József Antal Eszterhás (Hungarian: [ˈjoːʒɛf ɒntɒl ˈɛstɛrhaːʃ]; born November 23, 1944), credited as Joe Eszterhas, is a Hungarian-American writer. Born in Hungary, he grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States. After an early career as a journalist and editor, he entered the film industry. His first screenwriting credit was for the film F.I.S.T. (1978). He co-wrote the script for Flashdance, which became one of the highest-grossing films of 1983, and set off a lucrative and prolific run for his career. By the early 1990s, he was known as the highest-paid writer in Hollywood, and noted for his work in the erotic thriller genre. He was paid a then-record $3 million for his script Love Hurts, which was produced as Basic Instinct (1992), and following its success, news outlets reported he earned seven-figure payouts solely on the basis of two-to-four page outlines. Eszterhas' screenwriting career experienced a decline over the rest of the decade, with films such as Showgirls (1995), Jade (1995), and An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn (1997), the latter receiving negative reviews and performing poorly at the box office. He mostly withdrew from Hollywood afterward, though he has since authored several books. His publications include American Rhapsody (2000), and two volumes of memoirs: Hollywood Animal (2004), an autobiography, and Crossbearer (2008), which detailed his adulthood return to the Catholic faith he was raised in. Description above from the Wikipedia article Joe Eszterhas, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia
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Biography from TMDB.
- November 23, 1944 (81)
- Csakanydoroszlo, Hungary
- Writer, producer and actor
- 18 on MovieCove · 23 credits in all
What are Joe Eszterhas' films like?
Across their 18 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Power.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 1 · Wry 3 · Earnest 14
A split, not a type: Light 5 · Serious 6 · Dark 7
A split, not a type: Grounded 12 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 4
A split, not a type: Gentle 5 · Charged 4 · Intense 9
Steady 3 · Shifting 13 · Whiplash 2
Straight-faced 12 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 1
Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 14 · Relentless 0
Casual 5 · Engaged 11 · Full focus 2
Easy watch 4 · Affecting 8 · Heavy 6
Resolved 12 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
- Happy6
- Bittersweet7
- Ambiguous5
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Joe Eszterhas' films?
As of October 24, 2026, 8 of their 18 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (6).
Subscription and free streaming for Joe Eszterhas' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
23 credits, 18 with a MovieCove page; 5 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Carolco, un rêve hollywoodien (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)
Prüdes Hollywood - Laster, Lust und Leidenschaft im Film (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)
The Impact (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)
Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films
Children of Glory(2006)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
Basic Instinct 2(2006)
Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films
Jackie Chan: My Story(1998)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films
Telling Lies in America(1997)
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films
Jade(1995)
Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films
Showgirls(1995)
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
Sliver(1993)
Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films
Nowhere to Run(1993)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
Basic Instinct(1992)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films
Music Box(1989)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
Checking Out (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)
Betrayed(1988)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
Hearts of Fire(1987)
Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films
Big Shots(1987)
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films
Jagged Edge(1985)
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
Flashdance(1983)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
F.I.S.T.(1978)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all filmsUntitled Basic Instinct Reboot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 22 titles, 21 of them dated from 1978 to 2026.
Biggest box office
Basic Instinct (1992)
Highest rated
Music Box (1989)
Most popular right now
Basic Instinct (1992)
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Joe Eszterhas' films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 45th percentile, the median of all 18; across their 18 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 48th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up3
- 50th to 74th5
- 25th to 49th4
- Below 25th6
Shape of the crowd
9 of their 18 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Crowd Pleaser9
- Broadly Agreed2
- Mixed7
Reviewers score the dialogue 36/100 and the plot and story 36/100 in their films, across 17 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Joe Eszterhas' work okay for kids?
Across up to 10 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Joe Eszterhas work with?
People who share at least 2 of Joe Eszterhas' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Richard Marquand shares the most, 3.
Directors
- Richard MarquandShared titles: Nowhere to Run (1993), Hearts of Fire (1987), Jagged Edge (1985)See all 3 shared titles with Richard Marquand
- Paul VerhoevenShared titles: Showgirls (1995), Basic Instinct (1992)See all 2 shared titles with Paul Verhoeven
- Costa-GavrasShared titles: Music Box (1989), Betrayed (1988)See all 2 shared titles with Costa-Gavras
Actors
- Sylvester StalloneShared titles: Sly (2023), An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn (1997), F.I.S.T. (1978)See all 3 shared titles with Sylvester Stallone
- Sharon StoneShared titles: Basic Instinct 2 (2006), Sliver (1993), Basic Instinct (1992)See all 3 shared titles with Sharon Stone
- Glenn PlummerShared titles: Showgirls 2: Penny's from Heaven (2011), Showgirls (1995)See all 2 shared titles with Glenn Plummer
- Greg TravisShared titles: Showgirls 2: Penny's from Heaven (2011), Showgirls (1995)See all 2 shared titles with Greg Travis
Cinematographers and editors
- Reynaldo VillalobosShared titles: An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn (1997), Telling Lies in America (1997)See all 2 shared titles with Reynaldo Villalobos
- Mark HelfrichShared titles: Showgirls (1995), Nowhere to Run (1993)See all 2 shared titles with Mark Helfrich
- Joële Van EffenterreShared titles: Music Box (1989), Betrayed (1988)See all 2 shared titles with Joële Van Effenterre
- Patrick BlossierShared titles: Music Box (1989), Betrayed (1988)See all 2 shared titles with Patrick Blossier
Producers
- Andrew G. VajnaShared titles: Basic Instinct 2 (2006), Children of Glory (2006), An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn (1997)See all 3 shared titles with Andrew G. Vajna
- Laura ViedermanShared titles: Basic Instinct 2 (2006), Sliver (1993)See all 2 shared titles with Laura Viederman
- Mario KassarShared titles: Basic Instinct 2 (2006), Basic Instinct (1992)See all 2 shared titles with Mario Kassar
- Ben MyronShared titles: An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn (1997), Telling Lies in America (1997)See all 2 shared titles with Ben Myron
Mixed roles
- Norman JewisonShared titles: Sly (2023), F.I.S.T. (1978)See all 2 shared titles with Norman Jewison
