Best Defense (1984)

Director:

Willard Huyck

Writers:

Robert Grossbach (novel)
Gloria Katz ...
(more)

Release Date:

20 July 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | War

Tagline:

Unfortunately, they're both on our side.

Plot:

Wylie is a lazy engineer. Landry is a Sergeant specialising in Armour. They have never met but their...

Plot Keywords:

Engineer | Tank | Marriage | Industrial Espionage | Helicopter

Cast

Dudley Moore	...	Wylie Cooper
Eddie Murphy	...	Lieutenant T.M. Landry
Kate Capshaw	...	Laura Cooper
George Dzundza	...	Steve Loparino
Helen Shaver	...	Clair Lewis
Mark Arnott	...	Harvey Brank
Peter Michael Goetz	...	Frank Joyner
Tom Noonan	...	Frank Holtzman
David Rasche	...	Jeff the 'KBG' Agent
Paul Comi	...	Chief Agent
Darryl Henriques	...	Col. Zayas, San Salvador
Joel Polis	...	First Agent
John A. Zee	...	Col. McGuinn
Matthew Laurance	...	Ali, Landry's Tank Crew
Christopher Maher	...	Sayyid, Landry's Tank Crew
Lorry Goldman	...	Sol Rupp, Dynatechnics
Charles David Richards	...	Mugger (as Stoney Richards)
Tyler Tyhurst	...	American Captain
Eduardo Ricard	...	Capt. Garcia Vega, Honduras
William Marquez	...	Chief Padilla, Guatemala
Deborah Fallender	...	Toni
Raye Birk	...	Sonny, Dynatechnics
Ellen Crawford	...	Sonya, Dynatechnics
Gene Dynarski	...	Gil
John Hostetter	...	Quirk, Dynatechnics
David Paymer	...	Kurly
Dennis Redfield	...	Specs
Jerry Hyman	...	Col. Kleinman
Hugo Stanger	...	Blevin
Tracey Ross	...	Arab Girl
Michael Scalera	...	Morgan Cooper, Wylie's Son
Rob Wininger	...	Lt. Chapin
Gary Bayer	...	Lubell
Ronald Salley	...	Transportation Captain
Paul Eiding	...	Tourist
Stephen Bradley	...	Deputy Director
Sanford Jensen	...	Second Engineer
Gerald Jann	...	Third Engineer
Jennifer Wallace	...	Waitress #1 - Casa Chihuahua
Renny Temple	...	Coffee Machine Mover
Ziporah Tzabari	...	Ancient Kuwaiti Woman
Gabi Amrani	...	Old Villager
Rozsika Halmos	...	FBI Seamstress
Diane Carter	...	Technician
Jake Dengel	...	Hotel Doorman
Billy Ray Sharkey	...	Radio Man
Burton Collins	...	Cameraman
Bill Geisslinger	...	Walkie-Talkie Agent
Yitzhak Ne'eman	...	Refugee Man (as Itzhak Bbi Neeman)
Jim Jansen	...	Lieutenant
Javier Grajeda	...	Fredie Gomez, Singer on TV
Patricia Pivaar	...	Gloria Webber, Ch. 6 News
Julie Ellis	...	Waitress #2
Lillian Müller	...	French Singer (as Yuliis Ruval)
Pamela Stonebrook	...	Singer, Rive Gauche Room
Elizabeth Reiko Kubota	...	Japanese Singer (as Elizabeth Kubota)
Rick Dees	...	Himself
Chuck Street	...	Himself
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
D. David Morin	...	TV Reporter (uncredited)

Directed by
Willard Huyck

Writing credits
Robert Grossbach		(novel "Easy and Hard Ways Out")
Gloria Katz		&
Willard Huyck

Produced by
Gloria Katz	....	producer

Original Music by
Patrick Williams

Cinematography by
Donald Peterman		(as Don Peterman)

Film Editing by
Sidney Wolinsky

Casting by
Dianne Crittenden

Production Design by
Peter Jamison

Art Direction by
Bo Welch		(as Robert W. Welch III)

Set Decoration by
R. Chris Westlund

Costume Design by
Kristi Zea

Makeup Department
Charles Biedermann	....	makeup artist: Israel
Nicky Biedermann	....	hair stylist: Israel
Tom Hoerber	....	makeup artist (as Thomas A. Hoerber)
Gary Liddiard	....	makeup artist
Josephine McCarthy	....	hair stylist
Shirley Padgett	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Robert Latham Brown	....	unit production manager
Austen Jewell	....	unit production manager
Shlomo Mugrabi	....	production supervisor: Israel
Chayim Sharir	....	unit production manager: Israel
Zvi Spielmann	....	production supervisor: Israel

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Margo Gawelko	....	dga trainee
Jerry Grandey	....	first assistant director (as Jerry C.G. Grandey)
Nissim Lvy	....	assistant director: Israel
Izidore K. Musallam	....	second assistant director: Israel
Jerry Sobul	....	first assistant director
Catherine Wanek	....	second assistant director
Eddie Ziv	....	second assistant director: Israel (as Hadas Ziv)

Art Department
Jack Johnson	....	production illustrator (as John C. Johnson Jr.)
Robert Krume	....	construction coordinator
Keith McCormick	....	assistant props
Joseph C. Nemec III	....	set designer
Giora Porter	....	set dresser: Israel
Ariel Roshko	....	art director: Israel
Paul Rylander	....	assistant props
George Samson	....	model maker
John Warnke	....	set designer
Steven Westlund	....	property master
Donald B. Woodruff	....	set designer
Yossi Zomer	....	property master: Israel

Sound Department
Gary S. Gerlich	....	sound effects editor
Robin Gregory	....	sound mixer: Israel
J. Paul Huntsman	....	adr editor
Jerry Jost	....	sound recordist
Rick Kline	....	sound re-recording mixer
Gregg Landaker	....	sound re-recording mixer
Victoria Martin	....	sound effects editor
Donald O. Mitchell	....	sound re-recording mixer
Terry Sharratt	....	boom operator: Israel
Pat Suraci	....	boom operator
Frank E. Warner	....	supervising sound editor (as Frank Warner)
Bill Wylie	....	sound effects editor
Ken Dufva	....	foley artist (uncredited)
Leslie Gaulin	....	assistant sound editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
John R. Elliott	....	special effects
Richard E. Johnson	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Isa Alsup	....	computer animation (uncredited)
Eric Guaglione	....	motion control assistant: DQI (uncredited)
Ted Rae	....	modelmaker: DQI (uncredited)
Hoyt Yeatman	....	miniature photographer: DQI (uncredited)

Stunts
Everett Creach	....	stunt coordinator
Billy Bates	....	stunts (uncredited)
Don Ruffin	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Peter Allwork	....	aerial camera operator: Israel
Gerald A. King	....	key grip
John LeBlanc	....	first assistant camera (as John E. LeBlanc)
Kal Manning	....	gaffer (as Wright K. Manning)
Elliott Marks	....	still photographer
John C. Moulds	....	second assistant camera
Keith Peterman	....	camera operator
Laurie Ridley	....	still photographer: Israel
Ilan Rosenberg	....	camera operator: Israel
Shimon Sabach	....	key grip: Israel

Casting Department
Eyal Geva	....	extras casting: Israel
Ilene Starger	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Gordon Brockway	....	costumer: men
Jennifer L. Parsons	....	costumer: women (as Jennifer Parsons)
Rochelle Zaltzman	....	costume supervisor: Israel

Editorial Department
Michael Amundsen	....	assistant editor trainee
Martin Cohen	....	first assistant editor
Claudia Finkle	....	assistant editor
Bob Noland	....	color timer
Billy Weber	....	additional editor

Music Department
Richard Stone	....	composer: song "A Future in Elevator"
Richard Stone	....	supervising music editor
Dan Wallin	....	score mixer

Transportation Department
Dan Marrow	....	transportation captain
Michael McDuffee	....	transportation coordinator (as Mike McDuffee)
Meir Sigura	....	transportation coordinator: Israel

Other crew
Lea Andrews	....	production manager secretary
Brian Brosnan	....	location manager
Zvi Chen	....	location manager: Israel
Dan Curry	....	title designer
Jaci Eshel	....	military advisor: Israel
Louise Jaffe	....	script supervisor
Gary Kalkin	....	unit publicist
Sandra Rabins	....	production accountant
Robert West	....	assistant to producer
Prosper Saul	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Cinema Group Ventures
• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1984) (USA) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1987) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Cinema International Corporation (CIC) (1985) (France) (theatrical)
• CIC Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Video (USA) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Video (USA) (laserdisc)

Special Effects

• Dream Quest Images (miniature photography)

Other Companies

• Inter Video  24 frame video services
• Modern Film Effects  titles and opticals
• Segue Music  music editing

Also Known As:

"Best Defence" - Australia (DVD menu title), International (English title) (alternative spelling), UK (poster title)

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:R | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Finland:K-12 | Singapore:M18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:12 | Iceland:L | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia/Ontario) | UK:15 (DVD rating) | Portugal:M/12

Filming Locations:

Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Cinema Group Ventures

Trivia:

Penultimate movie directed by Willard Huyck. After another flop, Huyck's Howard the Duck (1986) was his final film, and Huyck never directed another feature film.

Quotes:

Chief Padilla, Guatemala:Boom. Dead. Communista.

Movie Connections:

References Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

Soundtrack:

CLOSE TO YOU

Befuddly Dudley

On a dull evening at home recently I saw this was showing on ITV2, and I settled down to enjoy what I thought would be a reasonably amusing comedy.

Oh dear.

Peter Cook and Dudley Moore were one of the greatest ever comedy acts. Peter Cook was a hilarious solo act. Dudley Moore was a brilliant musician...but NOT a good solo comedy player.

All Mr Moore's films seem to have him in an ill fitting three piece suit and horrible seventies hairstyle, running manically around hotel corridors and swearing a lot. This film is no exception.

It just didn't have any really funny moments. Mr Murphy (whose scenes were slotted in later) had one or two funny lines but that was about it.

If Saddam Hussein got the idea of invading Iraq from this film, that would be a good reason to ban it!