Kennyingle This film is a must see for those who wish to witness an extraordinary acting demonstration by Dan Nelson. An incredible performance that was overlooked by critics during the films release. Nelson deserved better! His acting career never elevated itself to its full potential after Stryker's War dwindled at the box office. If you are a young actor, I urge you to rent this movie and learn from a master. You will be a better thespian after watching him act. I believe that acting should be taken to a high level no matter what material an actor has to deal with. Stryker's War did not give Dan Nelson much to play with, but it was fun to see Dan take a script and turn his scenes into gems.

bad82 FYI: My comments about 'Stryker's War' are based on the recently released Collector's Edition. I strongly urge you to seek out this version above all others for one reason and one reason only: 'The Making of Thou Shalt Not Kill Except'. Without this vital piece of material the film is without it's glory. The short-story format, retelling of the journey from concept, to production and execution, makes the film ten times more enjoyable, especially for fans of the 'Evil Dead' series of films. The mention of Bruce Campbell (story) and Josh Becker (director, screenplay) "... kicking the story around..." while driving from Tennessee (from the set of 'Evil Dead') to Michigan is a fine example of the insight one gains from this 'Making of...' piece. For true fans.As for the film itself, based on it's own merits... It's not very good. The film takes place in 1969 during the events of Vietnam and the Manson Family murders. The story revolves around Sgt. Stryker, a man honorably discharged from 'Nam due to an injury sustained in battle. He returns home and retires to his cabin only to soon be faced with a Manson family-esque group (complete with C. Manson look alike leader) terrorizing his loved ones. Stryker meets up with his old war comrades and decides to take back his piece of sanity from the malicious group of the deranged.Perhaps you could state that the events in the film are in fact a metaphor for the insanity that is war and therefore vicariously is a metaphor for the Vietnam war... Except! Except for the fact that the film is just a silly variation on Rambo, but without the 'great' acting. The novice direction doesn't help, making much of the film bland and boring. The screenplay is definitely uneven despite being fine-tuned for years. The pacing is lop-sided and leaves all of the action in the last act (sans a scene or two in act two). The one bright spot in the production is Joseph LoDuca's (Music Composer) score at times. With a limited budget, the score is capable of making you forget about the sometimes low-production values displayed.Despite all of it's short-comings... I like this film. I would have loved to have been at the standing-room only premiere of 'Sgt. Stryker's War' back in 1985. I probably wouldn't have liked it as much, seeing as how I was only three years old at the time, but just to be able to say I was one of the first people to see this film would be a kick. I can't really say that about any other film... See this film if you are an 'Evil Dead' fan (it features Sam Raimi, Ted Raimi, Bruce Campbell, Scott Spiegel, Joseph LoDuca and Josh Becker in various forms of production). See this film if you're a fan of the obscure. Most importantly though, see this film if your a fan of film, but only the Collector's Edition. If you do see the Collector's Edition then you'll understand this..."What's a good idea?"

eibon04 Stryker's War is a very good and well made independant feature from the makers of The Evil Dead series. It deals with soliders who have trouble adjusting to civilian live and only find meaning when they go into combat espcially with the murderous cult lead by a Manison type person. The battle scene in Vietnam during the first few moments of the film and the battle in the woods during the climax really parallel each other as if the soldiers will do nothing but battle for the rest of their lives. The acting is so-so but what the actors do, espcially the four soliders is something that plagued many people after returning from a tour in Vietnam. One film that this movie compares to in a small scale is Rolling Thunder(1977). Some of the set pieces in Stryker's War(1985) are terrific for a low budget action flick.

batturtle Not a good movie by any means. But, it is very cool to see the early no budget work of some of the guys that went on to bring you such favorites as Evil Dead, Darkman & Xena. If your a fan of Renaissance Pictures & Sam Raimi, this one's well worth checking out.