Bullet Points: Steel Dawn

It is the dawn of 2023 and for my first review of the new year I thought would go back and revisit the post-apocalyptic action of 1987’s Steel Dawn, directed by Lance Hool…

• If You Ever: …thought there should be a movie that started with Patrick Swayze standing on his head, then Steel Dawn is the movie for you. Swayze’s unnamed Nomad character is meditating in the desert when some scavenging scoundrels pop up out of the sand and attack Nomad and attempt to rob him of all his earthly possessions. It doesn’t work out too well for the sand crawling scum as they learn the hard way that this Nomad is one tough SOB and he can fight!
• Two Guys Go Into a Bar: After the dust up in the opening scene, Nomad begins to wander the waste land as nomads are known to do, but it appears Nomad may be in for more trouble… someone is following him! Fortunately for Nomad the follower is a friend not a foe, in fact it is his old mentor (commanding officer?) Cord played by John Fujioka of American Ninja fame. The two catch up over drinks at a nearby tavern. Cord tells Nomad that he is his on his way to his new assignment, where he will act as peacemaker for a territory embroiled in a dispute over water rights. That’s about the time some nasty individuals led by Sho (Christopher Neame, Hellbound) come into the tavern, looking for trouble. They go after Cord and Nomad… Nomad ends up knocked the eff out, while Cord ends up dead!

• Down on the Farm: Nomad’s journey continues and he finds himself in the very territory his friend Cord was heading to… more specifically he finds himself at the purification farm of single mom Kasha (Lisa Niemi aka Mrs. Patrick Swayze). When Nomad offers to pay Kasha for some water, Kasha does one better and offers him a job on the farm, that pays in food and shelter… Nomad accepts. He then meets the farm’s foreman Tark (Brion James, Showdown) and Kasha’s son Jux (played by Brett Hool, son of director Lance Hool). Jux, trying to fill the void of his late father, gravitates towards Nomad and the two help one another… Jux teaches Nomad about farming and Nomad helps Jux build his own wind racer.
• Here Comes Trouble: Remember that dispute over water rights that Cord was talking about earlier? That is where the greedy Damnil (Anthony Zerbe, Licence to Kill) comes in. Damnil has a master plan, he knows whoever controls the water has all the power and he wants that power… that is why Damnil and his men target water purification farms like Kasha’s and that is why Damnil paid to have peacemaker Cord eliminated before he could intervene. However, Damnil’s master plan didn’t account for Kasha having the mysterious Nomad on her side!

• Sho-Down: Realizing this Nomad has the potential to screw up all his plans, Damnil attempts to recruit Nomad for his team. When Nomad does not accept that invitation, things quickly begin to escalate on both sides. A windmill is destroyed, property is stolen, minions are having their asses handed to them by Nomad and then Damnil really starts playing dirty when he has Jux kidnapped! That forces Kasha to reveal a big water secret! And when Damnil’s men continue to fail against Nomad, he calls in the same professional he used to eliminate Cord… Sho!!

Steel Dawn is not a balls to the wall, non-stop, post-apocalyptic thrill ride filled with chaos and carange… instead Steel Dawn opted to go the slow burn route. The action sequences have time to breathe as Nomad gets deeper involved with Kasha and Jux and we learn more about the very different visions that Damnil and Kasha have for the future of the valley that they call home and the planet in general. The more deliberate pace of the film probably made me appreciate the final battle between the two skilled swordsmen, Nomad and Sho more… almost like the movie rewarded me for my patience.

I am not sure Steel Dawn would have worked with anyone else by Swayze in the lead spot as the movie was able to play to both sides of the Swayze coin… the action movie Swayze and the actor who made the ladies swoon Swayze… Zerbe and Neame were strong villains for Swayze to play against. And it was nice to see the usually villainous Brion James on the side of good in a sidekick role.

Speaking of sidekicks, check out these Bonus Bullet Points…

• Familiar Face: Makker, one of Damnil’s minions, was played by Arnold Vosloo of The Mummy and Hard Target fame.
• If You Ever: …wanted to see Anthony Zerbe interrupt Patrick Swayze while he is taking a bath, then Steel Dawn is the movie for you.
• Stunt Coordinator: I could not help but notice that John Barrett was the stunt coordinator on Steel Dawn. Barrett would go on to star in two action films American Kickboxer and To the Death and had smaller roles in movies like Shootfighter: Fight to the Death and American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt.