Cubussoli Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Pluskylang Great Film overall

Acensbart Excellent but underrated film

Calum Hutton It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

Leofwine_draca Of all the post-apocalypse movies spawned in the 1980s after the success of the likes of ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK and the MAD MAX trilogy, STEEL DAWN has to be one of the cheesiest - and that's a surprise when you consider all the silly nonsense that the Italians were churning out during the same decade.Despite the sci-fi trappings of the scenery and scenario, STEEL DAWN is a western through and through. Patrick Swayze plays a nameless drifter who wanders into an idyllic small town and soon finds himself required to defend the townsfolk from an evil overlord, played by Anthony Zerbe. What follows will surprise nobody, but it is mildly entertaining thanks to its nostalgic appeal - in the form of dated costumes and hairstyles - and a pretty good pacing.The narrative is heavily indebted to the likes of MAD MAX 2: THE ROAD WARRIOR, with a few things changed around (for instance, water is the scarce and valuable commodity here, rather than petrol). Fans of Swayze will get to see him do his martial arts stuff on some rather defunct bad guys (including the sand people from STAR WARS, it seems) as well as some zen-inspired meditation techniques.Fans of B-movies may spot the likes of Arnold Vosloo (HARD TARGET) in an exceptionally early role, while British star Christopher Neame (DRACULA AD 1972) dons a fright wig as a tough. Veteran Anthony Zerbe embarrasses himself as the chief villain, but best of the lot is Brion James in an oddly touching performance as a bodyguard with a heart. I'm so used to seeing James typecast as a bad guy that it's a refreshing change to see him as a goodie for once, and he's the best thing about this movie by far.

Enchorde Recap: In a barren post-apocalyptic world a few struggling farmers try to make ends meet. Water is scarce and any vegetation absent. In this world the lone Nomad wanders, armed with his sword, fighting sand raiders and meeting up with friends in the rare taverns around. When a friend, just named peacemaker in an isolated village, get murdered by an assassin hired by the local rich rancher, Nomad walks to the village and takes a job on one of the farms. Soon he finds himself in trouble leading to an inevitable showdown with the assassin.Comments: A classic sci-fi action made out of the eighties. It is a poor post-apocalyptic world and that not only means that the costumes can be crude but that any special effects will be rare. Combined with that the population is way down you have the perfect mix for a low budget, small cast sci-fi action. Throw in a sword and some odd vehicles and you're clearly set in the future (ironic about the sword, isn't it?). There are some OK swordfights and a few good fistfights, augmented by some too emphasized sound effects, and a thin story that gives enough material and motivation to work with between the fights. But there isn't much more. Ironically this is also a typical recipe for a cult movie, even though Steel Dawn hasn't seem to garner that acclaim. Husband and wife Patrick Swayze and Lisa Niemi stars in this movie, and does it well considering the story they have to work with. A little extra trivia with Brion James and a young Arnold Vosloo also appearing in the cast.But finally this is movie is only for two different groups of people, those who are either fan of the genre, the post-apocalyptic science-fiction movie, or fan of Patrick Swayze. If you don't consider yourself belonging to one of those groups I doubt that you will find Steel Dawn to your liking. To me it was OK, but there have been much better movies in the same kind made, both before and after.5/10

davideo-2 STAR RATING: ***** The Works **** Just Misses the Mark *** That Little Bit In Between ** Lagging Behind * The Pits In a futeristic, post-apocalyptic world, a lone warrior (Patrick Swayze) roams the desert wilderness, literally living by the sword and fending off attacks from mysterious assailants. He finds himself briefly reunited with an old mentor from his past, before he is killed by a mysterious thug named Sho (Christopher Neame.) Without any more guidance in his life, the warrior resumes his quest through the sand, until he stumbles across a group of people who have formed a peaceful community for themselves. With them, he re-discovers friendship, love and his humanity, before a final showdown with the forces of evil and a final battle for revenge.In 1987, Swayze made arguably one of his most memorable movies ever, Dirty Dancing, but he also made this corny slice of post Mad Max sci-fi action. It's hard to believe that Lance Hool, the man behind one of Chuck Norris's most under-rated films, Missing in Action 2, could be at the helm of something as bland and unsatisfying as this.Why do I feel this?, you may wonder. Well, really you should lose the will to live with the plot summary. It's just such an obvious and corny rip-off of Mad Max, with all the most grinding, grating clichés present (the strong, silent lead star, the revenge motif, the community he's at first at odds with, then bonds with, the attacks from outsiders etc. etc.) There's not much in the way of action going on either, to be honest, with only one or two juicy action scenes (mainly towards the end) and some syrupy late 80s special effects. That, Swayze's hammy lead presence (not hard to see why his star fizzled so rapidly in the 90s!), a ridiculous central villain, and worthless supporting turns from genre favourites Brian James and Arnold Vosloo combine to make this a regrettable experience. Worth it for nostalgia value perhaps, but hardly anything else. **

Mikael Johansson After reading the story i know what to expect from the movie (not much) so with that in mind it was quite alright. Some laughs over the stereotyped action-movie scenes. Most of the story wasn't so hard to figure out.