Best Seller (1987)

Haven't read the synopsis or heard anything about the film before watching it, thought it was going to be more in lieu of the buddy cop genre. Turns out I was very wrong, thematically the movie is a lot more like the American Psycho, but dressed with the genuinely 80s cinematography and score and if that's your thing, you'll love it. Not to reveal too much of the movie's gist I'll just say that the casting is f***ing spot on. Also, paralleling the American Psycho, James Woods' character and his cruel and vain antics come across almost comedy-worth funny in this otherwise intentionally serious and dramatic movie. Loved it. Another case of dumb IMDb rating drowning an otherwise great film.

Writer Larry Cohen concocts this interesting, entertaining movie that mainly hinges on the often antagonistic relationship between two strong personalities. Brian Dennehy stars as Dennis Meechum, a cop who also writes books based on true crime stories, who is approached by Cleve (James Woods), a professional hit-man for an unscrupulous businessman, David Madlock (Paul Shenar). The hit-man feels inadequately compensated for his years of service, and is now an incredibly disgruntled ex-employee, enough to approach the cop / author to propose writing a book that reveals all the ugly details of the businessman's rise to the top. Capably directed by action specialist John Flynn ("Rolling Thunder", "Lock Up", "Out for Justice"), "Best Seller" tells a pretty good story in slick enough fashion, with some effective moments of very nasty violence. It also has very strong subtext about portraying a dark side to capitalism and corporations, as well as Cleve's own very dark version of The American Dream. It's well paced, with some potent scenes that establish what kind of man Cleve is. Yet, for a man who most of the time comes off as pure scum, he has definite intelligence and a real presence, and in the end does have a redemptive quality; it's the kind of role meant for an actor of Woods's abilities, and he plays it for all it's worth. But Dennehy is equally his match as the dedicated cop both disgusted with and intrigued by his new associate. Appealing Allison Balson plays Dennis's daughter, although supporting players Shenar and Victoria Tennant ultimately end up with not that much to do, and Shenar's character is not what you'd call subtle. Other fine players in the movie include George Coe, Anne Pitoniak, Mary Carver, Sully Boyar, Kathleen Lloyd, and Charles Tyner, with a too brief, uncredited appearance by Seymour Cassel as one of the bodyguards. Reasonably engrossing, with an ending that at least isn't 100% predictable, although some viewers may not find it terribly satisfying. But the interplay between two experienced and reliable movie stars makes it all worthwhile. Seven out of 10.

This thriller is a better than average action film. "Best Seller" tells the story of Cleve (James Woods), an ex-hit man who decides to do the dirty on his old boss by telling his story to cop/author Dennis Meechum (Brian Dennehy).John Flynn's film is not a great deal better than average though, and it is only the entertaining action sequences that are really worth the wait. Dennehy and Woods are enjoyable, but unfortunately one never believes that killer Cleve is ever really genuine about anything, which was something that both John Flynn and James Woods tried hard to convey. Predictable ending leaves audience a little flat. Okay viewing.Thursday, February 20, 1992 - Video

This is a great movie. James Woods is brilliant as is Brian Dennehy and they work extremely well together. The plot is original. It moves quickly the one regret I have in regard to the movie is that it wasn't longer. The way Dennehy's character bonds with Wood's character despite the intense anger he feels towards him is very well done. What makes the movie great is the performance of both actors. It would be nice to see them in another project together. The supporting actors all do a great job as well. The late Paul Shenar was very good as Madlock. The pace of the film varies but I think that works well for it. Sadly the DVD version doesn't have any special features.