Dead Bang

Dead Bang casts Don Johnson as Jerry Beck, a grizzled detective whose investigation into a convenience-store shooting eventually leads to a conspiracy involving neo-Nazis. It’s clear immediately that Dead Bang, written by Robert Foster and directed by John Frankenheimer, isn’t looking to reinvent the wheel in terms of its narrative, as the film possesses virtually all of the elements that one has come to expect from stories of this ilk – including the cop who plays by his own rules and the mismatched, straight-laced partner forced to contend with said cop’s loose-cannon antics. Frankenheimer’s matter-of-fact approach to the material paves the way from long stretches of sedate inactivity, as Johnson’s character is forced to contend with, for example, an ongoing custody battle with his ex-wife and a possible romance with Penelope Ann Miller’s Linda. It’s clear, then, that Dead Bang benefits substantially from the periodic inclusion of better-than-expected action sequences, with such moments going a long way towards infusing the proceedings with bursts of electricity and excitement. (This is especially true of a thrilling foot chase within the movie’s otherwise slow first half.) And although the film does improve as it emphasizes Beck’s neo-Nazi investigation, Dead Bang‘s relentlessly erratic atmosphere (eg Beck visits and threatens a psychiatrist) wreaks havoc on its momentum and ensures that the action-packed third act doesn’t quite pack the punch one might’ve expected – which confirms its place as a watchable yet completely forgettable late-’80s thriller.

**1/2 out of ****