Best Seller

Synopsis: 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.
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama
Director(s): John Flynn
Production: Vestron Video
  2 nominations.
 
IMDB:
6.5
Rotten Tomatoes:
71%
R
Year:
1987
95 min
360 Views


Hey, you can't put that up there.

Did you hear what I said?

That's what they saw when

they went after him - a good watch.

- Is that blood on it?

- Yeah. They stabbed him 14 times.

Do not move. Come outside.

Put your hands on the gate.

- Where's the other guy?

- Rothman?

- What now?

- Get your sweet Iittle ass out here.

Come outside.

Put your hands on the gate.

We're going to locker number 84.

You, you're helping him.

Stop.

Put it down.

Back to the wall.

Tell me, where do you get

all your good information?

From Rothman.

- I don't know anything about it.

- Sure you do, Fred.

- Take me with you.

- Go ahead, get in the truck.

Oh, Fred, take this with you, will ya?

- I can't breathe!

- Your friend isn't fit for duty.

You don't look so good yourself.

You got balls of steel, my friend.

All units respond. 2-11, police

depository building, 114 South Spring St.

Four male suspects,

no description available.

Officer down. Repeat, officer down.

Dispatch, this is unit 12.

We're in vicinity...

..less than an hour ago,

in a daring Sunday-morning raid

on the police evidence depository

building in downtown Los Angeles.

iThree officers are reported dead.

A fourth, Officer Dennis Meechum,

is undergoing emergency surgery

at Queen of Angels Hospital.

- ..and is resting quietly.

- What's his chance of recovery?

- His condition is critical.

- Did you find the van?

- Was there an accomplice?

- I have no comment.

i.....Dennis Meechum,

nine-year veteran of the department

and author of ''Inside Job'', the famous -

or perhaps I should say infamous -

Nixon-mask robbery

of a police evidence depository.

How do you reconcile your two careers,

cop and best-selling author?

With difficulty. I'd have to say I'm

a police officer first and a writer second.

i(man) ..Medal of Valor today for conduct

above and beyond the call of duty

while participating in an

undercover arrest on April 1 7 th, 1981...

iDo you plan to remain on the force?

i- Sure.

- And also continue to write?

Yes.

LOS ANGELES, 1987

Let's go!

Halt! Police!

Take him. I'll get the goods.

Police! Don't make me

chase you, a**hole!

You stupid bastard.

Right there, a**hole!

Freeze!

Jesus Christ!

- What the f*** you doin'?

- I'm a cop!

OK, a**hole, drive.

Come on, motherf***er! Drive!

I ain't drivin' nowhere, motherf***er.

I'm on my break.

Stay back, this is a police emergency.

Will you get the hell out of here

before you get hurt?!

Can I help you, pal?

Careful, Dennis.

I'm gettin' too old for this sh*t.

Maybe the guy was in on the play.

You're sure you didn't know him?

- No, but he knew me.

- See if there are prints on the shell cases.

There won't be.

Dennis

Say Thank You.

- Good morning, Dad.

- Morning, sweetie.

You want some eggs?

Did you cook 'em?

Yes.

I think I'll just have some coffee, then.

So, any money left over

from the pizza last night?

No. We picked up these boys afterwards.

Took 'em to a bar.

Spent everything we had.

You know how it is.

Very funny.

Don't forget to pick up your bus pass,

or you'll have to pay your own fare.

- Your friend might give me another ride.

- Who's that?

This guy. He's a friend of yours.

He took me and my friends home.

- What's he look like?

- He's a nice guy.

Kind of thin, good dresser.

He knows all about us.

He knows that Mom's dead and

everything. He says he saved your life.

Christ! What's the matter with you? You

know not to get into a car with a stranger.

- There were three of us.

- That doesn't make any difference, Holly.

- Anyway, nothing happened.

- That's not the point!

- You know him.

- I don't know him.

I don't know him. I met him.

I don't know anything about him.

He sure knows you.

Mr Meechum, I'm not in business to bring

Legal action against our authors.

We are in the publishing business.

We've been most patient.

You've missed four deadlines.

- Come on. Nobody's gonna sue.

- What about a movie deal?

There's no interest in that area.

None whatsoever.

- What genius screwed that up?

- No one screwed anything up Mr. Mitchum.

Just don't expect Hollywood

to bail you out.

Meech, this one just came in.

Some guy says your daughter left a

geometry book in the back of his car.

Who was it?

He said that you'd know.

He wants you to meet him there tonight.

All right. All right. You wanted me here,

you got me. Now what?

Don't step forward.

It's a long drop.

Put the light out, please, and we'll talk.

I like your books you write. Especially the first one.

Now listen to me. You stay away from me.

- And you stay away from my daughter.

- I'm sorry about that, Dennis.

- I had to get your attention.

- Well, you've got it.

She's a lovely girl.

You've done a good job.

Especially without a wife to help you out.

All right, what the hell do you want?

- I want you to write another book.

- That's what I'm doing.

Come on, Dennis. Since Kate died

you can't get past page 15.

You can't write and

you're sick of being a cop.

You're a burnout.

And those unpaid bills....

You've got people after you,

Dennis. They want their money.

- I can help you.

- I don't need your help.

Yes, you do. And you'll get my help

handed to you on a silver platter.

A best seller. It's about me, Dennis.

It's about me and the man I worked for.

- You're crazy.

- Yeah, well...

Well, it's a crazy world.

Well, that's twice.

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Larry Cohen

Lawrence G. "Larry" Cohen (born July 15, 1941) is an American film producer, director, and screenwriter. He is best known as a B-Movie auteur of horror and science fiction films – often containing a police procedural element – during the 1970s and 1980s. He has since concentrated mainly on screenwriting including the Joel Schumacher thriller Phone Booth (2002), Cellular (2004) and Captivity (2007). In 2006 Cohen returned to the directing chair for Mick Garris' Masters of Horror TV series (2006); he directed the episode "Pick Me Up". more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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    "Best Seller" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.scripts.com/script/best_seller_3945>.

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