Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Stryker Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf January 8, 2017

While “Mad Max” and “The Road Warrior” weren’t dominating blockbusters, their influence was felt throughout the 1980s, inspiring producers to assemble knockoffs that required very little production effort. The formula is easy to master, only requiring a desert location, shredded costuming, and vehicles. 1983’s “Stryker” doesn’t even try to pretend that it’s not a “Road Warrior” reheat, taking familiar plot, design, and character elements to help support an actioner that’s big on explosions and gunfire, but limited when it comes to dramatic pursuits. It’s the end of the world, once again, but for director Cirio H. Santiago, “Stryker” provides a chance to raise a little hell in the wild, always keeping the silly picture explosive to help distract from its severe storytelling deficiencies.

In the future, Earth has been decimated by nuclear war, leaving behind packs of humanity to battle for control of the planet’s remaining water sources. Delha (Andrea Savio) knows the whereabouts of a special secret spring, pursued by the evil Kardis (Mike Lane) and his team of henchmen, who terrorize the land with weaponized trucks and cars. Coming to the rescue is Stryker (Steven Sandor) and his partner, Bandit (William Ostrander), who bring Delha to Trun (Ken Metcalfe), Stryker’s estranged brother, for help. With water the primary prize, Kardis gears up for war, putting Stryker on the run as Delha strives to protect her people and the valuable spring.

While there is a screenplay credited to Howard R. Cohen, it’s difficult to tell just what he brought to the production. “Stryker” lifts liberally from “The Road Warrior,” pitting outlaws and loners against one another over control of water, with every drop a major find to the men and women of the wasteland. Vehicle chases are a common sight, including an introductory one between Kardis’s men and Delha, who battles for survival while wearing modified aerobic gear. And there’s the titular warrior, a cowboy-hat wearing bruiser who’s ready for a fight, defending the innocent with help from Bandit.

As for an actual story, there’s not much to share in “Stryker,” which largely consists of action sequences that often dissolve into pure chaos. Perhaps understanding that nobody really cares about the fate of the spring and Delha’s survival, Santiago fills “Stryker” with combat sequences. While propulsive, the skirmishes also give the picture a backyard production feel, like watching a group of excited children receive a chance to participate in a war movie, blissfully running around locations shooting blanks, launching fiery arrows, and bumping cars. Combating a limited budget and an iffy narrative, Santiago delivers enough mayhem to cover the seams, finding “Stryker” eager to jump into action and blow things up. It’s actually surprising just how much of a commotion the feature makes, always ready to make a mess of things.

Stryker Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

"Stryker" is never going to be pretty. It's a B-movie that doesn't have the resources for majestic cinematography, leaving the AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation to battle age and production limitations for the feature's Blu-ray debut. Colors aren't vibrant, and the post-apocalyptic mood is set with a heavy push of reds, giving hues an unnatural look at times. Costuming has its highlights, and desert locations retain their natural appeal. Detail isn't encouraging, encountering inherent focus and style issues, but some facial textures remain, and vehicles retain particulars. Delineation is acceptable. Source is in adequate shape, with speckling and scratches detected throughout.

Stryker Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix handles agreeably for a picture that doesn't feature any production audio. Dubbed performances carry the workload, and while they often sound silly, intelligibility isn't threatened, making dialogue exchanges easy to follow. Scoring doesn't have freshness, but it maintains presence, supporting the movie's action sequences with percussion and synth. Sound effects dominate, blasting away with guns and bombs, while car chases crank roaring engines. Again, nothing's precise, but mood is preserved.

Stryker Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features filmmaker Jim Wynorski.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:03, SD) is included.

Stryker Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Exploitative interests are maintained throughout the picture, and there's a highly bizarre homage to the Jawas of "Star Wars" as a group of cloaked little people make friends with Stryker, who's kind enough to share water with the babbling creatures. Tech credits barely hang on, but costuming remains within expectation, and scoring by Ed Gatachalian brings a funky adventuring vibe to the feature, carrying it along. "Stryker" can be hit or miss, and its financial limitations are easy to spot throughout, but it does have spunk for a "Road Warrior" rip-off, making sure to steal from the best when assembling a take on post-apocalyptic pursuit. It certainly doesn't share the same intensity as the George Miller masterpiece, but it offers those in the mood for a dystopian showdown a decent enough ride.