Sick Product of a Sick System

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

The Six Million Dollar Man plays The man of Steel. How perfect is that?! This movie took a place in Lee Majors' actual home town Kentucky. It was reported that they used actual under the construction building (Kincaid Tower) at the time and build the set on top roof of Eastern Kentucky University building for the shooting.This was not critically claimed nor big box office hit, and yet it is the one of the best action drama Majors ever produced and stared. Steel surely shines in his life long acting career. It defines what kind of actor he was, and he had great qualities to play this type of role (well, best or worst). He was man's man, but not in egoistic way. He was the kind of the guy let his action speak itself, tough in both physically and mentally, and yet vulnerable, respect and honor his friends, trying to do the right thing.Mike Catton (Lee Majors) as foreman gathers craziest crews in skyscraper business to fight against all odds to finish up the building to meet the deadline. It is race against time! I still love this 70's ultimate guy movie because it portraits what real American men were used to be like.Majors made a couple of films such as Agency with late Robert Mitchum and The last Chase with Late Burgess Meredith after Steel. Those two films did not take off, and Majors came back with huge success of TV Fall Guy.Finally, Lee Majors was not the only man of Steel in this movie. Steel features other men of Steel. Academy Award winners: Art Carney (Harry & Tonto) and George Kennedy (Cool Hand Luke) The film was dedicated for A.J. BAKUNIS who did stunt for George Kennedy's free fall scene from top of the building.Steel is one of the 70's infamous movie that should be available on DVD.

This movie was a big deal in Lexington when they were filming it in '79. It was a great visual taste for anybody who lived here during that time. From the filming of the horse farms, the historic Lexington Cemetery, not to mention the bar scene at the legendary, but now closed High on Rose, also Lee Majors picking up his trucker girlfriend just a stone's throw away from a well known lot-lizard truck stop. Classy.This movie had everything: -Lee Majors, The 6 Mil Dollar Man himself, playing the tortured hero of the tale. -Terry Kiser of Weekend at Bernie's fame playing Valentino who always had a different woman bring him to work each day. -Robert Tessier playing the tough Cherokee taking the end of a steel beam to his temple and still finishing the job. -Richard Lynch playing the bastard he plays so well as Dancer making Catton face his fears. -Roger E. Mosley of Magnum P.I. fame, playing Lionel who finishes the job even after his best friend dies trying to attach a steel bolt and falling to his death due to a bet on Valentino's girl of the day.Drama! Yeah it was Dallas-style, but it was 1979. My great-grandmother was an extra during the funeral scene. I was sitting on my father's shoulders on Vine St. twenty feet from the airbag that A.J. Bakunas went through when he performed his final stunt. How many of you have seen a stuntman die in front of you? This movie should not be forgotten for his sacrifice in filming it.The shot where the camera pans up West Main where you see Henry Clay's statue over the city and the helicopters bringing in the last floor to finish the job was beautiful.If anybody knows where I can find a copy of this, please get in touch with me. My family will get a great laugh at the macho-bravado drama, and my friends will finally see what I've been talking about all these years.

Lee Majors made several pictures during his stardom period of "The Six Million Dollar Man." Most weren't particularly good ("The Norseman" was the absolute pits), but this is a neat little surprise. It's along the same lines as "The Magnificent Seven" in that it brings together a disparate group of professionals in order to achieve a seemingly impossible goal--in this case they're a construction crew that has to finish off the top nine stories of a building in the short span of three weeks. The tone is a bit lighter than usual for this kind of film, with some welcome humorous touches, notably the antics of Terry Kiser and Albert Salmi as a libidinous steelworker and a prankish crane operator, respectively. Majors was never an actor with much range, but here he's actually quite good as the crew leader and plays well off the other actors. The movie has a roster of first-rate character actors whose presence raises its interest level several notches. It's also one of the few films where veteran heavy Richard Lynch gets to play against type as a good guy (albeit a tough one), and he's quite effective at it. Jennifer O'Neill is still as beautiful as ever and still can't act to save her life, but she doesn't drag the picture down as she did, for example, in the John Wayne western "Rio Lobo", in which she was so astoundingly inept it was actually embarrassing to watch her; she's better than that here. Director Steve Carver paid his dues with Roger Corman, and while he never attained the levels of success as fellow Corman alumni Martin Scorsese or Jonathan Demme, he was usually a more than competent filmmaker, and he's done a good job of putting this one together. It's well paced, with a few twists and turns, and the cast seems to be having a good time. You could do worse than rent this on a night when you have nothing much to do.

Big Lew Cassidy (George Kennedy) is in a race against time, and the bank, to complete his latest building. But a tragic accident makes the likelihood of building completion seem impossible. Cassidy's daughter Cass (Jennifer O'Neill), with the help of Pignose Moran (Art Carney), assembles the `dream team' of steel workers to help her finish off the building. Mike Catton (Lee Majors) leads the rag-tag bunch of hardhats in a race with the bank. On the crew are Harry Doyle (Redmond Gleeson), an ex-IRA bomber who Catton helped get into the steel workers union, Dancer (Richard Lynch) who is likable enough but has that all appealing `edge'-- or as Catton puts it, `He's the meanest b**tard that ever lived', Cherokee (Robert Tessier) who claims he's not afraid of Custer, Tank (Albert Salmi) who runs the big crane and has a warped sense of humor and Valentino (Terry Kiser), the `lover' of the group. Basically this group mirrors the more comic bunch from CARWASH, although this movie is a drama, not a comedy.An interesting little subplot to this movie is the fact that Catton, after witnessing the death of several co-workers from a fall off a building, is now afraid of heights and in fact had retired from iron work to become a big-rig driver.Everyone does a fine job of acting, Majors is believable as the leader and O'Neill is a nice surprise as the boss's daughter and potential love interest for Majors. Kennedy always delights in whatever he does, whether as an aging steelworker or work-farm prisoner (COOL HAND LUKE) and Harris Yulin is great as his sleazy brother Eddie.Kiser is hilarious with his over-active libido and Lynch has some engaging scenes, particularly his confrontation with Catton when he discovers his fear of heights. Lastly, Tessier is entertaining as the `big lug' Cherokee and Salmi's antics and pranks throughout the film will keep you happily entertained.Though this film is in no danger of winning an Oscar, it is thoroughly entertaining and has a feel-good ending to it. You'll never look at a building under construction the same again after viewing this one!