Wonderful character development!

Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Goose (Jim Van Bebber), leader of tough Ohio street gang The Ravens, has only just renounced his violent lifestyle when his girlfriend Christy is brutally killed by members of rival gang The Spiders. Goose vows to avenge her murder, but finds himself caught in a self-destructive spiral of hatred and despair that leads him to attempt suicide. However, just as he is about to blow his brains out, Goose is confronted by Keith (Ric Walker), the current leader of The Ravens, who wishes to recruit him for an armoured car heist; the only problem is that The Ravens have since joined forces with The Spiders and Goose isn't about to forgive and forget...Written, edited, directed by and starring Van Bebber, who also provides the film's stunts and make-up effects, Deadbeat at Dawn is a marvel of independent movie-making, one that belies its meagre budget by successfully pulling off several gruelling and very bloody set-pieces and quite a few dangerous looking action scenes, with the final 10 minutes or so going all out to shock with its brutal violence and a gruelling sense of nihilism. Where many an 80s horror/action flick ladled on the cheeze, Van Bebber goes for the full-on, gritty exploitation vibe and for the most part he succeeds, his film feeling suitably grubby and depressing throughout with vivid coloured lighting and retro kaleidoscopic scene transitions really adding to that authentic grind-house feel.While some of the acting is admittedly a bit wobbly (the guy who plays Goose's father wins my award for funniest performance of the film) and the fight scenes aren't always totally convincing, it's easy to forgive these shortcomings when considering the almost negligible budget and Van Bebber's relative inexperience behind the camera (he was only twenty four at the time of the film's release); what he has managed to do for minimal money is most impressive indeed and his enthusiasm for the project shines through on every grimy, filth-ridden frame, especially those where he is putting his life on the line for his art.

I wasn't really looking for this movie in the terms of it being a really good independent film. I was looking at a pal's list of movies and I noticed the word "Deadbeat". I don't know what it is but the word Deadbeat just works. So, I told him to make me a copy. He then tells me that it's a pretty sweet independent film with some serious violence. Wahoo! Deadbeat At Dawn is a very gritty picture that tells the tale of Goose and his story of vengeance on his ex-rival gang the Spiders. I could go deeper into the story-line of why he's seeking revenge but that's kinda ruining the story for you.I was pleasantly surprised with this one. At first I was kinda wary, but with the over-the-top acting and violence, I was easily swayed into enjoying it. The film more than anything is very gritty. Filthy feeling. And actually kind of feels like the movie Street Trash in this way. Going back to the acting, I was happy with how most of the characters were portrayed, and you should be too if you're even slightly into exploitation movies of the 70s and 80s. Oh, it was also pretty funny too.Deadbeat At Dawn was a pretty entertaining flick that delivered the goods in terms of a rough and tough gang flick mixed with 80s charm - our lead character is ace with ninja stars and nunchuks. Tie in an awesomely violent ending, you've got yourself 80 minutes of pure exploitation goodness.

This film is pretty good in its own right with a budget of probably less than $10,000. Jim Van Bebber should be commended for his work on this film, or should I say his 100% effort on this film, starring in it, writing it, directing it, stunts, makeup, and so forth. However, I would not consider the acting in this film great. Though the most rewarding scene for me was the concluding 10+ min fight sequence. Some of the stunts that were pulled off in that sequence looked much more dangerous than what you see in the multi-million dollar films, and Van Bebber probably did most if not all of them. 9 for the action, 3 for the acting gives you a 6/10 overall.

Inspired by the drive-in success of The Evil Dead, Deadbeat at Dawn is disturbingly effective film-making. It's violent, gritty, and has shock value that's second to none. Jim Van Bebber is a madman behind the camera. He controlled every aspect of this film: he wrote, edited, acted, choreographed stunts and fights, created make-up effects, and directed. In Deadbeat, Van Bebber stars as Goose (or Goose Lee as he's known to my friends and I), the leader of the Ravens and the greatest anti-hero ever. The leader of the rival gang, the Spiders, orders his best goons to attack Goose at home. Instead of finding Goose, they find his girlfriend...and beat her to death. Goose returns home after a hard day of drug dealing only to find his girlfriend's mangled body. That's when Goose goes ballistic. And you better bring along a strong stomach. It's a standard tale of revenge and redemption but there's something special about it. It taps into the raw and savage power of film. The action and violence are unbelievable, but there are breaks in between to let the viewer slow down and take a deep breath. In these breaks, there are hints at social commentary. One scene sums this up: Goose watching two children shoot each other with toy guns. It's so short and there's no dialogue but it certainly says a lot. There's an unspoken element there that's missing from most action movies. I honestly expected all of the reviews I read to dog the film. To my surprise, it was actually well-received. It seems as though everyone who has experienced Deadbeat appreciates the awkward feelings it inspires. Deadbeat at Dawn is truly an American independent action classic.Note: The Spider's outfits with the underwear on the outside were created as an homage to A Clockwork Orange.