Steel Dawn

It seems that mullets are more persistent than cockroaches.

Steel Dawn is an action film from the year 1987.

Set in a post-apocalyptic Desert Punk Scavenger World setting, this film stars Patrick Swayze as a man who fights with a Cool Sword and-

Stop exploding, damnit! And the rest of you, stop that squeeing! This is a very serious page and you will treat it respectfully!

Ahem. The movie follows a quiet man named Nomad, who on his travels runs on to Cord, one of his war buddies. Cord tells him he has been appointed to be the sheriff "peacemaker" to the town of Median. They are suddenly attacked by Sho and his cronies, who have been hired by Damnil to make sure that he is the only commanding presence in the area. Cord is killed, and Nomad vows for revenge. He then sets out for Median, where he meets Determined Homesteader Kasha and her son Jux. As he becomes closer and closer to them, the day of reckoning closes in...

And if the summary doesn't make it clear, this film rips its plot from the classic western Shane.

Tropes used in Steel Dawn include:

• Blade on a Stick: Tark's weapon of choice.
• Burn, Baby, Burn: Nomad burns Cord's body in a funeral pyre.
• But Now I Must Go: The ending.
• Camp Gay: Not actually stated, but Dr. Cali does act like one.
• Cool Pet: The dog that Nomad befriends in the desert.
• Determined Homesteader: Kasha.
• The Dragon: Sho, who is a Psycho for Hire.
• Drowning My Sorrows: Tark hits the bottle when he starts to be overshadowed by Nomad.
• Dual-Wielding: Sho fights with two daggers.
• Eighties Hair: Mullets are everywhere.
• Everything's Better with Spinning: Nomad's swordfighting style includes a lot of spinning.
• Faceless Goons: The "Half-Men" who attack Nomad in the opening.
• Hidden Weapons: Sho has a hidden knee-dagger for tighter spots in battle. Nomad has a knife hidden in his boot.
• Hollywood Darkness
• The Hyena: One of Damnil's mooks is like this.
• Ironic Echo: "I told you not to play with sharp objects."
• Leave Him to Me: Sho doesn't like it when others interfere with his fights.
• Let's Fight Like Gentlemen: Sho acts like a fair fighter, but he always resorts to dirty tactics.
• Lock and Load Montage: Shown when Nomad prepares himself for the showdown with Sho and Damnil.
• Mook Chivalry
• Percussive Prevention: Kasha locks Nomad up to prevent him fighting Damnil.
• The Quiet One: Nomad.
• Ruins of the Modern Age
• Scarily Competent Tracker: Nomad
• Sword Fight
• Too Important to Walk: Dr. Cali.
• Unnecessary Combat Roll