Los Angeles homicide detective Jerry Beck searches for the murderer who killed a police officer on Christmas Eve. The investigation takes Beck inside the violent world of hate groups and white supremacists, who are hatching a deadly plot to attack even more innocent people. Beck must also confront his own personal demons, including his growing problem with alcohol, if he wants to track down and stop the violent neo-Nazis before it is too late.
Direction
Frankenheimer's final theatrical film—taut, unsparing, precise
Acting
Don Johnson commits to sweaty desperation
Cinematography
Bleached LA noir and frozen Colorado dread
Director
John Frankenheimer
Don Johnson
Jerry Beck
Penelope Ann Miller
Linda Kimble
William Forsythe
Arthur Kressler
Bob Balaban
Elliott Webley
Frank Military
Bobby Burns
Tate Donovan
John Burns
Mickey Jones
Sleepy
Stephen E. Miller
Bogan - Oklahoma Officer
William Traylor
Elton Tremmel
Hy Anzell
Captain Waxman
Michael Jeter
Dr. Krantz
Tim Reid
Chief Dixon
James B. Douglas
Agent Gilroy
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Frankenheimer replaced the original director mid-production and rewrote significant portions, explaining the tonal whiplash between LA neo-noir and Colorado action finale.
Released months before the 1989 neo-Nazi murder of Mulugeta Seraw in Portland, giving its hate-group plot accidental documentary urgency that studios tried to downplay.
US
