Wheels Of Fire (1985)

Santiago's second take on the post apocalyptic genre.

Our hero, this time called Trace (Gary Watkins), is a wandering lone wolf in this wasteland. At the beginning of the film he meets his sister Arlie in a small tournament site. Arlie's boyfriend takes part in tournament (well, it's not really a tournament, just two guys beating the shit out of each other with metal pipes). Of course things go awry and they get local thugs going after them. Car chase ends up in a crash and bandits get their cars blown sky high. (Rule number one, if you crash your car in Santiago movie of course it's going to explode). Trace and Arlie go separate ways. That can't be good now can it....

Arlie is captured by the bandits and strapped on the hood of the car. Arlie's boyfriend is also captured and drug behind a car tied to a rope. Another standard punishment method in PA movies and of course in spaghetti westerns, only replace the car with a horse. Arlie is taken back to bandits camp and turned into a sex slave. On a site note: Arlie is played by Lynda Wiesmeier, former Playboy playmate of the month. I think that's a natural career development: first playboy bunny and then strapped on the hood of the car bare breasted in a Santiago movie. Not bad.

Trace is not going to take any of this shit and is terminated to put end to this whole bandit business. Before the ultimate showdown between bandits and the good folks of wasteland, we get lots of car chases, bandits being roasted by Trace's flamethrower, dwarf side kick and half naked chicks (mostly  Lynda Wiesmeier). So everything that a good movie needs is here.

I liked this one better than the first Santiago PA movie, Stryker. Action is pretty high octane and over all atmosphere is much better in this one.