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 have seen a lot of movies, there is no question there. But once in a while a movie jumps out at me so bad ass, so cool, and so different than anything I've seen in a while, that I need to tell the world. This film my friends is Deadbeat at Dawn.Imagine the revenge elements of Death Wish, the slum scenery of Street Trash, and the gang battles of The Warriors all pent up in one angry themed film. That's the best way I can describe this film's feel in a nutshell.Goose, who is played by the films director Jim Van Bebber, is a relatively nice guy caught up as a leader in a street gang called The Ravens. They do not get along with their rivals The Spiders and the bloodshed between the two is constant.After realizing that he may end up getting killed and leaving his girl high and dry, Goose decides to quit The Ravens and join the working world to start building a better life. But now that he is not connected, The Spiders seize the day and get revenge on Goose starting a hell storm of revenge that ends up becoming one of the coolest paybacks you will ever see in cinematic history.When I first saw a clip of this movie, I was reading reviews on IMDb before I purchased Deadbeat at Dawn. A review stated, "If you liked playing Double Dragon on your Nintendo, you will love this movie!" I saw some clips online and understood what the reviewer was saying. The last twenty minutes of this movie will make you feel like your playing a kick ass video game from the eighties.Van Bebber actually has some fighting skills and is pretty awesome with the nun chucks. He beats a ton of gang members up.The worst thing about Deadbeat at Dawn is that not enough people are aware of this low budget masterpiece. This is a grind house film; not some over produced multimillion dollar budgeted film with a filter over it. This is the real deal Holyfield.The film is all around dirty and gritty, it carries a no holds barred "I'm making a brutal movie" approach throughout, and leaves the viewer in awe.

Gritty, Gory, Awesome. Jim Van Bebber showcases some exceptional raw talent in this frenetic, visually unique no-budget action film. He deserved instant recognition and an opportunity to develop his skills with larger budget films. He should have made ten more features. Unfortunately, the film industry rarely recognizes the significance of micro-budget films. This movie has a hundred times the production value that would be expected from a film of its ilk.Van Bebber had the table next to mine at Cinema Wasteland in October 2010. His behavior was so off-putting that I didn't even bother to speak to him for fear I would be yelled at. If I had previously seen "Deadbeat at Dawn," I would've been a huge fan and I would have been excited to meet him and talk with him.I am aware of his reputation and most people attribute his inability to establish himself as a force in the independent film industry to his bad boy antics. But there are plenty of nut-cases making movies. Quentin Tarantino is an excellent filmmaker but is also known to be eccentric and a bit of a boozer. He should use his connections and butt-loads of money to give Van Bebber a chance to make a movie with a budget.

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.