Strong and Moving!

How sad is this?

Captivating movie !

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

It's not hard to see why Jim Van Bebber's grimy expose of gang related turmoil has become such a cherished cult favourite; The film delivers equal dosages of OTT violence, blood letting, action and some highly commendable amateur stunt work and this all wrapped up in a grim and nihilistic tale of retribution. Of course, many independent films comprise and follow similar themes; However, this one further raises the bar with its incredibly bleak depiction of sheer hopelessness as experienced by our protagonist and those around him. The scenes featuring our hero returning home to his father and his obvious shock and disgust at the mental deterioration experienced by said parent are surprisingly powerful - far more so than one would expect from a film of this ilk.Having said that, ultimately what really will stick with the viewer is the incredible ultra-violence on display; The finale especially is a suitably nasty affair and lets just say, the outcome pretty much negates the possibility of a direct sequel........Given what Bebber gave us here with this diamond in the rough, it's even more of a shame that he never fulfilled his obvious potential by moving on to bigger things......oh well, even if he were to only be remembered for this effort, it's a heck of a reputation.

If you liked playing Double Dragon on your Nintendo, you will love this movie! It's about the kind of blokes you'd have in the video game but now it's just about as psycho crazy and atmospheric as Abel Ferrara's Driller Killer. A street-brawler kid quits his gang to live with his girl, but off course it's not that easy to turn his back on the gang.. It's a very simple plot, but it has a certain style and intensity that make up for that lack of complexity. The style, to compare, is a bit between Driller Killer and Richard Kern's short films (The Hardcore Collection). A sometimes psychotic montage with lots of stylish and semi-shocking images and great action scenes with intense gore and a haunting musical score. Or maybe it was just really good weed. Who knows..

This is easily one of the most entertaining movies of all time. If you are sick. There is so much cheese, action, gore and just plain awesomeness here, I consider this a classic. Jim Van Bebber is the walking incarnation of Bruce Dickinson's voice. Must be seen to be believed. Let me count the ways: Awesome fighting in a graveyard. Jim Van Bebber yelling "YOU F*CKERS!!!!" at the city. Jim conking a dude over the head and stealing his chopper. Bonecrusher's monologue about killin. 10/10

Deadbeat At Dawn is one of the best movies I've ever seen. Its miniscule budget works in its favour, and the amateur acting, while unpolished, is mostly very convincing. The acting honours go to Mark Pitman as Bone Crusher; despite minimal screen time and dialogue, he's unforgettable. Writer/director/editor/make-up supervisor/stunt coordinator/star Jim Van Bebber does an excellent all-around job, abetted by Michael King's cinematography. The psychedelic kaleidoscopic transitions are a bit much, but otherwise this is an excellent movie.