Dead Bang is a 1989 action neo-noir film directed by John Frankenheimer and starring Don Johnson, Penelope Ann Miller, William Forsythe, and Tim Reid. It was loosely based off the life of real LASD homicide detective Jerry Beck.
After a Los Angeles Sheriff's Department officer is murdered, alcoholic, roguish Detective Jerry Beck (Johnson) is placed in charge of the investigation. Beck soon finds that his primary suspect, Bobby Burns (Frank Military), is the head of a Neo-Nazi militia. Beck finds himself having to contend with Burns' wide network of allies, as well as obstructive higher-ups.
Dead Bang contains examples of:
- The Alcoholic: Beck is an alcoholic who is almost constantly hungover on duty and drunk off.
- Anti-Hero: Beck is a ruthless, brutal reprobate who doesn't really care about who he hurts in order to get his man. He's mostly sympathetic because his enemies are unrepentant Neo-Nazis.
- An Ass-Kicking Christmas: The movie begins on Christmas Eve.
- Bald of Evil: Ray, Burns' Dragon, is a gleefully sadistic white supremacist without a spot of hair on his head.
- Beard of Evil: Burns sports a greasy, natty beard.
- Big Bad: Bobby Burns, the crazed leader of a small white supremacist militia.
- Bigot with a Badge: Elton Tremmel is a gleefully racist police chief who keeps up a sign proclaiming his town is a sundown town in his station. However, he is not affiliated with the Neo-Nazis, just an asshole.
- By-the-Book Cop: FBI Agent Arthur Kressler is by the book to the point of incompetence. He spends most of the film unnecessarily feuding with Beck instead of doing his job because he takes offense to Beck's foul language and unprofessional demeanor..
- Chekhov's Gunman: It's revealed Bobby isn't actually guilty of murdering the cop. The real culprit was his younger brother John, who only appeared briefly at the beginning of the film.
- Cop Killer: The plot kicks off when a Neo-Nazi murders LASD Sgt. Gary Kimble.
- Cowboy Cop: Beck is a deconstruction. As is common for the archetype, especially during the 80s, he's a divorced maverick cop who doesn't play by the rules and is an alcoholic. However, the film plays him as an utter wreck of a man and gives some realistic consequences. When he has a one-night stand, rather than paint him as a cool womanizer, he deeply regrets it in the morning and is very awkward. When he chases down a suspect while hungover, he ends up vomiting on the man.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: After spending the entire film being an Obstructive Bureaucrat, Kressler guns down one of Burns' men during the climax to save Dixon.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Beck is forced to undergo psych evaluation. His psychologist, Dr. Krantz, decides to have him suspended purely because Beck thinks he looks like Woody Allen, something he forced Beck to admit. An enraged Beck threatens him into backing off.
- The Mole: Defied. Beck tells Chief Dixon that he's worried there could be a mole for the Neo-Nazis among his men. Dixon reassures him this is impossible and reveals they're all black.
- Not Me This Time: Burns is guilty of countless murders, but after being mortally wounded, he reveals he wasn't Sgt. Kimble's murderer. Shortly after, his brother John reveals he was the killer in a bid to impress his older brother.
- Obstructive Bureaucrat:
- Kressler spends the whole investigation berating Beck for things like his "use of unprofessional language" rather than contributing. He even wastes valuable time by forcing Beck to take a psych evaluation in the middle of the manhunt for Burns. He also ruins the element of surprise twice in a row in the same (climactic) raid by shouting the typical "this is the police, surrender!" warnings to the crooks on his bullhorn.
- Elliott Webley, Burns' parole officer, refuses to meet with Beck because it's Christmas Eve when he's handling a time sensitive case. As payback, Beck kidnaps him so he can illegally search the Burns family house.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: Burns and his allies are all gleeful white supremacists. Burns and his gang are the most vicious, going out of their way to kill minorities For the Evulz.
- The Shrink: Dr. Krantz is of the harmful kind. He tries to have Beck suspended simply for saying that Krantz looks like Woody Allen.
- Sinister Minister: Reverend Gebhardt is the head of a Christian Neo-Nazi group who wants to make America "white and pure."
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Beck engages in a spectacular foot chase with a suspect across the streets of Los Angeles. When he finally catches the man, Beck - a hungover alcoholic - promptly vomits on the suspect.
- Title Drop: John declares in the climax while bragging about having been the one to murder Sgt. Gary Kimble:John: I had him dead bang!