Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Best Defense Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 19, 2025

Willard Huyck's "Best Defense" (1984) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by screenwriter/producer Alan Spencer and author/critic Justin Humphreys and vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Misery loves company.

Someone can shoot a long and quite amusing documentary about everything that went wrong with Best Defense. But while digging up old information and interviewing some of the people who had something to do with it, this someone will quickly face a serious dilemma. There are so many colorful lies and half-truths about Best Defense, it would be virtually impossible to dig up only the truths. Technically, the gonzo approach to this dilemma could be a viable option. The colorful lies and half-truths can be mixed up and served to the viewer to extract the truths. The obvious problem with this option is that the documentary will end up being several hours long. How many viewers would want to invest that much time in a documentary about a small film that did not turn out as it should and bombed at the box office?

I did not mention all of the above to carefully imply that Best Defense is a misunderstood film that needs to be reevaluated. It has problems, and they are, as claimed in the past, very obvious. However, it is not a terrible film. It is a mismanaged film. For example, it has several very abrupt transitions, and the additional material with Eddie Murphy that was shot after its first cut was assembled does not help. This additional material makes a lot look even worse. In fact, it is what hurts the film the most. Dudley Moore’s loopy character supercharges the narrative with energy that is right for the kind of comedy he thrives in, so when Murphy appears it feels like someone is throwing a wrench into his work. The transitions are bad, the comedy feels off, and, most importantly, it is crystal clear that Murphy has no clue how to be an effective savior. He improvises, and pretty badly, too.

The biggest problem in Best Defense is also the oddest. Willard Huyck shot a lot of good material with Moore. Some of it, like the one featuring a suddenly very frisky Helen Shaver, is pretty much on par with most of Moore’s best work. Moore is forced into a foreign environment where there seem to be as many dangers as there are temptations, so he becomes an accidental disruptor who must choose between following his survival instincts and satisfying his sexual urges. (It is Moore’s classic shtick). While he does the choosing, he is also working to expose a big scam involving cutting-edge military technology that the Soviets are after. In other words, there is a lot of potential here, so it would have made much more sense to expand this type of material, rather than pen and shoot entirely new material with Murphy.

When the final credits appear, it very much feels like the ‘better version’ assembled under the direction of top brass at Paramount effectively sank Best Defense. Before its completion, there was insufficient material for a good film that was managed poorly. After its completion, there was too much incompatible material to produce a good film. This ‘better version’ is still a decent comedy, not a terrible misfire as some have argued, but it is just too obvious that it is sliced with inserts that it did not deserve.

The supporting cast includes several wonderful actors. George Dzundza is Moore’s equally horny partner in the engineering company. Tom Noonan is another inventor, closely monitored by the KGB, who redirects Moore’s career and life. Kate Capshaw is Moore clueless wife. David Rasche is a traitor with a gun.

Best Defense Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a1080p transfer, Best Defense arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from a gorgeous new 4K master, recently prepared at Paramount Pictures. I would not be surprised if it is revealed that the 4K master was prepared by the person responsible for the equally striking 4K master of The Big Bus. It produces visuals with outstanding delineation, clarity, and depth. Also, the entire 4K master is wonderfully graded, which is why Best Defense has an enormously convincing period appearance. I was very, very impressed with the visuals my system displayed. There are no traces of any problematic digital corrections. However, while grain is nicely exposed, some additional encoding optimizations could have been introduced to ensure that it looks as solid as possible. Image stability is excellent. I did not notice any distracting large cuts, debris, stains, warped or torn frames to report. My score is 4.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Best Defense Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

When Eddie Murphy's tank fires, dynamic intensity is excellent. There are some other explosions that sound equally good. The other material with Dudley Moore does not produce any such exciting moments, but there is no similar action there. There is some good music that creates decent dynamic contrasts. All dialog is very clear, sharp, and easy to follow. Stability is outstanding. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report in our review.

Best Defense Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded screenwriter/producer Alan Spencer and author/critic Justin Humphreys. The commentators share a lot of factual information about the mismanagement of Best Defense, the inclusion of Eddie Murphy and all the drama that followed it back in the days, Dudley Moore's performance (and type of comedy that made him famous), and a lot about (in their opinion) what does and does not work in the film. It is good, honest commentary.

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage U.S. trailer for Best Defense. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

Best Defense Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

All of the money that Eddie Murphy was offered to save Best Defense should have been used to pen wilder material in which Dudley Moore's character becomes even more unhinged. Best Defense is not a terrible film, as some people have claimed in the past, it is a mismanaged film. In its current form, it has quite a bit of very funny material with Moore doing what he always did best, it is just not enough, and it is not edited properly. The inserts with Murphy make everything look a lot worse, which is so obvious, it is hard to believe no one was willing to admit it. I still think that Best Defense is worth a look, especially by Moore completists. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from a gorgeous 4K master, recently prepared at Paramount Pictures. RECOMMENDED.