Dead-Bang

As cartoonish action movies go, DEAD-BANG is a solid example of Hollywood professionalism. Technically accomplished, well-directed, and well-constructed, the film zips along at an appropriately breathless clip. Though the plot entails a potentially explosive issue, the filmmakers have wisely elected not to take its social implications too seriously, concentrating instead on fulfilling genre expectations and creating a movie filled with thrills and goofy humor. Jerry Beck (Don Johnson), a homicide detective, finds his life in a shambles after his divorce. All he has going for him is his iron will to see the cases on which he works through to the end. When an African...