Skip to content
HOLLYWOOD METRICS
HomeAboutCraftNewsAnalyticsScriptsBooksPricingAPIMCP
Catalog/Action/Best Seller
Best Seller poster
A
Excellent
MASTER SCORE 71.0 / 100
1987·Action / Crime / Drama·1h 35m

BEST SELLER

“Writing A Book Is Easy. Writing A Best Seller Is Murder.”

Hit man Cleve approaches writer/cop Dennis about a story for his next book: How Cleve made a living, working for one of the most powerful politicians in the country. To get the story right, they travel around the country to gather statements and evidence, while strong forces use any means they can to keep the story untold.

Above the Line
John Flynn·DirectorLarry Cohen·WriterFred Murphy·Director of PhotographyJay Ferguson·Original Music ComposerDavid Rosenbloom·Editor
Cast
James Woods·CleveBrian Dennehy·Dennis MeechumVictoria Tennant·Roberta GillianAllison Balson·Holly MeechumPaul Shenar·David MadlockGeorge Coe·GrahamAnne Pitoniak·Mrs. FosterMary Carver·Cleve's motherKathleen Lloyd·AnnieSully Boyar·Monks
Full Crew
(26 credits)
Directing· 2
John Flynn·DirectorMarilyn Bailey·Script Supervisor
Writing· 1
Larry Cohen·Writer
Camera· 3
Fred Murphy·Director of PhotographyLorey Sebastian·Still PhotographerChristopher Tufty·Camera Operator
Editing· 1
David Rosenbloom·Editor
Sound & Music· 8
Jay Ferguson·Original Music ComposerBudd Carr·Music SupervisorAllan K. Rosen·Music EditorRick Kline·Sound Re-Recording MixerDonald O. Mitchell·Sound Re-Recording MixerKevin O'Connell·Sound Re-Recording MixerBill Phillips·Supervising Sound EditorLee Alexander·Production Sound Mixer
Art & Design· 3
Gene Rudolf·Production DesignRobert Howland·Art DirectionChris Butler·Set Decoration
Production· 5
John Daly·Executive ProducerDerek Gibson·Executive ProducerCarter DeHaven·ProducerDiane Dimeo·CastingMichael McLean·Casting
Other Departments· 3
Conrad E. Palmisano·StuntsSteven Lambert·Stunt CoordinatorFritz Braden·Transportation Coordinator
By the Numbers
71.0
OF 100
Master Score
6.4
OF 10
IMDb
73%
CRITICS
Rotten Tomatoes
$4M
Worldwide Gross
0
Oscar Wins
Where to Watch

THE AVAILABILITY MAP

The canonical record of where this film lives across the streaming map.

Provider Index In Progress

Streaming, rental, and purchase availability for this title is being ingested from the TMDB watch-providers feed and will appear here once the next catalog refresh runs. Until then, the canonical source links below remain the fastest route.

Find on TMDB
Poster DNA

THE VISUAL DECONSTRUCTION

A bespoke vision agent's reading of the design language behind Best Seller's key art.

Dominant Palette
3 colors
#262626
#737373
#A6A6A6
Mood
Tense, Serious, Mysterious
Composition
Layered
Era
1980s
Visual Style
Photographic

“A black and white movie poster features two men. One man, wearing sunglasses and a suit, stands behind and slightly to the left of the other man, who is seated ”

crimethriller
Key Elements
HandgunBookSunglasses
Atmosphere
Dark, Gritty
Color Mood
Neutral
Setting
Indoor
Design Score
7/10
More Like This

THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Neighboring films in the catalog's similarity graph.

Keep Going

THREE WAYS DEEPER

Auteur
AUT
MORE BY JOHN FLYNN

Every catalog entry where John Flynn is credited as director.

Open
Family
GEN
MORE ACTION

Top-ranked films inside action, sorted by master score.

Open
Era
DEC
MORE FROM THE 1980S

The best films of the 1980s, ranked across every available metric.

Open
View on IMDbView on TMDBCatalog
HOLLYWOOD METRICS

The definitive mathematical oracle for cinematic success and creative script intelligence.

74,000+ Films100 Years1.1M+ Reviews
PRODUCT
  • Dashboard
  • Pricing
  • Script Analysis
  • Watch the Demo
  • The Red List
  • News
  • Analytics
  • API
  • MCP Connector
COMPANY
  • About
  • Track Record
  • Trust & Script Privacy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
CONNECT
  • ▶YouTube
  • ◉Instagram
  • ♪TikTok
  • @Threads
  • fFacebook
Get Started Free →
© 2026 Hollywood Metrics. All rights reserved.Powered by bespoke agents and autonomous agentic workflows