Best Defense (1984)
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18% of users liked it
(5,544 ratings)
Dudley Moore and Eddie Murphy try but fail to bring this flat comedy to life, while the story itself is hampered by intercutting between the years of 1982 in Los Angeles (Moore) and 1984 in Kuwait (Murphy), with no explanation of how these two disparate people and locations are related. Wylie… More Dudley Moore and Eddie Murphy try but fail to bring this flat comedy to life, while the story itself is hampered by intercutting between the years of 1982 in Los Angeles (Moore) and 1984 in Kuwait (Murphy), with no explanation of how these two disparate people and locations are related. Wylie (Moore) is an inept engineer trying to perfect a gyro system for his employers who contract projects with the U.S. defense department. Wylie accidentally gets some blueprints for another type of gyro -- and his company successfully manufactures the part, much to almost everyone's benefit. Unfortunately, these plans are coveted by a certain ruthless industrial spy (David Rasche), and the FBI itself is suspicious about the origins of the blueprints in Wylie's hands. Meanwhile (and in constant interspersed segments), Landry (Murphy) is trying to get his tank to stay on course, but no matter what he does the machine swerves and lunges at random -- could there be a gyro at fault here? ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Directed By
- Willard Huyck
- Written By
- Gloria Katz, Willard Huyck
- Genres
- Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense, Comedy
R,
- In Theaters
- Jul 20, 1984 Wide
- Studio
- Paramount Home Video
Critic Reviews
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Vincent Canby, New York Times
It really isn't easy to make a movie as mind-bendingly bad as Best Defense. It takes hard work, a very great deal of money and people so talented that it matters when they fail with such utter lack of distinction.
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Trevor Johnston, Time Out
A dismally unfunny shambles.
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, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Try as they may, neither the cast nor the filmmakers can cover up the fact that this movie, like Moore's prototype, is a dud.
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Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
Aiming for the zaniness of Catch-22, this comedy misfires.
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Cast
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Dudley Moore
as Wylie
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Eddie Murphy
as Landry
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Kate Capshaw
as Laura
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Helen Shaver
as Claire
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George Dzundza
as Loparino
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David Rasche
as Jeff Spy
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Mark Arnott
as Brank
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Peter Michael Goetz
as Joyner
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Tom Noonan
as Holtzman
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Gabi Amrani
as Old Villager
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Gary Bayer
as Lubell
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Raye Birk
as Sonny
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Stephen Bradley
as Deputy Director
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Burton Collins
as Cameraman
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Paul Comi
as Chief Agent
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Ellen Crawford
as Sonya
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Rick Dees
as Himself
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Jake Dengel
as Doorman
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Gene Dynarski
as Gil
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Paul Eiding
as Tourist
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Deborah Fallender
as Toni
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Lorry Goldman
as Rupp
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Rozsika Halmos
as Seamstress
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Darryl Henriques
as Col. Zayas
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John Hostetter
as Quirk
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Jim Jansen
as Lieutenant
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Sanford Jensen
as 2nd Engineer
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Christopher Maher
as Sayyid
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William Marquez
as Padilla
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David Paymer
as Kurly
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Joel Polis
as 1st Agent
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Dennis Redfield
as Specs
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Eduardo Ricard
as Garcia Vega
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Ray Sharkey
as Radio Man
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Hugo L. Stanger
as Blevin
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Tyler Tyhurst
as American Captain
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Javier Grajeda
as Freddie Gomez
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Jerry Hyman
as Col. Kleinman
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Yulis Ruval
as French Singer
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Pamela Stonebrook
as Singer
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Renny Temple
as Coffee Machine Mover
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Gerald Jann
as Engineer
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Jennifer Wallace
as Waitress
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John A. Zee
as Col. McGuinn
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Matthew Laurance
as Ali
- Charles David Richards
