BY ERNIE MAGNOTTA

After the release of 1982’s excellent action/drama First Blood which featured the debut appearance of Vietnam vet (and soon-to-be action movie icon) John Rambo (brilliantly played by Sylvester Stallone), a slew of action films featuring war veterans as their heroes soon flooded movies theaters of 1980s America. Along with many others, entertaining films like Missing in Action (1984), Commando and Stand Alone (both 1985)—which starred Chuck Norris, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Charles Durning, respectively, as war vets who faced almost insurmountable odds, yet still saved the day—satisfied action-starved audiences around the country. Throughout the decade, Norris returned with two Missing in Action sequels and so did Stallone with Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) and Rambo III (1988). Although these films (with the exception of the underrated Stand Alone) are probably the most remembered of the 1980s war vet/action film genre, Steele Justice; a somewhat forgotten, but very enjoyable war vet/action movie, was released in 1987.

While living in California, Vietnam vet and former cop John Steele (Martin Kove, The Karate Kid 1, 2 & 3, Rambo: First Blood Part II), who hasn’t been able to hold down a job since the war ended, witnesses Lee (Robert Kim, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off), his best friend and fellow vet turned cop, being gunned down by the Vietnamese mafia. Steele soon learns that this mafia is run by Bon Soong Kwan (Soon-Tek Oh, Missing in Action 2, Death Wish 4), a former Vietnam General who Steele and Lee tangled with during the war. Steele now wants nothing more than to bring Kwan to justice, but with resistance from Chief of Police Bennett (Ronny Cox, Deliverance, 1990’s Total Recall) and not one shred of proof, the evil Kwan is untouchable. To make matters worse, Kwan has put out a hit on Steele’s niece, Cami (Jan Gan Boyd, Assassination), and framed the dead Lee, making it look like he was a crooked cop. Feeling that the war has moved from Vietnam to the States, one-man-killing-machine John Steele loads up his deadly arsenal and, with the help of his ex-wife Tracy (Sela Ward, TV’s Sisters, 1993’s The Fugitive) and good cop Reese (Bernie Casey, Never Say Never Again, I’m Gonna Git You Sucka) sets out to take Kwan down.

Written and directed by Robert Boris, who wrote the script for Electra Glide in Blue, Steele Justice may not be in the same league as the films of Stallone, Norris and Schwarzenegger, but if you’re a fan of movies of that type (and 1980s action cinema in general), the somewhat predictable, but still mostly fun Steele Justice won’t disappoint. Boris’s direction is solid. He competently handles the action sequences and keeps the film moving at a fast enough pace. He also peppers his screenplay with likeable heroes and despicable villains. Although many of these characters as well as the situations they find themselves in, may seem somewhat clichéd, it’s exactly what fans of 80s action (like me) came to see; a larger-than-life, lone hero singlehandedly taking out a gang of evil bad guys with a smile on his face. Realistic? No. Entertaining? Yes. You pretty much know what you’re getting into just from hearing the film’s memorable tag line: “You don’t recruit John Steele, you unleash him.”

Over the years, I’ve heard harsh criticism of Martin Kove’s portrayal of John Steele, but I don’t find a problem with it. Kove is one of those actors who is always welcome in just about anything as far as I’m concerned. Whether he is playing hero or villain, he always comes through with his performance and makes a film that much better. He is especially good at playing henchman and bully-type villains as well as all-American heroes like John Steele. If I have a complaint, it’s that the usually charismatic and humorous Kove is toned down a bit here. It’s a minor complaint, but I would have liked to have seen a little more enjoyment in his portrayal. Besides benefitting from a strong lead like Kove, the movie also features a wonderfully villainous performance from the great Soon-Tek Oh, super-talented veterans Ronny Cox and Bernie Casey convincingly playing cops, and the lovely Sela Ward as Steele’s sometimes exasperated ex-wife.

The fun movie also features several highly recognizable faces such as Joseph Campanella (Defiance), Sarah Douglas (Superman II), Peter Kwong (Big Trouble in Little China), Al Leong (Lethal Weapon), Shannon Tweed (No Contest) and Irene Tsu (Three the Hard Way) who all add immensely to the film’s enjoyment.

Although the movie itself may be a bit derivative, it’s still a well-done and entertaining action film with a solid, extremely likeable cast. If you’re a fan of this genre, I recommend checking it out.

Steele Justice has been released on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber. The film is presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio and, as is usually the case with KL, the HD transfer is terrific. The disc also contains a very informative audio commentary by Martin Kove, Robert Boris and moderator Alex Van Dyne (Eddie Brandt’s Saturday Matinee). It’s fun to listen to them reminisce about the film and Martin Kove talks about how he would play the role differently today. We’re also treated to the original theatrical trailer as well as trailers for five other exciting action films: Code of Silence; Taffin; Murphy’s Law; The Final Option and Hard Target.

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