Morgan Freeman's film career took off and never looked back after his chilling performance as Leo Small/Fast Black in "Street Smarts". Christopher Reeve more then held his own against his co-star by even having Freeman as Fast Black work him, he Chris Reeve the Hollywood Superman of the 1970's and 80's, over and have him almost wet his pants by doing it.
***SPOILER ALERT*** It's when Fisher has nothing to lose but his life and the lives of his loved ones that he decides to take Fast Black on. Fisher uses Fast Black's "Main Man" and #1 gofer Reginald, Reggie Liggens, Eric King, to do his dirty work for him by tricking him into thinking that he's cutting, by pimping on the side, in on his boss' territory. The ending of "Street Smart" was a bit contrived in how the "street Smart" Reggie fell for Fisher's obvious trick that he could have easily explained to Fast Black. Still that didn't really take that much away from the films hard hitting approach on prostitution and pimping in the big city. The only thing that didn't make any sense is why Fisher was still able to keep his job after being exposed as a complete fraud as a top news reporter on his top rated news show "Street Smart". A show that exposed people like himself who are dishonest with the very public that their supposed to serve!