Oct 051987
 
2.5 reels

A lone warrior of the future (Patrick Swayze) becomes a farmhand for a widow (Lisa Niemi).  With the help of the foreman (Brion James), the nomad has to defend the farm from a local strongman (Anthony Zerbe), his gang, and his hired assassin (Christopher Neame).

One of the many leather-clad, futuristic, desert films that came in the wake of The Road Warrior, Steel Dawn is a close cousin to Shane, complete with taciturn wanderer who would like to put his fighting days behind him, and a worshiping child. While Shane is given classic status, it was pretty silly stuff in 1953, and it is pretty silly here. It’s all clichĂ©s, following the formula without deviation. But we sometimes forget why these formulas exist. It’s because we like them. And Steel Dawn isn’t ashamed of calling up every old trick in the book (the noble one-on-one fight, the child in danger, the threatened woman, etc.). It is incredibly manipulative, and a pretty good time.

While no one is concerned with great acting, there are plenty of personalities on screen.  Brion James (Blade Runner) and Anthony Zerbe (The Matrix Reloaded) are over-the-top in everything they do, which works perfectly here. Christoper Neame gives a surprising amount of character (and even a little depth) to the duelist killer—someone you’ve seen in a hundred films, but generally in a less enjoyable form. There’s even a young Arnold Vosloo (The Mummy) as a doomed henchman. Lisa Niemi (Patrick Swayze’s wife) fulfills her role of girl-to-be-protected. If she doesn’t do anything more, it’s because she isn’t required to.

And there is Swayze as the lead, playing this solitary warrior the same year he became a star with Dirty Dancing. It’s always difficult to tell in these kinds of movies if the actor is lacking, or if it’s just the part. After all, he’s not supposed to emote. What do you say about the talent on display by Alan Ladd in Shane or Clint Eastwood in High Plains Drifter? If you think it is award caliber, then you’ll be happy here, because it’s more of the same. Putting aside the tight-lipped uttering of monosyllabic dialog, Swayze has the physicality for the part. In this future, martial arts is the main form of combat, and Swayze’s dance background lets him do the jumps and high kicks with ease. For a low budget flick, the fight choreography is fantastic.

If you enjoy your combat fast and violent, your heroes silent, and your villains in fetish-wear, you’ll enjoy Steel Dawn. If you are looking for The English Patient, just keep walking.