Poll

What is your favourite film?

Haven't seen any.
Don't like any
The Sargeant (1968)
The Jerusalem File (1972)
The Outfit (1973)
Rolling Thunder (1977)
Defiance (1980)
Touched (1983)
Best Seller (1987)
Lock Up (1989)
Out For Justice (1991)
Brainscan (1994)
Protection (2001)

Author Topic: Flynn, John  (Read 1352 times)

1SO

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Re: Flynn, John
« Reply #10 on: April 05, 2016, 06:52:56 PM »
1SO remains silent.
« Last Edit: April 05, 2016, 06:54:57 PM by 1SO »

DarkeningHumour

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Re: Flynn, John
« Reply #11 on: April 05, 2016, 08:30:38 PM »
Steven Seagal movies are so bad...
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1SO

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Re: Flynn, John
« Reply #12 on: April 05, 2016, 11:31:00 PM »
1. Best Seller
2. Rolling Thunder
3. The Outfit
4. Lock Up

5. Out For Justice
« Last Edit: November 15, 2017, 08:01:30 PM by 1SO »

verbALs

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Re: Flynn, John
« Reply #13 on: April 06, 2016, 07:02:47 AM »

Best Seller (1987)

Here's something you probably didn't know about me. Back in 1987, my 2 favorite actors were James Woods and Brian Dennehy. You rarely hear Dennehy's name anymore but he's won a Golden Globe, two Tony Awards and has six Emmy Nominations. He first won my respect with First Blood and was a staple of 80s cinema on both the big and small screen. Most people know James Woods, but outside of Videodrome few have experienced the extreme nervous intensity of his earlier work. Best Seller was a slick piece of entertainment built around my deadly duo. How could I not like it?

Well, this doesn't hold up, but it doesn't fall terribly far either. The plot is rather unique. Woods plays a hit man who approaches a cop turned author (Dennehy) to pen his true crime autobiography. Woods worked for a fast rising businessman, "removing the liabilities." It's fun, though more than a little loopy. Director John Flynn moves uncertainly between playing into the goofiness and going for straight thrills. He succeeds a little at both The two leads do better being serious, giving each scene a continuing amount of dramatic intensity. The less experienced supporting cast are more on the goofy side.   

Best Seller reminded me a lot of Noir, with good and bad guys meeting in that grey area in between. There's also a lot of Western, with uneasy allies who would just as likely draw on each other if they weren't constantly facing down an army of less experienced killers. I could easily see this as a 50s film starring Glenn Ford and Kirk Douglas. Cut through the thick wrap of 80s cheese - unwanted one-liners, synth score - there's a lot here that's refreshingly unpredictable, and I can recommend it for that as well as seeing two actors who rarely got a chance to be so commanding.
RATING: * * * - Very Good

Really want to see it again. I agree Denehy was not used as well as he could have been. He makes a good alien in Cocoon. Woods highlights are Salvador and his role in the Leone even if the movie doesn't quite hit centre. I also like Cop, an Ellroy adaptation. Woods is required to be dangerously unhinged which is playing his tune. Oh yeah and the MJ Fox movie! It's a good double act.
« Last Edit: April 06, 2016, 07:17:29 AM by verbALs »
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verbALs

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Re: Flynn, John
« Reply #14 on: June 12, 2016, 06:19:47 AM »
Best Seller

This reveals itself as a Larry Cohen movie more than a John Flynn flick; by spending an hour delving into the whacked out mind of James Woods' sicko psycho hitman, before it remembers to return to being an 80s action movie. So this is sleazy in unique ways, because the writer within the film allows the writer of the script to delve into an extremely perverse mind. James Woods visibly salivates over the role. He's proud of his professionalism as a killer and quite hurt that Dennehy's writer can't get past small details, like watching him kill friends of his, to come to respect his work ethic. Woods expresses disdain for the quality of his old boss' replacement killers. So he establishes his own morality, the hero of his own story; whilst jauntily executing despicable acts. Basically, James Woods' ideal role.

Its really quite gobsmackingly twisted, but the writer and the star are having such tremendous fun. At the moment when the joy they are taking started to engage me, I felt like I was slipping into the mire with them. Yucky pleasure.
I used to encourage everyone I knew to make art; I don't do that so much anymore. - Banksy

 

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