Film Review: Dead Bang (1989)

“How can I make my police action film different from multitudes of other police action films Hollywood churns out now?” That was the question asked by John Frankenhemeir while he was making 1989 film Dead Bang. The answer was to base script on the exploits of real life policeman – Los Angeles Sheriff’s Office detective Jerry Beck, who is credited at the author of the story. His fictional alter ego (played by Don Johnson) awaits Christmas in very bad mood, because his ex-wife bans him from visiting children while alimonies and unpaid bills make him broke. Things are even worse for one of Sheriff’s deputies who gets killed on the street while responding to violent robbery. Beck is determined to find the perpetrator and evidence points towards Robert “Bobby” Burns (played by Frank Military), young ex con who apparently embraced Nazism while serving prison sentence. Beck starts pursuing him in different parts of the country where he apparently enjoys support of far right white supremacist and their sympathisers within local population and even law enforcement. Those organisations are investigated by FBI, represented by Special Agent Arthur Kessler (played by William Forsythe) who is sceptical towards Beck’s ability to help his efforts and Beck is mostly forced to rely on himself in order to bring racist killer and his cohorts to justice.

John Frankenheimer, director with long and distingusihed career that included both action thriller classics and big failures, here tries to experiment with different styles which include use of dissolves that at times make Dead Bang look more like an art drama or MTV music video rather than standard action thriller. Don Johnson, on the other hand, tries very hard to make his policeman character look old and unpleasant; his intention was probably to make character as different from Crockett in Miami Vice as possible. Johnson succeded in it, mostly because Beck is much more financially challenged and therefore “unhip” and “uncool” compared with 1980s television icon. Script by Robert Foster also adds couple of interesting and potentially intriguing details, like protagonist’s alcohol-fuelled digestion problems which are put to use as intimidation tactics against unfriendly witnesses, as well as couple of interesting supporting characters. Bob Balaban is good as more sensible and by-the-book parole officer who reluctantly helps Beck; on the other hand, Michael Jeter is much weaker in the role of police psychotherapist who is made to look like Woody Allen and thus serve as the only source of joke in this otherwise humourless film. Another potentially interesting addition to script is romantic subplot involving slain deputy’s wife played by Penelope Ann Miller, but it is never developed, properly explained and gets abandoned half way through the film. Despite few good action scenes, Dead Bang becomes annoying and predictable and “surprise” minor twist at the end seals its impression of an experiment that ultimately failed.

RATING: 4/10 (+)

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