Dead Bang (1989)

Director:

John Frankenheimer

Writers (WGA):

Jerry Beck (story)
Robert Foster (screenplay)

Release Date:

24 March 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Thriller | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

For one cop this isn't just a case. It's a war.

Plot:

A cop is gunned down on Xmas eve. Jerry Beck, the homicide cop given the job of hunting the killer,...

Plot Keywords:

Cop | Los Angeles | White Supremacy | Death | Shot In The Head

Cast

Don Johnson	...	Jerry Beck
Penelope Ann Miller	...	Linda Kimble
William Forsythe	...	Arthur Kressler
Bob Balaban	...	Elliott Webley
Frank Military	...	Bobby Burns
Tate Donovan	...	John Burns
Antoni Stutz	...	Ray
Mickey Jones	...	Sleepy
Ron Campbell	...	Crossfield
William Traylor	...	Chief Elton Tremmel
Hy Anzell	...	Captain Waxman
Michael Jeter	...	Dr. Krantz
Tim Reid	...	Chief Dixon
James B. Douglas	...	Agent Gilroy
Brad Sullivan	...	Chief Hillard

Also Known As:

Dead-Bang (USA) (poster title)

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | USA:R (certificate #29434) | Netherlands:12 | Argentina:18 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Company:

Lorimar Film Entertainment

Quotes:

Bobby Burns: He's no Fed. Fed's are neat. Whoever this guy is, he wouldn't last a week with the Feds. The other guys coming over. now *he* is a Fed. Look at him. He's so clean you could shoot him and bury him in the same suit.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Resident Alien (1990)

Cult Movies 14

14. DEAD BANG (action, 1989) Det. Beck (Don Johnson) is an LA cop whose life is falling to pieces. His wife has just left and his hitting the bottle again. Assigned to a cop killing that seems routine, Beck sees his chance at redemption by immersing himself in the case. The murder has ties to a ruthless and tightly controlled Neo-Nazi sect. He starts a cross-country chase that inevitably leads him to rural America. With the help of an FBI agent, Beck is intent on exposing a network of ruthless criminals.

Critique: "An exercise in futility", that's how one critic summed up Don Johnson's acting. With a squeaky voice, boyish looks, and sparse acting (plus an endless array of 'cool' wardrobes), he became something of a cult favorite playing Det. Stubbs in the hit TV-show Miami Vice (1984-89). Since the end of that show, his movie career has been a total loss. . .well, almost.

At least he can look back proudly on his work in John Frankenheimer's 'Dead Bang': A slick, old style, slam-bang action film. Taking his Stubbs character to new heights (or lows for that matter) he plays the consummate 'burn-out cop'. He has been given a solid script to work from, professional direction by old-hand Frankenheimer, and a good supporting cast including John Forsythe as his FBI partner.

Supposedly based on the real life experiences of LA Det. Jerry Beck, this is Johnson's only film where he proved to be more than "an exercise in futility".

QUOTE: "I got a splitting' headache, I'm seeing double and. . .s#!t! I think I'm gonna throw up again."