Dead End City

My review was written in March 1989 after watching the movie on AIP video cassette.

Los Angeles' trouble with gang warfare takes on a sci-fi slang in "Dead End CIty", an okay direct-to-video actioner.

Greg Cummins plays a rugged individualist who decides to stay and fight to protect his family factory when the government orders an evacuation of the area. He teams up with various friends and an uppity tv newshen (beautiful Christine Lunde) to battle against he Ratts gang, led by burly Robert Zdar.

Predictably, the government (personified by police chief Dennis Cole) is behind everyone's problems, with a scheme to use gangs to level sections of the city as part of a warped urban renewal project.

Helme Peter Yuval handles the action well, Cummins is an effective hero defending his turf and Lunde provides visual appeal.

The start is promising, with a gang of violent bikers on a murderous rampage, but it soon deteriorates into a drawn-out showdown between the gang and the heroes: Jack and Brett, two trigger-happy mates who like to wear their jeans extra tight, their friend Nancy, and her brother Malcolm, who for good measure is blind.

So that we don't get bored (It doesn't work.), there's a couple of sub-plots thrown in. A government conspiracy, and a love story between Jack and an ostensibly hard-nosed reporter.

In the year 1988 it would seem that Action International Pictures grew weary of the Italian film industry monopolization of the Escape From New York meets The Warriors genre. Their response to this weariness was to birth Dead End City into the world.

Sadly, when the dust kicked up by Dead End City's furious entrance into our world was settled, all one could see was an audience that had grown tired of the Escape From New York meets The Warriors genre. Indeed, no amount of Robert Z'Dar's terrifying jaw could get people to embrace this film as they had the adventures of Trash and his Italian partners in crime.

It somewhat unfortunate that this film has not been seen by more people. For one should know that Americans are sometimes just as capable of making ludicrous entries into the Escape From New York meets The Warriors genre as the Italians were.

I have grown tired of typing Escape From New York meets The Warriors genre so it is here that I will conclude my review.

If you must see this film humans, do so with beer and friends on hand. It will amplify your enjoyment of it.

This is one hell of a fun Action packed survival siege thriller!!! Similar to Carpenters classic 1976 film Assault on precinct 13 as a small group of ordinary people are hiding out in & boarding up a big old factory, like carpenters team did the same but in an old police building, to keep out marauding street gangs & a government that wants to move everyone to a relocation zone. So i love that seige/survival aspect of this movie as i love the survive the night in single place style also used in Trespass (1992),From Dusk Till Dawn (1996),Enemy Territory (1987),Critters (1986),The Green Room (2015) & Prince of Darkness (1987) another Carpenter classic & probably lots more films use that scenario.

Yes there's plenty of cheesiness to go around with some ridiculous dialogue & stupid people but hey, it's all B-movie goodness from the video store days!!!

Dead End City is a great 80's b movie fun with suspense scenes & lots of shootout scenes & an over all exciting feel. Two good B-movie stars in the lead, we have in the leader of the good guys & factory owner Greg Cummins (a character actor given a rare lead part) as Jack Murphy, a cool blue collar character who owns his father's factory & won't be pushed out of his property by the gangs or government. He's basically a vigilante or Outlaw & is actually a well done b flick character. Also we have the evil boss of the Ratts gang played by B-movie great Robert Z'dar (Maniac Cop,1988) Who is a great 80's villain character actor!!! Another great part that stands out is the excellent pure 80's synthesized elecro musical score it's one of the best I've heard for a low budget flick like this!!! Our small band of fighters that decided to stay & ignore the government's relocation camps & stand up to the ruthless biker gangs that are destroying the town. There's some mystery as the story unfolds & we get some sinister Corporations stuff, a corrupted government & a cool apocalyptic-like setting. The look is done well for a low-budget flick, the destroyed urban look is there like the punks of the Death Wish films have taken over. I love this type of film, gritty, scrappy & trashy action violence that the 80's did beautifully. The Ratts gang are the main killers on the streets & they've taken over completely with all civilians of the town relocated to crappy shanty towns for refugees. Jack Murphy won't leave & that causes everything to reach boiling point for the Ratts Gang & the corrupted government. The local news send a reporter to check it out as Murphy has caused some waves as a local hero or vigilante. Christine Lunde plays Opal Brand, a sexy bra-less reporter that ends stranded at Murphy's work building (warehouse type place) & ends up liking Murphy in a cheesy romantic way. I dig the type of fun genre flick that Dead End City is & in its simplicity it's so much fun. You get exactly what the film was made for, explosive action-packed vigilante urban entertainment.

I can also see where the whole PURGE idea came from in this movie with it's urban renewal & corrupted government undertone at the heart of this story all about getting rid of the poor or "bad" people & destroying their homes & building again to exactly how the government wants it, yep it's all in this excellent Thriller so many layered bits it's not a typical mad max gangs take over style flick it's so much more & very relevant even more so today just like the recent Purge Franchise!!!

Dead End City is an excellent b-grade thriller & one of the best from the 80's vault of straight-to-video flicks,i know there's lots like this, but not many as well made or as layered as this!!!

This is an absolute Gem of a film ,it's very exciting & action packed & has one of the best 80's music scores in my opinion. What the film lacks in originality it makes up for in atmosphere. There's almost a Carpenter style atmosphere to film that makes it feel like there's danger around every corner or that explosive action is about to kick-off. There's loads of gun fire & lots of bullet ridden action scenes that yes are often cheesy but always enjoyable in a cheap & fun way.

This also makes for great late-night entertainment, definitely a fun little 80's DTV trashy action thriller.

DEAD END CITY is set in a time when lawlessness rules the streets. Gangs roam freely, wantonly killing and causing mayhem. Led by the monstrous Maximus (Robert Z'Dar), there seems to be no end to his gang's sadism! The police are useless, forcing civilians to either fend for themselves, or be assigned to "relocation camps".

It all ends up with a group of citizens under siege in a warehouse, led by a man named Jack Murphy (Greg Cummins). A nearly non-stop battle against a seemingly inexhaustible number of bikers ensues. Not-so shockingly, there's a big twist near the end.

It must be said that Maximus is a fantastic role for Mr. Z'Dar. His unique facial attributes are perfectly suited for this larger-than-life criminal. He also gets to spout far more dialogue than he usually does.

A decent effort with a little suspense in between the shootouts...