- Actors: James Woods, Brian Dennehy, Victoria Tennant, Allison Balson, Paul Shenar
- Directors: John Flynn
- Writers: Larry Cohen
- Producers: Carter DeHaven, Derek Gibson, John Daly
- Classification: 18
- Run Time: 110 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B00008T2C1
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 28,245 in Video (See Top 100 in Video)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
John Flynn has directed some good, tough, pacy thrillers and Best Seller, along with the 1973 The Outfit, can claim to be the best of them. It kicks off with not one but two slam-bang action sequences and then, having grabbed our attention, pitches us straight into its twisty plot premise. Brian Dennehy, reliably watchable as ever, plays an ageing cop-turned-novelist who has hit a writer's block since his wife died. James Woods at his most suavely sinister is a hitman with dirt to dish on the head of a big corporation. Woods proposes a Faustian pact. He provides Dennehy with the full crooked story on the mobster-turned-corporate boss and the cop writes it up. Dennehy gets a best seller; Woods gets his revenge and comes out looking like a hero.
The dialogue, courtesy of screenwriter and horror-movie director Larry Cohen (It's Alive; Q--The Winged Serpent), is satisfyingly hard-boiled and slips in plenty of subversive sideswipes at rampant capitalism. ("It's the American Way, Dennis," says Woods, detailing how he helped his boss rise via robbery and murder. "I'm a businessman, an executive.") This certainly isn't the only movie to get mileage out of the symbiotic relationship between cop and crook (see Michael Mann's Heat), but it works several neat variations on the theme, with Dennehy and Woods both at the top of their respective forms. If the film never quite lives up to its potential--the required final confrontation between the two principals doesn't materialise and Victoria Tennant is thrown away as Dennehy's love-interest--it remains a way better than average thriller with its roots deep in the best B-movie traditions.
On the DVD: Best Seller on disc has no extras apart from the theatrical trailer. The transfer is good and clean, and preserves the original's full-width framing. --Philip Kemp
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I only bought this because it was cheap and I'm a huge James Woods fan, really I'd little idea what to expect but I wasn't disappointed.
The performances are solid and the two lead characters (Cleve and Dennis) are interesting and likeable. The film is about a criminal (Cleve-Woods) who wants revenge on his former employer by having all the employer's secrets released in a book, which he wants written by cop Dennis who once had fame for writing the non-fiction book about a robbery of which he was the only survivor.
Cleve wants the book to mostly be about him and at first comes across as a wicked, selfish character, whilst Dennis is pitiful and pathetic at times. Both characters grow and strengthen through the movie, Dennis is admirable through his strong desire to protect his daughter and Cleve is humourous and one has to sympathise with his desire to be liked despite his deeds.
The relationship between the two is excellently portrayed and I would reccomend this to people who like not just crime movies but general thrillers, the soundtrack is good for the age and the suspense is always there.
The performances are solid and the two lead characters (Cleve and Dennis) are interesting and likeable. The film is about a criminal (Cleve-Woods) who wants revenge on his former employer by having all the employer's secrets released in a book, which he wants written by cop Dennis who once had fame for writing the non-fiction book about a robbery of which he was the only survivor.
Cleve wants the book to mostly be about him and at first comes across as a wicked, selfish character, whilst Dennis is pitiful and pathetic at times. Both characters grow and strengthen through the movie, Dennis is admirable through his strong desire to protect his daughter and Cleve is humourous and one has to sympathise with his desire to be liked despite his deeds.
The relationship between the two is excellently portrayed and I would reccomend this to people who like not just crime movies but general thrillers, the soundtrack is good for the age and the suspense is always there.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I was watching t.v late one evening and was just about to pop of to bed when I heard a knock on the door.It was my two older brothers.Being a rowdy lot I knew I wouldn't get asleep for a good while so we all sat down in front of the t.v flicked on bbc1 and seen a film was going to start.This is one of the best movies to come out of the 80's gritty and hardhitting.It serves up tension and violence by the bucket load.Absolutely fantastic,watchout for the great ending.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
The best part of this film is how the script writers manage time and again to generate sympathy, empathy even like for James Woods character, only to dash moments later.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A hired assassin. A cop turned author. Together they're rewriting the...
(the film) James Woods is "at his cold-blooded best" and Brian Dennehy shines in "one of the very best roles he's ever had" in this "captivating and mesmerizing psychological... Read more
Published 12 days ago by S. F. husseiny
Cop/Killer; two sides of the same coin.
Best Seller is directed by John Flynn and written by Larry Cohen. It stars James Woods, Brian Dennehy and Victoria Tennant. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Spike Owen
Has lost nothing through the years
We used to have this on video but lost it somewhere over the years. Some movies appear dated after a while, but not this one, so well acted and with a good story.
Published 4 months ago by Mrs. J. Stark
Apt title
A excellent thriller. Both James Woods and Brian Dennehy are outstanding as professional hitman and cop turned author.
The hitman is eager to tell his side of the story. Read more
The hitman is eager to tell his side of the story. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Hemesh Alles
Good cast- dissapointing film!
Best Seller has a good beginning and overall an original plot, but I found certain scenes and lines to be very cliched. Read more
Published 10 months ago by j.r
DVD Review
Bought this for a friend who was very happy with the DVD and the quality.
Published 22 months ago by Anthony J
Great 1980's thriller
Nice wide screen copy, superb acting & a different slant on the normal buddy movies of the 1980's. Check it out worth seeing for the 2 lead performances alone.
Published on 13 Oct 2009 by Andy B
A Little Gem
This cracking little thriller features two of Hollywoods most underated actors. James Woods always the 2nd string to better known actors, and Brian Dennehy who is now an award... Read more
Published on 30 Oct 2006 by S J Buck
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