Dead Bang

On Christmas Eve in Los Angeles, a LASD sheriff is shot dead by an armed robber who had earlier robbed a convenience store and killed its owner. Alcoholic Detective Jerry Beck, known for his blunt approach, is tasked with leading the investigation. His relentless, uncompromising style foreshadows the tough road ahead.

Beck reviews police records and identifies Bobby Burns, recently paroled from a four-year sentence, as a prime suspect. He and a parole officer visit Burns' home, only to find Burns' college student brother John who claims he hasn’t seen Burns and is merely visiting for the holidays. The encounter raises questions about Burns' whereabouts and loyalties.

A man flees Burns' home and Beck pursues him on foot, catching him after a brisk chase. The suspect turns out to be one of Burns' friends who is also on parole for armed robbery. He reveals that Burns was last seen driving a maroon Ford Ranch Wagon toward Bakersfield.

In Cottonwood, Arizona, Burns and his cohort rob a Mexican bar and kill its patrons, escalating the threat Beck faces. A local police chief informs Beck of the crimes and urges him to head to Arizona. Beck heads out immediately to pursue Burns and the gang.

Beck and the Arizona officers approach a ranch believed to be Burns' hideout, but Burns and his men ambush them with automatic weapons and escape in the Ford. Beck retrieves a cache of documents Burns dropped, including white supremacist propaganda, maps, and an address book. The material confirms Burns' ties to a wider extremist network.

Beck travels to Bogan, Oklahoma, to track Reverend Gebhardt, the leader of Aryan Nations, using a lead from the documents. FBI Agent Kressler joins the pursuit, and they confront Gebhardt at his church, where he denies having seen Burns and reveals the group's uglier mission. The team realizes Burns may be hiding in the area.

That night Burns, who has been casing Gebhardt's church, suddenly strikes and holds Beck at gunpoint as they drive. Beck crashes his car into an oncoming police vehicle to escape, and a gunfight erupts. Beck uses a matchbook to ignite a car's leaking gas, causing an explosion that allows Burns and his men to flee.

Back in Los Angeles, Beck's superiors express frustration over his performance and recommend psychiatric evaluation. After a tense session, Beck bullies the psychiatrist into approving him to return to duty, insisting he is fit for service. He resumes fieldwork with a grim determination.

In Boulder, Colorado, Captain Dixon assigns him a team of Black officers to help track Burns. Beck teams with FBI Agent Kressler, and they head toward a large Aryan Nations training camp. The collaboration strains relations but broadens the search.

Beck and Kressler locate a concealed door to a bunker beneath the camp and engage Burns in a final gunfight. Beck fatally wounds Burns as he lies dying; Burns denies killing the Los Angeles cop. John unexpectedly emerges, admitting he shot the officer to prove his loyalty to white supremacy.

At a press conference, Captain Dixon announces that the FBI will revise its stance on white supremacist groups, crediting Kressler with the critical evidence. The investigation closes on a note of uneasy resolve as Dixon and Beck acknowledge their unlikely partnership.