Customer Reviews

Deadbeat at Dawn (Special Edition)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The company that released Jim Van Bebber's low budget cult classic "Deadbeat at Dawn" had an amusing if slightly disturbing experience with this director. Several years ago, right after releasing the disc, you could go to Synapse Film's website and listen to one or two messages Van Bebber left on the company's answering machine. It was quite the experience. You could tell immediately that Van Bebber was less than happy about the DVD release. In a torrent of language best left omitted here, the director accused Synapse of messing up the picture quality during the transfer to disc. There were a few other problems Van Bebber had with the DVD that I don't remember now, but the whole thing allowed a rare glimpse into the sometimes tempestuous behavior of artistic types. And Jim Van Bebber is an artist if "Deadbeat at Dawn" is any indication. Made for under ten thousand dollars in the early 1980s, the movie is a massively entertaining action/crime film about two gangs fighting, robbing, and loving in the gritty back alleys of Dayton, Ohio. While the picture quality of the DVD might not reach Van Bebber's high standards-a claim I happen to disagree with, by the way-the disc is a worthy addition to any B movie fan's library.

Van Bebber not only directed the film, he starred in it as well. He plays Goose, the tough as nails leader of a gang named the Ravens locked in eternal struggle with the Spiders. A violent showdown towards the beginning of the film reveals in bloody detail how much enmity exists between the two groups. Goose challenges Danny (Paul Harper), the head goon of the Spiders, to hand to hand combat in a cemetery. As the other gang members look on, the two beat and slash each other before the police arrive to break up the fight. Later, at home with his girlfriend Christy (Megan Murphy), an argument erupts between the two about Goose's involvement in the gang. Christy wants a normal life of jobs, kids, and a house while Goose isn't willing to give up the lifestyle of a criminal. Eventually, love conquers the day as the Raven's leader agrees to change his life for the sake of his woman. He just needs to do one more deal so the pair will have enough cash to start their new lives and then he leaves the gang. Unfortunately, Danny isn't about to let Goose off so easily. He sends Bone Crusher (Marc Pitman) and another ruffian to Goose's apartment to rough up Christy and thus teach his nemesis a lesson.

Things rapidly go to far, as an action designed to intimidate turns into murder. Predictably, Goose arrives home, finds the body, and vows revenge against his enemies. He soon finds out that the Ravens aren't that interested in allowing Goose back in the gang. Aside from the fact that he left his comrades in the lurch, the new leader is working on an alliance with Danny. Only if Goose accepts the role as an underling will either gang have anything to do with him. This he does, but only so he can bide his time until the moment for revenge arrives. He doesn't need to wait long. Danny, a criminal with grandiose ideas, decides to use the two groups to rob an armored car. The crime goes off as planned, Danny gets his big bag of loot, and Goose exacts his revenge. He snatches the money right out from under the noses of the Ravens and Spiders and runs. Both groups now start searching for Goose, leading to a series of violent confrontations that culminate in the ultra bloody conclusion to the film. The last twenty or so minutes of "Deadbeat at Dawn" consists of one slam-bang scene after another, scenes guaranteed to warm the heart of the most fervent action film aficionados.

This summary leaves a lot out. I could mention the religious symbolism in the movie, or the film's unnerving and pervasive nihilism unfolding against the backdrop of a blighted urban environment populated by individuals with absolutely no hopes or dreams. The scenes between Goose and his father, perhaps more than any other, underscore the despair of life in the inner city. Christy and the love that she offers represent a flicker of light in this otherwise dismal picture. Her demise, and Goose's plans to avenge her, thereby allows him to transcend his wretched existence. Perhaps I am reading more into "Deadbeat at Dawn" than Bebber intended, but I don't think so. The last line of dialogue uttered by Goose is compelling evidence that the creator of this film intended his project to be more than a gory, shoot 'em up gang picture. Violence is central to the plot, however, so the viewer can sit back and enjoy watching the mayhem even as the message of the film slowly filters into the mind. Too, the acting goes a long way to realizing the vision Bebber intended. A few of the performances go over the top, especially Bone Crusher's misanthropic soliloquy on murder, but most of these amateur actors do a competent job. Yep, "Deadbeat at Dawn" is a worthwhile experience for the lover of low budget cinema.

The Synapse disc contains scads of extras, including a commentary with Van Bebber and producer Mike King, outtakes, a massively disturbing trailer for a film called "Chunkblower," and a short film entitled "My Sweet Satan." Starring a creepy looking Jim Van Bebber, this little picture is the story of a devil worshipper caught up in several unsavory activities. Expect to see some extremely disturbing gore in this short nightmare. The "Deadbeat at Dawn" DVD is a can't lose proposition. Add it to your list of must sees soon.

Low-budget gory action-flick greatness, starring the town of Dayton, Ohio as a hell from which there's no escape. Director Jim VanBebber stars as Goose, leader of a street gang called The Ravens, who war with a gang called the Spiders, led by a complete bastard named Danny. When Goose quits the Ravens, the Spiders kill his girlfriend, Goose hits the skids and goes about as low as a human can go... until a chance at vengeance and redemption brings him back, ready to go for broke. You can tell right from the giddy that this film is gonna be rough - the opening credits roll over scenes of Goose stitching up his own stab wounds. VanBebber took inspiration from the first Evil Dead movie and applied it to a kung-fu revenge formula by way of a street gang and came up with this, one of those movies that you sometimes put on "just to watch a minute or two" and end up watching the whole thing again, and again, and again. Dark, gritty, lowlife drama that's like no other, with martial arts and stuntwork that compare favorably to things seen in much bigger-budgeted films, lots of hardcore gore, unflinching nihilism, and some very inventive film-making. The extras are also nice - VanBebber's commentary is good (and I get the sense that they're making fun of the actor who played Bonecrusher by re-using some of his comments over and over - you'll see what I mean), My Sweet Satan (which is 16 minutes, not an hour) is an excellent short about the Ricky Kasso murder, and Chunkblower is, um, quite a trailer. Also includes a Skinny Puppy video if you play around and find the secret pentagram... ;) Definitely check this one out. I know VanBebber complained about the picture quality, but it's really not bad at all - I don't know what he was expecting, because this *was* filmed on the cheap... He might've been disappointed, but I wasn't.

This is what low budget, independent film making is all about. Want to see what can be done with a little money, a lot of guts (figuratively and literally) and chutzpah? This is the one for you. Goose decides to leave his gang for his girlfriend, but his rival kills her. On a drunken binge and suicidal, one of Goose's old gang buddies smacks him back into soberness for an armored truck heist to be pulled off with Goose's rival's gang as partners. Of course, it's a ruse, and Goose's gang is wiped out, leaving only him to fight the good fight and attempt to get the stolen loot to his dead girlfriend's sister. Very violent, very gory, very exciting. Sure it looks grainy, but the action's fierce, the dialogue is convincing, and everything just seems to click. Probably the best backyard Urban Action Flick there is, and well worth the money.

I watched this film with a bunch of stuntmen..everybody was freaking out...We all loved it. Since then I'd sought out and seen all of Jim's other films..loved them too..I really want to check out "Charlie's Family" Mr.VanBebber's latest.. I hope it comes out soon.

The last 15 or so minutes of this movie are 15 of the best minutes of fighting/violence ever. The violence is very realistic, and the use of the nunchucks is great. It is a well choreographed fight scene which has lots of VERY realistic gore and blood-shed. This is what a true fight to the death would look like, and it's not pretty!!! Recommended for fans of gore/trash/B Movies who can appreciate the down and dirty violence in this little known gem.

Deadbeat at Dawn has a lot going for it. As a filmmaker myself, it's hard not to notice things like stitled dialogue here and there or extremely low budget production values and editing that could perhaps be tightened up a bit in places; however, Van Bebber's directorial abilities and sheer raw talent manage to overcome all the film's shortcomings. This disc is especially a must for anyone who is tired of the Hollywood factory way of churning out product, and it's always great to see something produced by someone who really loves and understands genre material, such as Van Bebber obviously does.

Having said all that, I really dig the scenes where the character Goose (played by Van Bebber) rips out the throat of his gangland archrival with his bare hands or seeing the character dispose of his girlfriend's murdered body in a garbage dumpster. This is classic stuff.

I also want to quickly put in a plug for Van Bebber's latest, The Manson Family. For underground, low budget filmmaking it's an absolute masterpiece. I'll even go as far to say it's a materpiece, period. I'd really love to see what Van Bebber could do with a multi-million dollar budget. Do yourself a favor and check it out. Oh, yeah, it's also got tons of violence and nudity.

Another bonus feature of the Deadbeat at Dawn disc is Van Bebber's short film My Sweet Satan. This is hands down the best short film I have ever seen in my life. Its production values and acting are also quite a bit more polished than Deadbeat at Dawn, although a little rough in places. None of that matters, though, because the film has an undeniable power and gritty realism to it. Jim Van Bebber plays Ricky the Acid King who takes revenge in an extremely nasty way on the stoner kid who rips him off. This is definitely a must see, and the addition of this feature alone makes it well worth the price of the Deadbeat at Dawn disc.

Anyone who has ever worked in films knows how costly and difficult and so damn rare it is to end up with a good film after all the toil and sweat --let ALONE accomplish something worthwhile on a meager budget. And this is exactly why my hat is off to Mr. vanBebber. He has pulled off a tremendous feat here. Yes, the acting is far from great--but there is so much here that deserves our respect. It is easy to see how much hard work went into this film and, frankly, am amazed that Jim van Bebber was able to pull it off.

Give the man a decent budget--and see what he can do!
This is a far greater accomplishment than El Mariachi, in my humble opinion.

With such a meager budget, it was only natural for the film to seem royally tacky and cheap at times, but somehow Van Bebber was able to make the film effective in its own right. Basically 90 minutes of Van Bebber wandering aimlessly around the ghettos of Dayton, Ohio (I didn't even know such a place existed), the film really picks up once he rips off $100,000.00 from a particularly violent gang of redneck and trailer trash.

This film is the epitomy of the trashy backwoods midwest mixed well with the wrong side of the tracks in an urban nightmare. We have sleazy losers doing drugs and beating up their girlfriends, later philosophizing about their place in society while they stab and shoot each other.

Van Bebber really found his nitch with this film in the annals of White Trash filmmaking, and made it exciting enough with non-stop violence, gore, and chase scenes to get the blood going (literally). It's too bad his career never took off after this film, and as I've heard his rampant drug use played a major factor in that... plus he spent a long stay in prison recently for rather dubious reasons. Deadbeat really shows how multi-talented Van Bebber can be with his mind set to it; he acted, directed, did the fight chooreography, and the gore effects... which were pretty darn impressive.

Great movie. If only it wasn't an indie film and was released 15-0 years earlier it would be more popular for more people to enjoy. How sad it is being a kid growing up with great cult films that are hard to get.

The acting is bad, the script is embarrassing, the production values are practically non-existent, and I love this movie. There is just enough story to support the action, which is really the point of the movie. All of the action scenes are really incredible, helped along by razor-sharp editing and some pretty good gore effects. This is a great example of how a miniscule budget can actually help an action film. Hollywood could learn a thing or two from Deadbeat.