Steel Dawn
Encyclopedia
Steel Dawn is a 1987 American post-apocalyptic
feature film
, with elements of western science fiction
.
named Nomad
(Patrick Swayze
), wanders through the remains of a post-World War III
world. He travels the desert, in search of his mentor's killer, the assassin Sho (Christopher Neame
).
The war itself is never described, but there are hints that a new government rose soon afterwards. Nomad had a position of privilege as a soldier and as part of the elite guard assigned with protecting the upper heads of the new government. Since firearms are no longer available, edged weapons have been revived as the standard fighting tools. The elite guard mastered the use of swords and carried them in an unusual, upright fashion. Eventually, the post-war government collapsed as well and Nomad retired to run a farm with his family.
Nomad runs into a group of settlers in the town of Meridian. Damnil (Anthony Zerbe
), a local landowner, and his gang are attacking the town to gain a monopoly on the local water
supply. Nomad stays at a local farm owned by Kasha (Lisa Niemi
) who is Nomad's love interest (and real life wife). Nomad teams up with Kasha's foreman Tark to become Meridian's "peacekeepers
" to defend the town against Damnil and his forces, as well as giving him the opportunity to revenge his mentor's death at the hands of Sho.
Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction
Apocalyptic fiction is a sub-genre of science fiction that is concerned with the end of civilization due to a potentially existential catastrophe such as nuclear warfare, pandemic, extraterrestrial attack, impact event, cybernetic revolt, technological singularity, dysgenics, supernatural...
feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
, with elements of western science fiction
Science fiction Western
A science fiction Western is a work of fiction which has elements of science fiction in a Western setting. It is different from a Space Western, which is a frontier story indicative of American Westerns, except transposed to a backdrop of space exploration and settlement.A science fiction Western...
.
Plot
An enigmatic swordsmanSwordsmanship
Swordsmanship refers to the skills of a swordsman, a person versed in the art of the sword. The term is modern, and as such was mainly used to refer to smallsword fencing, but by extension it can also be applied to any martial art involving the use of a sword...
named Nomad
Nomad
Nomadic people , commonly known as itinerants in modern-day contexts, are communities of people who move from one place to another, rather than settling permanently in one location. There are an estimated 30-40 million nomads in the world. Many cultures have traditionally been nomadic, but...
(Patrick Swayze
Patrick Swayze
Patrick Wayne Swayze was an American actor, dancer and singer-songwriter. He was best known for his tough-guy roles, as romantic leading men in the hit films Dirty Dancing and Ghost, and as Orry Main in the North and South television miniseries. He was named by People magazine as its "Sexiest...
), wanders through the remains of a post-World War III
World War III
World War III denotes a successor to World War II that would be on a global scale, with common speculation that it would be likely nuclear and devastating in nature....
world. He travels the desert, in search of his mentor's killer, the assassin Sho (Christopher Neame
Christopher Neame
Christopher Neame is an English actor.-Education:Neame was educated at The King's School, Canterbury, an independent school in Canterbury in Kent.-Life and career:...
).
The war itself is never described, but there are hints that a new government rose soon afterwards. Nomad had a position of privilege as a soldier and as part of the elite guard assigned with protecting the upper heads of the new government. Since firearms are no longer available, edged weapons have been revived as the standard fighting tools. The elite guard mastered the use of swords and carried them in an unusual, upright fashion. Eventually, the post-war government collapsed as well and Nomad retired to run a farm with his family.
Nomad runs into a group of settlers in the town of Meridian. Damnil (Anthony Zerbe
Anthony Zerbe
Anthony Jared Zerbe is an American stage, film and Emmy-winning television actor. Notable film roles include the post-apocalyptic cult leader Matthias in The Omega Man, a 1971 film adaptation of Richard Matheson's 1954 novel, I Am Legend; Milton Krest in the 1989 James Bond film Licence to Kill;...
), a local landowner, and his gang are attacking the town to gain a monopoly on the local water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
supply. Nomad stays at a local farm owned by Kasha (Lisa Niemi
Lisa Niemi
Lisa Niemi is an American actress and dancer. She is the widow of actor, singer and dancer Patrick Swayze. They were married for 34 years, from 1975 until his death in 2009.-Early life:...
) who is Nomad's love interest (and real life wife). Nomad teams up with Kasha's foreman Tark to become Meridian's "peacekeepers
Peacekeeping
Peacekeeping is an activity that aims to create the conditions for lasting peace. It is distinguished from both peacebuilding and peacemaking....
" to defend the town against Damnil and his forces, as well as giving him the opportunity to revenge his mentor's death at the hands of Sho.
Cast
- Patrick SwayzePatrick SwayzePatrick Wayne Swayze was an American actor, dancer and singer-songwriter. He was best known for his tough-guy roles, as romantic leading men in the hit films Dirty Dancing and Ghost, and as Orry Main in the North and South television miniseries. He was named by People magazine as its "Sexiest...
as Nomad - Lisa NiemiLisa NiemiLisa Niemi is an American actress and dancer. She is the widow of actor, singer and dancer Patrick Swayze. They were married for 34 years, from 1975 until his death in 2009.-Early life:...
as Kasha - Anthony ZerbeAnthony ZerbeAnthony Jared Zerbe is an American stage, film and Emmy-winning television actor. Notable film roles include the post-apocalyptic cult leader Matthias in The Omega Man, a 1971 film adaptation of Richard Matheson's 1954 novel, I Am Legend; Milton Krest in the 1989 James Bond film Licence to Kill;...
as Damnil - Brion JamesBrion JamesBrion Howard James was an American character actor. Known for playing the character of Leon Kowalski in the movie Blade Runner, James portrayed a variety of colorful roles in well-known films such as 48 Hrs., Another 48 Hours, Tango & Cash, Silverado, Red Heat, The Player and The Fifth Element...
as Tark - Christopher NeameChristopher NeameChristopher Neame is an English actor.-Education:Neame was educated at The King's School, Canterbury, an independent school in Canterbury in Kent.-Life and career:...
as Sho - John Fujioka as Cord
- Brett Hool as Jux
- Marcel Van Heerden as Lann
- Arnold VoslooArnold VoslooArnold Vosloo is a South African American actor, best-known for playing Imhotep in The Mummy and its 2001 sequel The Mummy Returns, as well as the role of the superhero Darkman in the sequel Darkman II: The Return of Durant and its 1996 sequel, Darkman III: Die Darkman Die...
as Makker