Best Defense is a 1984 American comedy film starring Dudley Moore and Eddie Murphy. The original music score was composed by Patrick Williams. It was released by Paramount Pictures. Plot The movie takes place as two parallel plots separated by a couple of years: In 1982, Wylie Cooper (Moore) is an engineer developing a targeting system on a tank for the United States Army. In 1984, Murphy is US Army Lt. T.M. Landry, an American tank commander sent to Kuwait to demonstrate the "XM-10 Annihilator", America's latest main battle tank, which is equipped with Cooper's system. Because of the tank's poor design and shoddy construction, Landry and his crew are barely able to control or navigate the XM-10 before it leaves the proving grounds and wanders into a combat zone during Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. Cooper and Landry never directly interact during the film, but the plot shows how the decisions made by Cooper affect Landry's tank. Cooper, an engineer for a troubled defense contractor, is in charge of designing the "DYP-gyro", a gyroscope for the army's new tank. The company's future hinges on the success of the project. Cooper's gyro fails a crucial test, dooming the company. Downtrodden, Cooper later crosses paths with another engineer named Frank Holtzman (Noonan) who has also designed a DYP-gyro. Holtzman, fearful of what will happen in his meeting with Jeff (Rasche), a deep-cover KGB agent, secretly hides the plans in Cooper's briefcase. After Holtzman is murdered, Cooper discovers the plans. Cooper's co-worker and best friend Steve Loparino (Dzundza) later puts Cooper's name on the plans, and when the "new" gyro works, Cooper is hailed for saving the company. In 1984, Landry's tank comes under fire from Iraqi jets, leading Landry to plead that he does not belong in this war, shouting "I'm from Cleveland!" at the attacking planes. Back in 1982, Cooper is contacted by Jeff who tries to obtain the DYP plans. The FBI, knowing that Cooper took credit for somebody else's work, forces him to act as bait for Jeff in a set-up operation. The set-up nearly fails - Jeff is killed during a gun battle, and Cooper himself is shot. Realizing his mortality while being put on an ambulance, Cooper confesses to Clair (Shaver), an attractive co-worker, that he stole the DYP. This triggers an angry response from Clair and also from his wife Laura (Capshaw) who, arriving on the