The setting is a Mad Max style post-apocalyptic disaster land where dogs are a food staple. The lawless Outland, basically everywhere that is not an indoor fortress, is overrun by outlaws called Skins who ride low-end motorbikes and kill everybody for no reason. The viewer is not informed as to where they get fuel, a key story point in Mad Max 2. The story begins at a Bartertown-clone outpost, where bounty hunter Harry Stark (Michael Ironside in the sort of role he was born to play) has to transport wanted fugitive Vanity to Neon City for trial. The trip will be made in an armored truck, and the passenger list includes a socialite (pre-Buffy Juliet Landau), a not very talented entertainer (WKRP's Richard Sanders), and Stark's ex-wife in a not at all contrived coincidence. Driving the truck is former NFL star Lyle Alzado as a character unimaginatively named Bulk. There are a a few other passengers who may not be exactly what they claim, adding intrigue to the journey out into a hostile and unforgiving land.
If this sounds like a setup for some kind of b-grade Stagecoach knock-off, well it is. On the plus side, the script is surprisingly good, with tight dialogue and sharply-drawn character business. This is unexpected in a low budget Max clone, most of which sound as if they were written by teenaged comic book nerds trying to sound tough, or (worse) by Italians who have never been to North America and have no idea how we talk. Yes, Antonio Margheriti, I am looking at you. The performances in Neon City are also surprisingly good, even from Vanity and Lyle. The drama plays out in logical and watchable fashion, uncommon in movies of this type where character interest is just filler between the action set pieces.
The good cast and script unfortunately cannot overcome the film's other shortfalls. The chase scenes are poorly staged and not very interesting to watch, a fact which demonstrates a lack of understanding of action movie priorities. Action fans will overlook bad acting and clunky dialogue in the service of an adrenaline fueled stunt extravaganza, but not the other way around. Additionally, the environmental threats along the way, particle storms and hot spots, could also have been better staged and are hurt by the film's low budget. Damnation Alley this is not, despite superficial similarities. There is a decent shootout at an outpost along the journey, but not much else of interest to action hounds.
Overall, Neon City is not a complete waste of time thanks to its cast and script, but has little to recommend itself as an actioner. It was directed by a TV actor and plays like a TV movie with some action movie business shoehorned in. There are much worse entries in this sub-genre to be fair. The JCVD vehicle Cyborg, for example, was certainly a waste of its admission price. But if you like Beyond Thunderdome, watch that, and if you like Stagecoach watch that. Do not settle for weak imitations.
