Doug Stanhope: Deadbeat Hero

Hugely offensive, yet with a point in support of liberation. Inspiring as it is funny, not to mention it's probably the most consistent, most well written and best performance from the man himself. The ending rant that begins with "give a man a fish and he will eat for a day..." is a particular hilarious and scathing view on the nanny society most of us find ourselves living in.

Stanhope's best work, perfectly demonstrating his unique comic rhythm and crass eloquence. Also, the black and white filming is brilliant. It and the angles give the film a bootleg/underground feel which meshes excellently with the anti-authoritarian feel. Production in stand-up specials can make a huge difference, but nothing is as important as the material. And here it's damn good.

Stanhope's drunken rants and raves are at his apex and some of the most eloquent and creative I've heard slur out of his loud fucking mouth.

One of the best.

This special is what I always thought he was capable of but hadn't seen yet. Now I have, and it was glorious.

I haven't seen all of Stanhope's output yet, but I don't even dare to dream that he could top this special. There are no surprises in his material - biting social commentary and black humor is his craft, and he does it with grace, steady flow and in a convincing manner. His mother appears in one of the stories for the first time. Her posthumous return in Beer Hall Putsch (2013) makes so much sense... 'The Fallen Heros' bit was a bit heavy, even for me.

Excellent, probably his best work.

Stanhope is at his most offensive here, gleefully laying into the police, parents (including his own mother), war, and anything else that takes his fancy, trying to push as many buttons as possible and not caring how many of his audience are with him. As such some of it gets a bit silly and we hear a few points he's raised before, making Deadbeat Hero probably the weakest of his DVD releases so far. Still good though, with hilarity in parts.

Funny and as dark as the inside of my bunghole. If Stanhope isn't drunk during this special, he deserves an Oscar.