Best Seller - Character Counts

Oct

4

Best Seller - Character Counts

≡ Category: Action, Comedy, Highly Recommended, Movie Reviews By Country, Suspense, United States |
≅ Written by: Michael Kydonieus

Country: United States
Genre: Action/ Comedy/ Suspense
Director: John Flynn
Year: 1987

Rating:

TRASH CINEMA HIGHLY RECOMMENDED MOVIE

I dunno. Maybe when it came out, Best Seller registered as an action movie. Really, it’s more of a comic suspense thriller.

Cleve (a razor-sharp James Woods) is pissed. After doing the dirty work to set up David Madlock (Paul Shenar) in business, which includes robbery and murder, Cleve wants a seat at the table, to be taken seriously. Instead, he’s fired. Cleve wants revenge and it won’t do to simply kill Madlock. Cleve wants to ruin him. Simply revealing Madlock’s crimes won’t work — he can buy himself out of any trouble. There’s only one way. Somehow, Cleve must convince Dennis Meechum (Brian Dennehy, looking old, tired, and grumpy), a cop turned bestselling author, to write the story of how Madlock built his business empire, without arresting Cleve first.

Yes, there’s mayhem along the way, but the real story is about how Cleve and Dennis’ friendship develops as Dennis researches the story with Cleve’s help.

Best Seller benefits greatly from a crackerjack script by Larry Cohen, filled with sly humor. Cleve is a wonderful character and James Woods plays him to the hilt. Cleve is self aware and at the same time deluded — like most people, he thinks of himself as the hero in his own story. Dennis has every reason to loathe Cleve, but he starts to like him in spite of himself.

Madlock is another wonderful character, the ultimate corporate smoothy. Sadly, Paul Shenar, who specialized in these kinds of roles, died only two years later.

The production values are slick but routine for a late 80s production, but that won’t get in the way of your enjoyment much. Director John Flynn wisely let’s Larry Cohen’s script call the shots, and with these actors, he can’t lose.