Steel Dawn Movie Review

Another monosyllabic post-apocalypse samurai western, Shane with a Mad Max makeover. After war has turned to the world into a desert (and evidently melted all the guns; everyone wields bladed weapons) leather-clad swordsman Patrick Swayze defends a frontier widow (the star's real-life wife Lisa Niemi) in a dispute over water and territory. Far from the worst of its breed; genre regular Brion James has one of his better expendable roles, and there's one heckuva showdown between Swayze and Christopher Neame. Loses half a bone for the hero's ludicrous method of warrior meditation – he stands on his head. Title was rumored to be an in-joke jab at Columbia Pictures president Dawn Steel.

1987 (R) 90m/C Patrick Swayze, Lisa Niemi, Christopher Neame, Brett Hool, Brion James, Anthony Zerbe; D: Lance Hool; W: Doug Lefler; M: Brian May. VHS, Beta, LV LIV, VES