Dead Beat (1994)

Director:

Adam Dubov

Writers:

Adam Dubov (writer)
Janice Shapiro (writer)

Release Date:

1 August 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller

Tagline:

To Live and Let Die

Plot:

In 1965, Rudy, a Midwestern high-school kid, moves to Albuquerque; lonely and friendless, he's attracted to Kit...

Plot Keywords:

High School | Serial Killer | Delinquent | Outcast | Teenkill

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Bruce Ramsay	...	Kit
Balthazar Getty	...	Rudy
Max Perlich	...	Jimmy
Caleb Smith	...	Drunken Teenager
Casey Dixon	...	Heidi
Meredith Salenger	...	Donna
Wendy Gastellum	...	Cindy
Sara Gilbert	...	Martha
Vatsana Bilavarn	...	Ruth
Alida Gunn	...	Tammy
Deborah Harry	...	Mrs. Kurtz
Jerome Zelle	...	Danny Kurtz
Natasha Gregson Wagner	...	Kirsten
Barbara Glover	...	Aquatic Director
Rick Dubov	...	Liquor Store Clerk

Also Known As:

The Phony Perfector

MPAA:

Rated R for language and sociopathic behavior, including violence and sexuality.

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Germany:16 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Distant Horizons

Trivia:

Except for the name changes, this is the story of real-life killer Charles Schmid, who murdered several teenagers in Tucson, Arizona, in the mid-'60s.

Soundtrack:

New Shade of Blue

Schizophrenic film

Dead Beat can't decide whether it's a serious film about disturbed youth and murder or a campy period piece ala Cry Baby. There's too much emphasis on period detail, much of which is inaccurate anyway--always a distraction for me in films of this sort. The film looks good and aspires to profundity but ultimately is another empty Hollywood look at juvenile delinquency.