IMDb > Deal of the Century (1983)

Deal of the Century (1983) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
4.1/10   1,788 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 8% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
William Friedkin
Writers:
Paul Brickman (writer)
Bernard Edelman (book)
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Contact:
View company contact information for Deal of the Century on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
4 November 1983 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | Crime more
Tagline:
Chevy Chase and his partners are arms dealers. They sell second-rate weapons to third world nations. But they're not out to stick it to anyone.
Plot:
Arms dealers from several companies vie to sell the most expensive and highest tech weapons to a South American dictator... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
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User Comments:
More on target than you'd expect more (23 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Chevy Chase ... Eddie Muntz

Sigourney Weaver ... Catherine DeVoto

Gregory Hines ... Ray Kasternak
Vince Edwards ... Frank Stryker

William Marquez ... Gen. Cordosa
Eduardo Ricard ... Col. Salgado

Richard Herd ... Lyle
Graham Jarvis ... Babers

Wallace Shawn ... Harold DeVoto
Randi Brooks ... Ms. Della Rosa
Ebbe Roe Smith ... Bob
Richard Libertini ... Masaggi
J.W. Smith ... Will
Carmencristina Moreno ... Woman Singer (as Carmen Moreno)
Charles Levin ... Dr. Rechtin
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
99 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby
Certification:
Iceland:L | UK:15 | Singapore:PG | Australia:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:16
Filming Locations:
Santa Barbara, California, USA
Company:
Warner Bros. Pictures more

Fun Stuff

Goofs:
Continuity: When Eddie is in the trailer talking to Ray on the radio, he's wearing the headset with the microphone on the left side. In the next shot, it's on the right side. more
Quotes:
General Huddleston: [watching the Peacemaker malfunction] This is a great day for the Air Force, Senator.
Sen. Bryce: Why is that, General?
General Huddleston: Because the Navy ordered twenty of those disasters.
Navy Officers: Son of a bitch!
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Movie Connections:
Features "All in the Family" (1971) more
Soundtrack:
SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME more

FAQ

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
14 out of 14 people found the following comment useful.
More on target than you'd expect, 21 May 2004
Author: chrisdfilm from los angeles, ca.

It seems like everyone's opinion on this movie is evenly divided. People either love it or hate it. Personally, I am not a Chevy Chase fan by any stretch of the imagination. But I like many of William Friedkin's films so I wanted to give this a chance and went in without too many preconceptions.

It obviously can't stand up to a comparison to DR. STRANGELOVE as a few here have done. However, it still remains a fairly on-target, unflattering satire of the weapons industry and by extrapolation, other mass production industries that love to sell the government and public crap product cosmetically hyped as the next great answer to all their fears and desires, product that ends up being useless or obsolete within a year (if it even works properly in the first place). There are some pretty funny scenes sprinkled throughout and I was pleasantly surprised through the whole film how much dark, subversively funny jabs Friedkin gets away with. Especially in a big studio movie.

There's one scene in particular that makes the film well worth seeing --Gregory Hines (I believe it was him) gets into a verbal altercation with another extremely hotheaded driver (a maniacal Tony Plana) (over a fender bender? it's been a while since I've seen it) -- the verbal sparring quickly escalates into a life-threatening situation and the emotional dynamics the two actors bring to the scene is scarily believable while remaining extremely funny. This scene alone provides a microcosmic metaphor for the provocations of nations going to war and perfectly illustrates the pointless absurdity of aggressive behaviour in general. Also of note, it's great to see the underrated Vince Edwards in a large supporting role as the ruthless air weapons manufacturer.

DEAL OF THE CENTURY is never less than amusing and has some extremely funny sequences -- much better than many of these IMDb reviews would lead you to believe.

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Recent Posts (updated daily)User
I love Friedkin and Chevy but this movie us unwatchable.. motley6
political jabs ruined DaveDude12
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