Best Seller

Directed by John Flynn, Best Seller follows cop/novelist Dennis Meechum (Brian Dennehy) as he reluctantly agrees to write about a hitman’s (James Woods’ Cleve) career. It’s a thoroughly compelling and intriguing premise that’s employed to watchable (albeit overly lackadaisical) effect by Flynn, as the filmmaker, armed with a script by Larry Cohen, delivers a deliberately-paced endeavor that benefits from its assortment of agreeable attributes and elements – including a pair of terrific central performances and a smattering of admittedly electrifying sequences. (There is, in terms of the latter, an absolutely enthralling interlude wherein Dennehy’s grizzled figure gets rough with two men within a crowded police station.) And while the picture’s midsection is a little flabbier and more repetitive than one might’ve liked, with the emphasis generally placed on Dennis’ recurring efforts at confirming Cleve’s exploits, Best Seller builds towards a fantastic climax, in which Cleve methodically executes a houseful of hired goons, that ensures the whole thing ends on a thoroughly satisfying note – with the end result a decent little thriller that contains more than enough pleasures to warrant a recommendation.

*** out of ****