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Beat Street

Play trailer Poster for Beat Street PG 1984 1h 45m Musical Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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57% Tomatometer 7 Reviews 83% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
At the forefront of early hip-hop culture, DJ Kenny Kirkland (Guy Davis), his B-boy brother, Lee (Robert Taylor), and graffiti artist Ramon (John Chardiet) all have hopes of showcasing their talents outside the confines of South Bronx, N.Y. When Tracy Carlson (Rae Dawn Chong), a composer and choreographer, runs into Kirkland and Lee at one of Manhattan's hottest nightclubs, she offers Lee an opportunity to perform on TV. However, the crew has a long way to go before achieving their dreams.
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Beat Street

Critics Reviews

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Diego Galán El Pais (Spain) 02/20/2020
A musical and vibrant film, with the capacity for spectacle. [Full Review in Spanish] Go to Full Review Felix Vasquez Jr. Cinema Crazed 02/27/2016
Holds up pretty well as one of the few hip hop musicals and a neat time capsule when hip hop was growing and still on the fringes of the mainstream. Go to Full Review Glenn Dunks Trespass 09/08/2013
Like the best films of its kind, Beat Street isn't simply a glorified music video, but rather a celebration of the bond between artists and an examination of a culture that goes unappreciated and misrepresented. Go to Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com 08/30/2005
2/5
Philip Martin Arkansas Democrat-Gazette 12/26/2004
1/5
Daniel M. Kimmel Worcester Telegram & Gazette 02/08/2004
2/5
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Audience Reviews

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Doug S. @dsmith9121 Feb 27 At the time it came out it was very important to see the culture of Hip Hop and B-Boys on the big screen. Music was current, breaking moves were fresh and the movie even had a then legendary B-Boy as a crew member: Crazy Legs. This movie was and is an awesome piece of cinema. See more alan G. @agenser Oct 26 Typical hokeywood gloss over the crime associated with hip flop. See more CodyZamboni Z @CodyZamboni Apr 27 Movie is lame, tedious, and it drags, With unmemorable songs, and no plot, It's hard to sympathize with a tagger, but most of cast are likeable, There's a few decent breakdance moves, But majority are unremarkable and boring to watch. That said, the location photography is spot on. You feel you are there in the cold wintery South Bronx ghetto enviroments. See more timmy b 08/12/2024 Literally one of the dopest movies from the 80’s. Still freaking love it. See more 06/16/2021 Awesome and inspiring movie. Showing the the life in the Bronx of the 80's and how hip hop culture growed. This movie has a significant impact on many peoples life. This is one of the best documented parts of hip hop history. See more uncle p 08/26/2020 Story/Screenplay: (1/5) Badly dated, unoriginal, and uninteresting. Duration/Tempo: (2.5/5) At 1 hour and 45 minutes, it's an average length movie that felt long. Cast & Crew: (1/5) Rae Dawn Chong delivered the only performance of interest. Summary: (1.5/5) The story and cast failed, and the film felt a little long. A strong thumbs down. See more Read all reviews
Beat Street

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Cast & Crew

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Stan Lathan

Director

Rae Dawn Chong

Tracy

Guy Davis

Kenny

John Chardiet

Ramon

Leon W. Grant

Chollie

Saundra Santiago

Carmen

Movie Clips

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Beat Street

Beat Street: Official Clip - Painting a Virgin Train Beat Street: Official Clip - Painting a Virgin Train 2:06 Beat Street: Official Clip - Tagging the Train Station Beat Street: Official Clip - Tagging the Train Station 1:30 Beat Street: Official Clip - The Bronx Rockers vs. Beat Street Beat Street: Official Clip - The Bronx Rockers vs. Beat Street 4:21 Beat Street: Official Clip - Melle Mel and the Furious Five Beat Street: Official Clip - Melle Mel and the Furious Five 2:07 Beat Street: Official Clip - You're a Biter Beat Street: Official Clip - You're a Biter 2:10 Beat Street: Official Clip - Believe Beat Street: Official Clip - Believe 2:01 Beat Street: Official Clip - Us Girls Can Boogie, Too Beat Street: Official Clip - Us Girls Can Boogie, Too 2:17 Beat Street: Official Clip - The Santa Claus Rap Beat Street: Official Clip - The Santa Claus Rap 3:20 Beat Street: Official Clip - Caught By the Cops Beat Street: Official Clip - Caught By the Cops 1:45 View more videos

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Beat Street

Beat Street (1984) Beat Street (1984) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis At the forefront of early hip-hop culture, DJ Kenny Kirkland (Guy Davis), his B-boy brother, Lee (Robert Taylor), and graffiti artist Ramon (John Chardiet) all have hopes of showcasing their talents outside the confines of South Bronx, N.Y. When Tracy Carlson (Rae Dawn Chong), a composer and choreographer, runs into Kirkland and Lee at one of Manhattan's hottest nightclubs, she offers Lee an opportunity to perform on TV. However, the crew has a long way to go before achieving their dreams.
Director
Stan Lathan
Producer
Harry Belafonte, David V. Picker
Screenwriter
Andrew Davis, David Gilbert, Paul Golding, Steven Hager
Distributor
Orion Pictures, MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Vestron Video
Production Co
Orion Pictures
Rating
PG
Genre
Musical, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 8, 1984, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 15, 2017
Runtime
1h 45m
Sound Mix
Dolby, Surround
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