Best Seller (1987)
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60% of critics liked it
(10 reviews) -
46% of users liked it
(2,176 ratings)
Brian Dennehy plays a Wambaugh-type cop who has flourished as a novelist. At the moment, however, Dennehy is suffering from a profound case of writer's block. Coming to the rescue, as it were, is professional hit man James Woods. Recently dumped by his boss, above-suspicion business executive Paul… More Brian Dennehy plays a Wambaugh-type cop who has flourished as a novelist. At the moment, however, Dennehy is suffering from a profound case of writer's block. Coming to the rescue, as it were, is professional hit man James Woods. Recently dumped by his boss, above-suspicion business executive Paul Shenar, Woods is anxious to tell his life story to Dennehy, in hopes of striking it rich with a tell-all bestseller. Shenar, however, takes a dim view of Woods' indiscretions, and for a while it looks as though it's curtains for both Dennehy and his teenaged daughter Allison Balson. Screenwriter Larry Cohen has claimed that Best Seller was based on Strangers on a Train. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Rating, Runtime
- R, 1 hr. 52 min.
- Directed By
- John Flynn
- Genres
- Drama, Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense
- In Theaters
- Sep 25, 1987 Wide
- On DVD
- Jun 4, 2002
- Studio
- Vestron Video
Critic Reviews
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Chuck O'Leary, Fantastica Daily
A knockout. An intense, imaginative and exciting multilayered thriller. Woods and Dennehy are both outstanding. One of the unsung great movies of the 1980s.
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Clint Morris, Moviehole
One of the edgiest, most suspenseful thrillers of the 1980's....Woods is amazing
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Frank Ochieng, TheWorldJournal.com
This Best Seller is a fabulous read...slick, taut, and involving. Woods and Dennehy make for an unconventional crime-chasing pair.
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Scott Weinberg, Apollo Guide
The two leads make Best Seller easy to sit through, but the wandering script by Larry Cohen and the dreary pacing offered by director John Flynn sink what could have been a can't-miss b-movie hoot.
Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
Featured Audience Ratings
Cast
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James Woodsas Cleve -
Brian Dennehyas Detective Lieutenant Dennis Meechum -
Victoria Tennantas Roberta Gillian
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Allison Balsonas Holly Meechum -
Paul Shenaras David Madlock -
George Coeas Graham Madlock's Lawyer
