Il guerriero d'acciaio

It's a ripoff sure, but who watches a Cannon movie from the 90's called "American Cyborg: Steel Warrior" and expects originality? Gimme a break. Good acting? Good story? Psh. Forget that nonsense. This is a movie about spin kicks, bone breaking, shootouts, and lots of running. The special effects are on par with Nemesis (1992) and as a low budget sci-fi actioner, it doesn't disappoint. It has a fast pace (thank god) and lots of action. Those two things are essential for any low budget flick like this. I hate sitting through a movie with "cyborg" or "warrior" in the title, and it's slow and boring. The filmmakers behind these kinds of movies realized that they had martial artists on their hands and not actors. So they loaded the movies up (most of them) with fighting, and action, and if we're lucky- some female nudity. I don't remember if anyone gets naked in "American Cyborg: Steel Warrior" but I do remember plenty of decently choreographed ass kicking. More than all that, the set design (while nothing over original) is fantastic. They really went all out to create a post apocalyptic world here that's more that just empty wasteland. There are makeshift cities and hideouts here that are visually impressive and alive with color. Lots of rubble, ruins, and neon signs. Just the way I like it. It makes for a perfect backdrop to all the cyborg ass-kicking in the movie. Not to mention the movie has lots of varied sets and villains. I mean, by general standards on IMDb this should be at least a 5.2 Anything less is just unfair. Even Roger Ebert understood that you have to judge a movie based on what it's intended to do, and who it's intended for. As a late-night cable actioner, this movie is supposed to keep you entertained and nothing else. I loved it.

While this film seems to be unpopular on this site, it has several redeeming qualities for the crowd that's into B-action movies. The people who think this movie is hilariously awful or the worst movie ever made need to watch more movies, because there are far worse movies out there with far less effort put into them than this one.

Without giving too much away, I feel I should point out a few things I noticed about this film. For one thing, the plot bears a passing resemblance to Terminator, but goes in directions the first two Terminator movies did not. Second, the music is great, and suits this type of movie perfectly. In fact, the music combined with the overall feel of this film reminded me somewhat of some of the older John Carpenter movies (not that it can't be enjoyed on its own merits). Also noteworthy is that the main characters are relatively likable, which can be a rare thing in B-movies such as this.

In addition, I actually found the cyborg in this movie (John Saint Ryan) to be more intimidating and menacing than Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator. This is likely partially aided by his non-Austrian robotic voice, partially by the sheer acting power of John Saint Ryan (seen in his face, which is left unobstructed through most of the movie), and partially by the occasional robotic glow we see behind his human-like eyes (reminiscent of Westworld, for those who have seen it). In addition, this cyborg, unlike most other movie cyborgs, is self-healing. This aspect of the film allows for multiple gory "deaths" of the cyborg, which is great for gore and action fans alike.

So, on the whole, this movie is fun for those who like B-movies, but naturally it has flaws. However, this is far from the worst movie of this quality and genre, and it is certainly more entertaining and stimulating than many others. For those who like watching obscure, interesting, and possibly cheesy action movies, give this one a watch. For those expecting this to be their next favorite film, you might be disappointed.

I saw this movie on late night cable in high school. While I don't remember much about the movie, other than it being stupid and incomprehensible, I do recall the end title card. It's laid out in such a way that the title appears to be Steel American Cyborg Warrior. At this point, my friends and I burst out laughing. I didn't find out the movie's real name until several years later. Steel American Cyborg Warrior? Steel Ameriborg Cyior Canwar? Asteelican Borgior Mercy War? Can I Steel A Merior Cyborg War? With the level of competence on display in this picture, I wouldn't be surprised if any of the above combinations turned up at the end.

Me and my shlock buddy Bison Lewis just sat down to check out this turkey; and ended up enjoying the hell outta it!!!

Great villain - a rival to Vernon Welles in Commando (actually, no one can really rival Vernon in hammy villain status!)

Great terrible brilliant and awful, all in one!!

Best feature: the smiling foetus in a jar - the very future of humanity!!!

Rent and Enjoy!

By searching on flea markets,sell-outs and conventions for exploitation, horror and grindhouse/b-flicks sometimes you come across pictures on VHS or DVD sleeves that attracts you. This was one of those. For only 1 Euro I picked it up, the cover made me think of a bad Terminator rip-off but it wasn't that bad after all.

Boaz Davidson was the director for this flick but as a director I didn't know him but as a producer he is quite famous, The Expendables (2010) is one of them. And he surely knew his stuff, still it's a B-movie and a complete rip-off of The Terminator with some Blade Runner post- apocalyptic feeling. If I got it right I saw a sign stating the year 1999. But the way it was shot and the way it was edited was rather surprisingly good. Even the places they are running through are well done. The effects used are a bit cheesy sometimes but still did worked out. The cyborg really looked believable for a B-movie and the mummy people were also rather scary.

The acting surprised me too. Naturally there not that famous in the big productions but still the cyborg was played by John Saint Ryan, a Brit I knew from G.B.H. (1983) directed by David Kent-Watson a rather brutal flick. Still almost unfindable even on VHS. After this flick he went to Coronation Street as Charlie Whelan. The other lead was played by Joe Lara (Austin) who is known for action and post apocalyptic flicks. The female was played by good looking Nicole Hansen, she's still in the business but never made it into a big production.

I enjoyed it even as it clocked in over 90 minutes. The story is very simple and easy to follow with a lot of running, fighting, crawling, explosions and cheesy shootings a la Rambo (you know, standing in front of 40 people and never getting shot). If you can find it don't hesitate to pick it up.

Gore 1/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 3/5 Story 2/5 Comedy 0/5