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.
