Steel Dawn (1987)

Simply Perfect

Memorable, crazy movie

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Mad Max knock-off of the "so bad it's good" variety. In a post-apocalyptic world, big-haired Patrick Swayze wanders the desert vastness fighting off Sand People with his aluminum sword and martial arts abilities. He sets out to help some farmers who are under siege by bandits out to steal their water. Oh and he picks up a dog along the way. Swayze's wife Lisa Niemi plays the widow he boinks. She's terrible in this with the same vapid expression on her face throughout. Also, where did she get a hairstylist in the post-apocalypse? Anthony Zerbe plays the villain. Brion James grunts his way through the role of Tark, the big dumb guy. Like I said, it's a knock-off of Mad Max with a little bit of Shane thrown in. A bad movie but good for some unintended laughs.

Just caught up with it after 25 years and while this is not a classic, this is not a bad movie. I saw this when it first came on video and remember enjoying it and feeling it was a solid action flick for Patrick Swayze. I am very surprised all these years later after seeing it today on TV, that it still is, though I would only recommend it to people who like old movies and/or post-apocalyptic stories. First of all, it was nice to see Patrick Swayze and his wife, Lisa Niemi paired together on screen. They had a tremendous relationship in real life; one of the only Hollywood couples to whom "till death do us part" really meant something. They clearly have an easy demeanor around one another that makes their scenes memorable. Most of all what's good about this movie and similar old flicks made on clearly-low-budgets is the lack of pretense. It's not trying to be flashy, it's not trying to be epic, nor is it trying to be something it's not. This is just a simple tale of a wanderer (Swayze) who comes upon a tiny village and learns to help the people in exchange for food, water and a bed and comes to defend them from marauders. Nothing more. His character, called "The Stranger" in the film, becomes a man of example, whose actions speak louder than words and who shows us how we can trust someone based on how they act and not what they say. Swayze has charisma and that's what makes it better than average for this type of old film. He was such a good dancer we forget he had some action chops as well. NEXT OF KIN, and ROAD HOUSE were made after this, along with POINT BREAK, and are better known. This is a quiet flick, a good one to watch on a lazy weekend afternoon. The direction and music score are a little dated, as is Niemi's hairstyle (very popular in the '86-'87 years). The acting is okay overall, though Anthony Zerbe always makes a good villain. Mostly the excellent fight scenes keep the film moving forward. The choreography of the action is very good and Swayze truly has the grace of a dancer in his hand-to-hand combat. STEEL DAWN holds up as a nice reminder of simple, unpretentious 1980s storytelling.

A desert warrior, a former soldier of a war that left the land barren and practically worthless, assists a young women, her little boy, and laborers(..who operate a camp attempting to develop water for their valley), soon defending them against a tyrant and his sadistic brood who wish to overrule the region.As much as I hate to admit this, Steel Dawn is really a rather average Mad Max clone, offering nothing really new to the post apocalyptic genre except a really good cast attempting to give the rather mediocre material a boost. Brian May's score, quite a majestic orchestral composition, and stunning South African locations are a shot in the arm, and there's plenty of violence(..a lot of people get stabbed)thrown in for good measure, but not much in the way of originality.Swayze's enigmatic warrior, called Nomad, has a 'steely' resolve and is equipped with the physical presence needed to fulfill the required Mel Gibson look. His skills at spinning kicks which down his foes are on full display and Swayze does engage in not one but two spirited battles with Christopher Neame, in a showy role as a hired assassin, Sho, who murdered Nomad's mentor and trainer Cord(John Fujioka, making the most of a nothing role)in cheap fashion(Sho has a blade hidden in a knee pad which springs forth when it appears he could be in trouble). Brion James has a nice supporting turn in a rare hero role as Tark, an intimidating worker whose strength and girth help Kasha(Lisa Niemi)a great deal around the camp, repairing and building plumbing systems needed to operate their water machine. Tark is quite a loyal hand who, at first, rejects Nomad out of jealousy mostly, for he carries a torch for Kasha, and doesn't appreciate this outsider moving in on his "family". Obviously, Nomad will form a fatherly bond with Kasha's son, Jux(Brett Hool).The characters all appear in "post-Holocaust wardrobe", patterns sewn together from materials that weren't destroyed during the ambiguous war. You also have ratty hairdos, odd land rovers(..seemingly formed from various metals and materials found from junk yards) and incongruous swords(..steel fashioned in peculiar styles). Anthony Zerbe is Damnil, the cold-blooded despot whose authoritarian command over the region strikes fear in the communities attempting to survive in such harsh environs. Early role for Arnold Vosloo, as one of Damnil's goons, who would come into his own as a formidable presence both as hero and villain in cartoon action adventures such as Darkman(..in the sequels), John Woo's Hard Target, and the revamped Mummy movies.Steel Dawn will be of interest mainly to Swayze's die hard fans and those of us attracted to the Post Apocalyptic genre as a whole. Others should beware. Might interest those desiring to see Swayze and his wife working together in a movie. But, in all honesty, this tale goes through the motions, never quite rising above other Mad Max imitations that existed around the same time.

Steel dawn, had no dawn and very little steel to speak of. However, it did contain large quantities of Swayze. The hero, played by Patrick Swayze, is a nomad traveling post-apocalyptic wastelands in search a swayz-tacular adventure. He meets up with Tark, a hulk-hogan-like individual who eventually befriends swayze. Their advisary, played by a rejected member of Bon Jovi, spends the majority of the film trying to kill swayze because he is jealous of his hair style. There are many whimsical happenings along the way, such as a swayze finding a dog, and swayze climbing a sand dune. Overall i give this movie a 4/10 due to its poor method of conveying the modern struggles of the inner self in an existential environment.