A few years ago, my country was embroiled in long and bloody war, and I had lot of opportunity to see what happens with the veterans afterwards. Usually, those who spent time on the front lines are getting little more than tap on shoulder, measly pension and rejection by society that considers them basketheads and losers; on the other hand, those who contributed to the war effort by doing nothing in safety of the rear are ones that are massing fame, fortune and political power. As this film shows, that sad truth is universal, and Vietnam War wasn't exception. John Steele (played by Martin Kove) and Lee Van Minh (played by Robert Kim) risk their lives at the end of war, only to see corrupt South Vietnamese general Kwan (Soon Teck-Or) taking CIA money and leaving them for die. Twelve years later, general Kwan is a respected businessman and unofficial leader of Vietnamese community in Los Angeles. John Steele, on the other hand, is an unemployed loser, who was thrown out of police five years ago. His war comrade and former partner Lee is still in the force, and unsuccessfully trying to connect Kwan with drug-smuggling operations. After Lee and his family get killed by Kwan's henchmen, Steele decides to go to war against Kwan to avenge his best friend's death.
For many critics Steele Justice was nothing more than routine and not very original Lethal Weapon rip-off, filled with all the cliches of 1980s action cinema. Here we have Vietnam veteran as a synonym for invincible one-man- army; businessmen that can't make money in any other way than by smuggling drugs; killing of partner/significant other as motive for revenge; and final showdown in a warehouse. What distinguishes this film from the rest of many similar B-products is huge army of capable actors like Ronny Cox, Bernie Casey and Joseph Campanella in supporting roles, together with Sarah Douglas, Sela Ward and Shannon Tweed that fill the babes quota. Unfortunately, the main lead, Martin Kove, looks like caricature of Rambo, same as Soon Teck-Or looks like a caricature of Fu Manchu. Although writer and director Robert Boris tries to take subject matter seriously, this movie occasionally slips into camp territory. Most obvious example is a sequence when rock music video, directed by Sela Ward's character, suddenly turns into gunfight between Steele and Asian assassins, led by Al Leong, long-haired Asian stuntman who made career by playing cannon fodder in such movies. All in all, although the viewer might get drowned in the sea of cliches and bad 1980s music, Steele Justice might serve him as mild guilty pleasure.
RATING: 5/10 (++)
(Note: The text in its original form was posted in Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.movies.reviews on October 19th 1998)
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