Deadbeat at Dawn (1988)

Deadbeat at Dawn does not at first seem like a movie from the 1980s.  Its guerilla filming techniques and grittiness seems straight out of '60s biker films and '70s exploitation.  It is the product of a man named Jim Van Bebber who spent four years making it, "borrowing" equipment from the local university that he dropped out of after one year.  It was made with regional talent, largely in Dayton, Ohio with a few scenes in Cincinnati.  Everyone - especially Van Bebber - did their own stunts, including fight scenes where it appears punches were not always faked.  In the end he created something flawed but unique and memorable.

Goose (Van Bebber) is the leader of a gang called the Ravens.  After a fight with rival gang leader Danny (Paul Harper) of the Spiders, Goose is badly injured and has to be nursed back to health by his girlfriend Christy (Megan Murphy).  Worried that at some point he will get killed she encourages Goose to quit his gang life and settle down with her.  He does, but it has consequences, as Danny has a score to settle with him, sending his lackies Bonecrusher (Marc Pitman) and Stubby (Bill Stover) to do the job.  When they find Christy at home alone they murder her instead.

Devastated, Goose temporarily moves back in with his father (Charlie Goetz) before going out on the streets.  At the point of committing suicide he is picked up by Keith (Ric Walker), one of his former associates who is now leader of the Ravens.  Keith has made an alliance with the Spiders in order to rob an armored truck and needs Goose to help make it successful.  Goose still wants revenge for Christy's death and is suspicious that the alliance is just a way for Danny to make a move on the Ravens' territory.

Like many independent productions the acting is all over the place, from outstanding manic performances by Charles Goetz and Marc Pitman to monotone line readings by Megan Murphy.  Van Bebber himself is not technically great, but he brings a realism to the role of Goose that traditional acting would have undermined.  He reacts in a realistic fashion to the tragedies in his life rather than predictable, scripted monologues.  This makes his breakdown after Christy's death feel that much more real.

The other thing that feels authentic in Deadbeat at Dawn is the violence.  It is obvious Van Bebber had at least a general knowledge of martial arts as he doesn't flail around like most actor/directors who decide to add that to their main character's resumé.  Unfortunately for the other actors he didn't seem to have the choreography down that most Asian directors would have in doing it, so people had to take punches.  This includes himself, at one point being dragged along a wall in vehicle driven by Paul Harper in the final fight scene, as well as repelling down the side of a parking garage and jumping 50 feet off a dam into a river.  The latter was one of many times he almost got killed doing the film, narrowly missing a concrete support and getting hypothermia - and an excellent shot - for his troubles.

Deadbeat at Dawn has major pacing problems as well as some jarring leaps in tone between scenes, but Jim Van Bebber's commitment toward making the movie he wanted to is never in question.  The gore effects - which are plenty - were done by him as well.  It helps that he began making silent films with an 8mm camera as a kid, learning how to do almost everything himself.  While watching I became increasingly curious about what was behind this because, especially when they mentioned an armored car robbery, I was wondering how it was going to come off with the low budget.  Turns out quite well, as it seems that permission (and permits) were not something that was going to hold him back.  He was even arrested at one point when the police pulled a car out of a river that had been used in chase scene and left behind.  It's a great example of a movie that is insane and memorable enough to overcome what would be major problems in most films.

Deadbeat at Dawn (1988)

Time: 80 minutes

Starring: Jim Van Bebber, Paul Harper, Megan Murphy, Ric Walker, Marc Pitman

Director: Jim Van Bebber