User Reviews

Wow... what can I say? I wasn't much a fan of Don Johnson and didn't really care for the TV series "Miami Vice" (give me "Magnum P.I" any day). However John Frankenheimer seemed to be on somewhat of a run through the 80s with "The Challenge", "52- Pick-up", "Holcroft Covenant"... ah scrap that one. I guess he wasn't on much a run, but "Dead-Bang" surprised me just how much fun this durable, if offbeat pulp was. Predictable, but bold and ultra-fun law enforcement thriller. This was mainly due to Johnson's hard-nosed performance. Looking bemused and rather scruffy with a very witty script to work with as there were some hilarious lines of banter. The highlight would have to be Johnson's vomit sequence on a suspect after an exhausting chase and the unorthodox methods in getting the job done.

Jerry Beck is one burnt out L.A detective whose personal life is on the skids, so he lives for his job. Looking on a case involving the murder of a convenient store owner and cop, leads to something much bigger when he finds himself tailing a gang of murderous white supremacists to Colorado.

In all; it's dumb, crude, snappy and loud while containing white supremacists using automatic weapons but like a good Frankenheimer feature the violently hard-hitting action was well-staged, well-framed with its camera angles and it moved at a fast clip. The story is taken from Beck's true-life exploits of his novel, where we are taken for one hell of a ride as Frankenheimer really pushes it to the brink. When it came to showing off the film's firepower, it's an outrageous assault and ballsy in its execution.

William Forsythe can be just as amusing playing uptight, than say crazy (watch "Out for Justice" for that) as the FBI agent who gets on the wrong side of Beck. Penelope Ann Miller also seems to walk onto set; sweet talks Johnson and beds him to suddenly disappear. Was I missing something there? Quite an unnecessary sub-plot involving her character. Also making appearances are Bob Balaban, Tate Donovan, Mickey Jones, Brad Sullivan (the exchanges between him and Johnson were a treat "You don't need a gun chief. Just tell them who you are."), Tim Reid, William Taylor and Michael Jeter finding himself at the end of a Woody Allen joke.

"F**k you Sheriff! And your french fries"

Another one of those TV stars who moved into movies this sadly has been put alongside with Caruso's JADE but on closer inspection all movies are not that bad..... Dead Bang is a fairly run of the mill cop against bad guys type thing but what takes it out of the run of the mill is the direction from Frankenheimer & the star turn from Johnson. Johnson gives a great performance as the stressed cop,we can see the frustration in Beck's life either doing his job or trying to see his kids,his acting is done very well & not over the top..in particular the xmas morning bust Beck makes..the start of the scene we see the alcoholic sweats to later on being sick all over the suspect. The supporting cast however do not raise their game to give the support Johnson needs with William Forsythe in particular giving a completely wooden performance which is surprizing as he has been so much better.

The action scenes are handled very well indeed...The gunfights(are they're are a few) are not to Hollywood for my liking.

On the whole a very enjoyable movie & it shows that Don Johnson should have been a movie star.

There's a specific brand of cop in film and on TV that apparently appeals to audiences. Typically, he's alienated from his family because he's too dedicated to his job and consumes too much of his time doing it and not enough with them. Or debasing brutality has taken too big a chunk out of his consciousness for him to frequent the society of women and children. Generally, he eats three meals of pizza or Chinese and drinks like a fish. The company he keeps does nothing for his lexicon. And the first thing everybody tells him is that he looks terrible. In Dead Bang, Don Johnson plays this classic brand of cop, to a tee.

Has anyone ever made a movie about a good cop who is neurotically orderly? The one perhaps determining stroke contributed by Dead Bang is a scene in which the inebriated investigator heaves onto a suspect. His name is Beck and on Christmas Eve he's designated to probe the murder of another LA cop. He produces the name of a freshly paroled offender apparently affiliated with a disheveled band of white supremacists.

There are a few rows and gunfights, and a Fed overplayed by William Forsythe imposes himself. Also, due to his wreckless ways, which appear somewhat restrained relative to that of most movie cops, Beck is ordered by the chief to obtain permission from a police shrink or be removed from the case. However since Michael Jeter's counselor resembles Woody Allen, Beck breaks up and the doctor grows annoyed and the opportunity of remaining on the case seems remote, that is till Beck has a very unclinical, clear-cut and inhospitable talk with the slightly built fellow.

Near the beginning, there's an unwanted detour in which Beck beds Penelope Ann Miller who, unbeknownst to him, was the wife of the murdered cop. But when he faces her with the information, that's all and she never appears again. From then on out it's all boys, and there is some inexplicably evocative dialogue in which Beck and his contemporaries talk about "going through doors" together. Beck says there's only one thing that counts: Is there anyone who'd be afraid to go through a door with him? And later, his police chief replies, "I want you to know that I'd go through a door with you anytime." Johnson's eyes look aloof, but he's got some presence here, doing the work and really deriving something appealing out of the formula. As the burdensome G-man, Forsythe is the essence of trivial-mindedness. At one point, he looks at a shivering Beck with gravitas and says, "You didn't bring a cold-weather coat? What's wrong with you?" Also, Bob Balaban, as a whipped parole officer, and Tim Reid, as a local police chief, give their roles some punch.

However, what the audience sees, actually, are a couple of white-supremacist psychopaths with a fixation on racial purity and homemade apple tarts. Their main advocates are a handful of dim-witted Hell's Angels sorts who, when they need funds, raid the Mexican bar right next door, kill everyone in it and then are astonished when the authorities appear. John Frankenheimer's control is tight enough but quite mechanical: He sustains the action but doesn't furnish much character. Then again, Robert Foster's script is speckled with crumbs of peculiarity, practically all of them minor. Frankenheimer, the director of three of the most sharply honed and deeply affecting conspiracy movies ever made, is also responsible for some of the more negligible.

This crime drama was barely released by the studio, so not many got to see it. It IS, however, a cut or two above your usual routine action film, with an absorbing (and topical) story, good acting and solid direction by veteran director John Frankenheimer. Not a classic, but there are many WORSE films out there. If you're only used to seeing him on "Miami Vice" as the ultra-cool Sonny Crockett, Johnson may surprise you here with a his performance....he's gritty, funny, flawed and very real (both the character and story here are fact-based). The scene where he vomits on a suspect after a blocks-long foot chase (he's hung over from a previous night's alcohol binge) is a classic....gross, but hilarious.

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."

I guess Don Johnson after Miami Vice wad destined to be cast as irreverent police detectives who get results which is why they are tolerated. After easy living Sonny Crockett on a houseboat in Miami Vice he does Dead Bang in which his character is working off a perpetual hangover. Soon enough he would be in Nash Bridges where he once again had a sunny disposition.

On Christmas Eve Johnson catches a homicide of a patrol officer shot at point blank range. Like millions of the rest of us Johnson had plans to spend time with his family. But he figures if he's working Christmas investigating the shooting of a fellow officer no one else should be enjoying themselves. And he makes sure they don't.

A convenience store manager who was shot and survived gave out a description of someone who the deceased spotted before he was killed. Following this suspect out of southern California in a tour around red state America leads Johnson on a merry chase through a variety of white supremacist groups. The object of his search is Frank Military identified by the convenience store manager who as it were is black.

Johnson really steps on a lot of toes, two prime examples are Bob Balaban a parole officer whom he kidnaps Christmas Day so that he can pursue without a warrant a lead. That whole sequence including what Johnson does while interrogating his lead is hilarious.

He also handles department shrink in a most unusual manner. Michael Jeter plays the psychiatrist who never encountered issues like Johnson has. I also can't forget the uptight, anal retentive FBI guy that Johnson is forced to work with, William Forsythe. Those two are one impossible team.

Though it has a lot a lot humor Dead Bang also is a most serious look at a proliferation of white supremacist groups which makes the film maybe even more relevant for today.

I never really got into "Miami Vice" nor do I really want to. However, this Don Johnson cop movie was rather good. Nothing special, for the most part your standard run of the mill cop movie, the only difference is that the cop in question is a really burned out cop. I know you are thinking "so are most cops in films such as these", but no he is really burnt out to the point of puking on a guy after chasing him down. He also has some wicked shouting matches with his ex-wife who from the sounds of it is a mega word that rhymes with witch. Still, it moves at a good pace, just a movie though that really kind of ticks you off. I mean the wife ticked me off though I never saw her, and that one agent did as well. Still, it was a good cop movie seeing him track down the person, or persons responsible. Don Johnson does a fairly good job in this one, he is not the smooth cop he was in "Miami Vice" which I rather like. He is more human here and seems like a guy going through a very rough patch in his life. Despite all of his character flaws his main goal throughout the movie is getting his man. Not great by any means, but like I said I found it rather enjoyable.

Excellent direction as usual from John Frankenheimer. This movie gives you more than enough action and bang for your buck. Don Johnson is a homicide cop that stretches the rules; drinks too much; sleeps too little; is crude; foul mouthed and absolutely great. On Xmas morning, Johnson starts his trek to find a cop killer that is associated with a White Supremacy group. This hard headed cop follows his suspect to Oklahoma and Colorado before all hell breaks loose. On the trail of Johnson is a pansy, but arrogant FBI agent played by William Forsythe. Johnson gets help when he needs it from Tim Reid and his police department. Very entertaining and sometimes comical fact-based story from Jerry Beck.

Penelope Ann Miller provides the all too short sexual content. Wow, what a charmer. And Michael Jeter plays a shrink that resembles Woody Allen.

Have never really been a Don Johnson fan; but this role is a hell of a lot better than his TV Miami Vice persona. This is a non-stop attention grabber.

Don Johnson stars as Jerry Beck a renegade cop who takes on a group of white supremists who are responsible for knocking off a black store owner and hispanic restaurant owners in this standard cop actioner which does have it's moments of entertainment such as the scene where Johnson throws up on one of his suspects or the showdown Johnson has with a shrink. Overall Dead Bang may not be a classic but it does live up to it's title.

I saw this in the theater and the only thing I remembered about it was Don Johnson puking on a guy. So with all the talk of Frankenheimer on the other board, I decided to revisit it and was more than happy I did. Don Johnson stars as Jerry Beck (apparently based on a real LAPD cop) who begins to investigate the murder of a fellow officer. The investigation ends up taking him all over the US on the trail of white supremacists. The film is pretty gritty and realistic but suffers from a terrible Hollywood "We blinded you with convenience" ending. That aside, there is much to like here from Johnson's anti-Crockett cop to great supporting turns by William Forsythe and Bob Balaban to the witty script. And, of course, the aforementioned puke scene. Not as good (or as sleazy) as my 52 PICK UP, my favorite 80s Frankenheimer vehicle, but still worth checking out.

Nothing new here . Another cop with family problems , dead cop , revenge ,investigation ,white racists … It's all been done before and with better results.

There is one thing I learned from this movie – don't chase a guy when you have a hangover. Don Johnson tries very hard to bring life in an uninteresting character and he deserves some praise for that. There is nice shootout at the end. There is simplistic anti-racist message . There are some funny moments here and there (telephone scene). Some investigation and action. Some unintentionally funny ideas (FBI agent who doesn't like swearing and looks like straight from "Police academy" , psychiatrist who looks like Woody Allen)

It's not a terrible movie , but it is a waste of time. This movie is like a love story in it – appears for a while , then quickly disappears and doesn't stay with you. As for John Frankheimer… All I can say it's that we all need to pay taxes.

I give it 1/10.

I shied away from this film initially, due to its low IMDB rating at the time, but I was very pleasantly surprised. It's based on actual events, yet the story has all the right elements of a great action film. Don Johnson's LA cop is up against tremendous odds, a renegade, a drunk, lonely, and yet an entirely likeable character. Whether you like Johnson (the actor), or Frankenheimer (the director), or action films (the genre) in general, give this film a chance. It's almost perfect. Completely underrated by the scoring on this site.

7.5 out of 10

Don Johnson plays a washed out cop, with a broken up marriage and lots of reprimands for violent behaviour on the job. He doesnt care, he just wants to nail bad guys to the wall. In this movie the bad guys are a group of white supremacists who shot an LA cop. Don Johnson is out to get the killers.

Director John Frankenheimer is known for making good B-action movies, with great leading characters in it, who are cool, tough and capable of splurting out many funny oneliners. Yes, everything about this picture has that recognizable cheap B-movie feel to it, but that doesnt spoil the fun, as long as you dont expect to see anything original.

Specially recommended for Don Johnson fans from the eighties, because this actor has proven to be capable of making many reasonably good action thrillers. Yet all of these Don Johnson movies often have a cheap B-,movie feel to it, which I am not really bothered by though, because these B-movies deliver lots of good action combined with funny, cool oneliners. And that's all I am asking for in a good action movie. This is one of them: lots of action and an underdog conquering the bad guys. YEAH!

(There are Spoilers) Christmas Eve sets off a number of incidents in L.A that goes through the states of Arizona and Oklahoma and finally leads to the mountains outside of Boulder Colorado, at the Shelby Ranch. It's there where we have a confrontation between the local police the FBI and L.A homicide policeman Jerry Beck, Don Johnson, on a Neo-Nazi concentration camp-like, minus inmates, headquarters.

Guning down a black convenience store manager, who survived, and an L.A cop Gary Kimbel, who didn't, has LAPD officer track down the killer by checking all the parolees in and around L.A. Looking for a Bobby Burns who fit the description of the killer LA detective Jerry Beck checks out this biker place only to find Bobby Burns younger brother John who's not very helpful in the murder investigation. With Jerry trying to get John to talk about his brothers whereabouts out of nowhere this guy jumps out of the window, Jerry runs him down it what seemed like the length of the Boston Marathon. Jerry after running down tackling and cuffing the fugitive seems to uncontrollably, like it wasn't in the script but a sudden bodily function on his part, vomits not once but twice all over the poor mans shirt. It also turned out to Jerry's embarrassment that the person Jimmy Ellis wasn't the guy, Bobby Burns, that he was after.

Jerry's on pins and needles with his marriage on the rocks and his estranged wife Karen not letting him see his two kids as well as him being told to have a psychiatric examination by an LAPD assigned shrink to see if he's fit for duty. Christmas night Jerry attends a policeman single's party and meets and spends the night at his pad with Linda who he later finds out to his surprise and shock was the wife, estranged but still married to, of Officer Gary Kimble who was shot just the day before! how much can one man take without going off his rocker!

It seemed that the person involved with the shootings in LA went west to Cottonwood Arizona and, together with his friends,shot up a bar robbing and killing everyone in it. That incident has Jerry put back on the case and sent to Arizona to help, the Cottonwood police, in finding the killers. With the help of the local Cottonwood sheriff Jerry tracks down the killers to this farm and after a violent shootout the trio get away. Checking the farm house Jerry finds that the three fugitives left behind a map and letters about a big Neo-Nazi meeting to be held at a place called the Shelby Ranch in Colorado where the three are headed for.

As you would expect nobody takes Jerry seriously since he's such a flake even though he has the evidence, the map and the letters, right in his hands. Even the local FBI man Arthur Kressler assigned to the murder case,since the murders crossed state lines,treats Jerry like he was a conspiracy nut, in him saying that the Neo-Nazis were planing to overthrow the US government,gone out of control.

It takes a kidnapping, by Bobby Burns, and almost murder of Jerry Beck to finally convinces the FBI that Jerry may be on to something. Together with Boulder Sheriff Dixon's men Jerry and FBI agent Kressler storm the Shelby Ranch. Jerry & Co. not only find out the truth about what the persons there lead by the "Right Reverend" Ghbhardt, the Neo-Nazi religious Fuhuer, were planing for the future of America! Even more important it's found out who was behind the LA and Cottonwood Arizona murders, in which Officer Kimble was a victim, and what were the real and sick reasons behind them.

Interesting but a bit complicated police thriller that mixes Neo-Nazis street thugs and a lot of emotional and mental instability, on both sides of the law, together in making a fairly good story. It was interesting to see a young William Forsythe as the FBI man Arthur Kressler being so goody two shoes, like a combination boy scout and altar boy, who became so upset with LAPD's Jerry Beck for as much as using off-color language to the point of almost coming to blows with him! In almost all of his movies after "Dead Bang" Forsythe, in films like "Stone Cold" and "Out for Justice", was anything but the stuck-up and self-righteous FBI agent Kressler that he played in the movie.

I missed this movie entirely during its original release but recently caught in on late night cable. Must say I was pleasantly surprised. The coolest thing about this movie was how it foreshadowed actual crime events that would happen later at places like Ruby Ridge and Mt. Carmel. And of course it was hilarious to see Johnson get to reprise his tough guy problem child Sonny Crocket type role. My favorite scene was when he enlists the straight-laced probation officer to serve in lieu of a warrant. Hilarious trick - made me wonder if that really works in real life. And the puking ruled. The one downer in this movie is that the gun fighting scenes were not produced well enough to convey the true sense of fear and danger, and the tactics employed made them look more like actors than gunfighters. This is usually the sign of a limited budget, which this movie probably had.

Dead Bang is some pretty good cop action starring Don Johnson. Don Johnson is a homicide detective that is on the case of a murdered police officer that is linked to machine gun weilding white supremacists. William Forsythe is cast in an unlikely role as an uptight,by the book FBI agent. Don Johnson is really good in this and has some memorable lines. The shootouts look good and the film is tightly directed and fast paced. Until more recently, I was unaware of this film's existence. Looking it up, it tanked at the box office. I'm not sure if it was due to poor promotion or if it got overshadowed by a blockbuster. Dead Bang is a more than decent watch and should please most fans of action and police movies in general.

As underrated actors go, Don Johnson must surely rank pretty high. However in saying that, if you peruse through his back catalogue of movies you will certainly find many a gem that has made the man what he is today.

For sheer emotion and heart rendering, just take a look at 'Ceasefire' and 'Paradise' for a romantic comedy look beyond the remake of 'Born Yesterday' and head straight to 'Sweethearts Dance' and without a doubt if you are looking for a thriller with a hard edge look no further than 'Dead Bang' Whilst watching it bear in mind 'Miami Vice' and consider the character of Jerry Beck to be the darker side of Sonny Crockett.

Looking like ten miles of rough road, Don Johnson essays the role of a world weary downtrodden Jerry Beck to the max. This is a man carrying the world on his shoulders, his private life has gone down the toilet and his job specification doesn't look any better.

As the movie begins, a black shopkeeper is gunned down, money from the cash register is taken and the killer movies on, the crime is reported, the criminal is approached by a passing patrol car, suspicions arise, the policeman is also gunned down.

Enter Detective Jerry Beck, into a terrain waiting to explode into a world of hurt and anger, a world covered in darkness run by a gang of white supremacists.

An absolute classic from start to finish, littered with some seriously good dialogue and acting. The two best scenes from the whole movie, consist of the infamous chase sequence between Beck and and a possible suspect, when Beck catches up with the runaway and then proceeds to throw up on him.....what absolute joy.

The other scene in question has to be the one where Beck's hierarchy decide to question his mental capabilities, so they decide to send him to see the local Psychiatrist, when Beck starts to laugh and lets it be known that he thinks the man looks like Woody Allen, what happens thereafter in the scene, just has to be witnessed.

Action Packed to the max, 'Dead Bang is Dead On! without hesitation this movie gets 10 out of 10

This movie in Oscar terms is pretty crappy but in every other measure it great!

DJ is super watchable as always.

The film has plenty of highlights to enjoy but if you are a bit of a movie snob then stay away from this one.

Memorable for DJ throwing up on a crim - so OTT :)

This movie plays like a typical good detective novel. Except for the hero every character is totally one dimensional and the well written story doesn't really deliver any big surprises. This being said, this film delivers decent acting, a compelling plot, and polished Hollywood production value. Frankenheimer definitely knows his way around the genre and he gets the most of Don Johnson's much-maligned acting chops by casting him in a role which perfectly suits Johnson's trademark 'maverick' cop character.

The stage curtains open ...

"I'd go through a door with you anytime."

Don Johnson, at the height of his fame as Miami Vice's Sonny Crockett, starred in his first real film (having done several others, but nothing like this), "Dead Bang", as a down-on-his-luck police detective who is tracking a killer. This was the film that propelled him to some other notable movie roles once Miami Vice finally aired it's last episode in 1990.

Johnson is Detective Jerry Beck, who is on the trail of a killer which takes him across state lines into some unfriendly territory, pitting him against white supremacists, and crooked cops. While he is trying to locate his man, he is also dealing with his ex-wife, and a widow of a slain police officer ... not to mention, his eye glasses were broken and need replaced or repaired. The action is tight leading to a suspenseful, tension filled, climactic conclusion.

This was a pretty good action movie. I liked Johnson in his role here, as he clearly invests himself into his character. There is a scene where he meets with the department psychiatrist that was noteworthy and memorable as well. One thing that I particularly appreciated about this movie, was seeing William Forsythe (normally reserved for scumbag, contemptible villain types) as the uptight, scrupulous, and anal FBI agent who is offended by off-color language - LOL.

This one gets a solid recommend from me at a strong 7 stars out of 10. It is pretty easy to guess who did it, so the final twist may not surprise you, but the story, acting, and development was very good with some great action sequences along the way. I have seen this more than a few times since its release, and I'm sure I'll be watching it again some time down the road.