An insipient version of SHANE. Absolutely putrid. Deviates from all logic - there are many scenes in which characters have two or even three ways out of a situation, but refuse to use them so that the action keeps going. Also, Swayze's lines are all terribly delivered, but most painful are his herotype-one-liners. As bad as you've ever seen. It's at least good to know from these post-apocalyptic movies (even the good ones) that hair crimpers will survive the devastation for womens' hair styling needs.

I saw this one laying in the bargain DVD rack at the rental store, and I just couldn't resist spending 3.00 to buy it. I always liked Swayze and I feel that he could have been a top action star if he got the chance. In short, this post apocalyptic desert epic set in the not too distant future combines elements of Mad Max2, Shane, Samurai epics, other westerns and sci-fi.Swayze is the loner-drifte who discovers a settlement in the desert and before long, he deciedes to stick around and help out with the water supply. He forms a friendship with the young son of one of the colonists-his wife Lisa Neimi,earns the trust of Brion James the defender and before long he helps to defend the settlement from the bad guys led by Damnil {love that name!} played by the fine Anthony Zerbe, the holder of water rights in that sector. The low budget somehow adds to the films atmosphere and the junkyard like settlement seems real enough.Though only a B film, it is enjoyable and is fun on its own terms. There are some good props like the windracer vehicles that are powered by sail and the long sword and knife fight at Damnil's settlement is very exciting and well handled -not to mention very graphic. . Early on in the film, there is a ship that somehow ended up in the dessert, probably inspired by the sequence in "Close Encounters- The Special Edition " where a cargo ship is also in a dessert. There are also a few sequences where Swayze seems to be doing a Clint Eastwood impersonation! All in all, this was a fun movie and well worth the 3.00 I paid for it. And, unlike others that I bought and only watched once, this is up for repeat viewings.A fun film for fans of the genre, it shows that a good film can be made on a small budget and still deliver a decent 100 minutes of entertainment, especially when compared to such mega-budget, mega-duds like "Waterworld" and "The Postman" with bad movie king Kevin Costner.Sure, its not "Lawrence of Arabia", but that is missing the point, but then again, I'm just a freak for any adventure film that is set in a desert.

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

It's actually kind of funny to think this movie was released in the same year as the world-hit Dirty Dancing. This Mad Max-esque film does have a view things going for it. The atmosphere of a post-apocalyptic world isn't torn apart as bad as you would expect Swayze to do, and he's not a walking catastrophe in the film either, as you would expect, though his acting is weak. Come to think of it, all the acting is weak, and the movie has one of the weakest story-lines ever. Still, it's not a complete loss, it's worth watching if you're really bored or just can't get any sleep (which is when I saw it, 12 o'clock (midnight))...

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.

Underneath the thin post-apocalyptic setting, "Steel Dawn" is a standard "drifter fights the bandits" western. It has plenty of western cliches (e.g. a widowed pioneer woman whose farm is at risk) and plenty of action. I don't recommend renting this movie, but if it comes on TV you might consider watching it. It's better than any apocalyptic film that Kevin Costner was involved in (or will be). But the only characters with a glimmer of originality (such as Swayze's old mentor) get very little screen time. This places "Steel Dawn" a few notches below the gold standard of apocalyptic films, "The Road Warrior."

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.

I disagree with most of the other comments on here, as i throughly enjoy this film-and have recently acquired it on DVD to replace my video version.Granted it may sound and look a bit dated (after all it was made in the late 80's) I think people can get a bit too serious about films and picky-i love films (in fact iv'e always fancied myself to be a writer/director)Can't people just enjoy the film,however simplistic it is? Without expecting too much? Especially from an 80's creation. Steel Dawn is a nice and easy to follow film-perfect for those weekday nights or when you don't want to watch something too complex that takes a lot of concentration. It follows the story of Nomad (Swayze) who lost his squad of soldiers during a war. He now roams alone in the sandy wastelands, still wearing his tired uniform with pride. He meets up with his old mentor (who is now a peace keeper, and witnesses his murder) He ends up taking on the role of his former mentor, and heads to a valley of farms to act as peace keeper. The main landowner (Damnil) rules the valley with intimidation and fear,and is in search of a rare pure water supply-located on one of the other farms (hence the need for a peace keeper)No one is physically strong enough or capable of standing upto him-or his army of men.(thats why Damnil had a contract taken out to kill the former peace keeper before he reached the valley-but he wasn't counting on Swayze turning up! From then onwards the film flows nicely following swayzes attempt of being accepted and trusted by the people who have gave him shelter-to trying to keep the peace the only way he knows how-fighting. The film keeps you watching from start to finish (just to see what Swayze does next!) The ending is superb...predictable maybe, but a good end to a good film. There are some hidden things in the film-such as Jux (a boy living on the same farm as Swayze) trying to over-come his fathers death-by looking upto Swayze as a role model.Plus the friendship growing between Swayze and Tark. ANYROAD! Iv'e gone on far too long! I feel even though 'Steel Dawn' maybe a bit cheesy and outdated,and sometimes predictable-it is simply an easy going, enjoyable film. With sword wielding and fighting to keep action seekers occupied-to the growing love story between Nomad and Kasha.(the person who's farm hes staying on) The story is meant to be simple-and don't forget the fact it was made in an era of cheese (the 80's!) overall though worth watching-maybe not as a Friday night 'film premier',but when you just want an easy going film to fill the gap. I certainly recommend it 8/10 Expect cheese...expect simplicity...expect an 80's made feel...and you'l end up enjoying this easy going and pleasant classic Swayze film ...

The outline (plot may be too strong a word) of this movie is set in the future when water is scarce, and civilization is a dusty one-bar town. Our hero (Swayze) must prevent the evil cattle (oops!) Water baron from owning everything and defiling everyone. To be truly evil, our villain has to get an evil warrior to be Swayzes' warrior nemesis. Think of this movie as "Road House" after the apocalypse. Swayze plays the troubled warrior; uneasy with the violence he must commit for a higher purpose, yet wise in literature and sensitive to a woman's needs (Sounds kinda like "Next Of Kin" too, doesn't it?). While unworthy of an Academy Award, it is a fun movie that provides the kind of entertainment you expect from a modern swashbuckler. The good people are really good (or flawed in an OK way like the ranch foreman), and the bad people are really bad -- except for Swayzes' nemesis who is bad, but has a code of honor that is almost as complex as Swayzes' character. I like it; it has a place on my shelf and I've probably watched it 3 or 4 times since it came out.

Wars and drought have ravished the future, a distant reality, and the world is now a husk of its former self. Civilisation now exists in small pockets spread across the desolate landscapes. It is the time of heroes, fighters, and bronzed men who know how to kick butt in a big way. Steel Dawn, is has an interesting premise, but as a story struggles to develop much higher than a collection of action set pieces. Swazye plays a nomad (the man with no name), who after a tangle with some strange human like creatures of the waste lands, runs into his old mentor on the way to the pub. His mentor is killed and Swazye's character is now after revenge. The film has a spaghetti western feel to it but with out the mystery. But despite that it has its good side too, as always Swazye is enjoyable to watch and the supporting casts do an admirable job with their characters. Christopher Neame brings a likeable side to his fallen warrior turned assassin, Sho. Who after all just wanted to challenge a worthy opponent to fight. Brion James is good as Tark, Kasha's foreman, whose initial jealousy of the Nomad make him suspicious of all he does, so of course Tark's trust must be earned. This is not an example of cinematic magic. It is in many ways though a fun film, silly and enjoyable , with out a doubt oh so cheesy. Enjoy I did.