Steel Arena

I recently watched Steel Arena (1973) on Tubi. The storyline follows a demolition derby and stunt car driver looking for his next big stunt to catch his big break and escape the sideshow circuit. He keeps pushing the limits, hoping to be discovered-but will he take it too far?

This film is written and directed by Mark L. Lester (Commando) and stars Gene Drew (Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw), Dusty Russell, Buddy Love, and Laura Brooks.

Essentially, this is a movie about demolition derbies and the stunts that come with them. The acting and costumes are unintentionally hilarious, especially the main character. While the demolition derby scenes are entertaining, they're not strong enough to carry the film, and most of it ends up feeling pretty cheesy.

Overall, Steel Arena is a very middle-of-the-road grindhouse picture that might be worth a watch for fans of the genre. I'd rate it a 5/10.

The film is "stunningly plotless" (© Rod Lott) as it tells the story of a group of stunt drivers who perform as themselves as "Circus of Death" in thrill shows. That's it. Man, what a different era. You know, simpler times where you could pay off your whiskey debt by taking some moonshine over county lines. Where dudes who look like '70s Don Lake with Powers Boothe's mustache from Tombstone (1993) could get chicks. Where you could make a 50/50 partnership with someone you just met in a bar brawl. Where a guy in his 60s earns his living under the moniker Mr. Atom by being blown up with dynamite. Where personal politics in stunt shows drive a performer over the edge when he loses the coveted "Dive Bomber" stunt to a greenhorn. Director Mark Lester tells some amazing stories in his 20-minute interview on the disc, including that he ran into the COD guys randomly and liked their story for a film. And he also says it is a time capsule of an era of Americana that has disappeared and that is totally true. The car stunts are insane, with lots of automobiles ending up looking like soda cans in your recycle bin. A great film to double feature with Death Riders (1976).

Steel Arena is truly a one of a kind film. It is the only film I can recall seeing where all of the actors do their own stunts and these are truly death-defying stunts! Dusty Russell, Buddy Love, they're all great! The film is about Dusty a great stunt driver taking a job with the Circus of Death along with his friend Buddy Love. Crash (another stunt performer) gets jealous and tries to undermine Dusty in his stunts. The movie has an open-end where Dusty tries to break a world record by diving 100 feet in his car! You should try to rent it if you want to find out what happens. This movie is a masterpiece.

With a cast of real professional daredevils and enough damaging demolition, STEEL ARENA is an amusingly fun time with a simple plot. The focus is on true-life daredevil Dusty Russell, who risks his life and limb by attempting record-breaking divebombs in his career. And he successfully does them, too! Amazing! There's some exciting (although brief) stunts like the infamous "T-bone" and rollover crashes and the fire ring. Watch Dusty attempt to jump 100 feet into the air! Don't expect this to be a documentary, though. At least the daredevils can act alright. I had no idea whether Dusty survived the film's last stunt or not, for the end is quite solemn. There hasn't been a film like it, with the possible exception of EVEL KNIEVEL. It may have been aged, but it's definitely worth seeing wherever you can find it.