This Frankenheimer film is beautifully done. Jerry Beck is a troubled cop whose journey across states after a neo-Nazi killer also becomes a personal journey of self-discovery. The cast, headed by Don Johnson, is wonderfully played by all and even includes Evans Evans, John Frankenheimer's wife and widow, in a chilling performance. (Yes,you read right, her name is really Evans Evans and she was married to JF for 39 years as well as being a terrific character actress mainly through the 1960s and 1970s.) There are many other cast surprises in what is a surprisingly grippingly tense and efficient thriller. This is a great Frankenheimer film, right up there with his best. I cannot speak too highly about Don Johnson and the Nazi villain of the piece. They give this film both tension and comic relief in what are beautifully measured performances. This is an 80s classic by one of cinema's great directors.

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"

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

Don Johnson plays real life police detective Jerry Beck who's hot a the trail of a white supremacist group that's leaving behind them a bloody trail.This a fast paced, gritty and exciting police thriller that's criminally underrated. It may be a bit clichéd at times, but Frankenheimer keeps things moving along nicely.Don Johnson is excellent as Beck, also a very underrated actor in my opinion. His tough guy attitude is never taken to extreme and his confrontations with straight arrow FBI agent Forsyth are well played out. Supporting cast does well also. It's well written, with some genuine laughs along the way (the Woody Allen bit is hilarious and the vomit scene also) and has enough action sequences to keep it from ever slowing down too much.Fans of action-suspense thrillers should definitely check this one out.