As one of the highest-paid and most notorious writers in 1990s Hollywood, Eszterhas has become that rare modern screenwriter who can lay claim to auteur status. He has been less important for his talent--which some reviewers have deemed dubious--than for his stature as a star writer in an industry that dotes on high-profile actors and directors. Eszterhas' plots tend to turn on themes of love and betrayal. Though he seemed to court controversy with his subjects, his business dealings and his personal life (see "Notes & Quotes"), Eszterhas was very much part of the industry mainstream, working in tried-and-true genres while pushing the envelope on sexual content. He set a record when he sold his script for the erotic thriller "Basic Instinct" (1992) for $3 million. The resulting film generated protests regarding its alleged anti-gay sentiments but proved a blockbuster success that marked the emergence of Sharon Stone as an international superstar. Eszterhas followed up with two wildly disparate projects the following year: "Nowhere to Run", a lesser Jean-Claude Van Damme vehicle which aspired to be a modern-day "Shane"; and "Sliver", another psychological thriller starring Stone, based on the novel by Ira Levin.
Eszterhas was working as a political correspondent for the ROLIING STONE when he first caught the eye of the industry with a 1974 National Book Award-nominated novel entitled "Charlie Simpson's Apocalypse". A talent agent for United Artists found the writing "really cinematic" and gave him a call. Eszterhas entered pictures with "F.I.S.T." (1978), a fictionalized labor drama starring Sylvester Stallone, based on articles written in his journalistic capacity. He received a story credit and shared the screenwriting credit (under protest) with Stallone. The film was a box-office disappointment but received some strong reviews. Eszterhas fared better commercially with his next project, the slick teen-oriented musical "Flashdance" (1983). He also scored a solid success with the improbable legal thriller "Jagged Edge" (1985) before stumbling with a teen adventure and a Brit-produced comedy.
Eszterhas segued to producing with somewhat classier fare: two back-to-back projects helmed by Costa-Gavras, "Betrayed" (1988) and "Music Box" (1989). Both projects boasted major performers but were undermined by their absurdly melodramatic aspects. Eszterhas served as executive producer and penned the screenplays for both.
In late 1989, the high-profile scenarist was at the center of a highly publicized struggle with Michael Ovitz, head of the Creative Artists Agency, concerning the degree of influence exercised over an artist by his or her representative. Eszterhas has claimed that Ovitz resorted to threats when the writer announced that he was leaving CAA for agent and longtime friend Guy McElwaine at International Creative Management. The controversy highlighted a growing concern within the Hollywood community about the degree of power wielded by a small group of influential "superagents." Nevertheless, Eszterhas achieved his greatest success only after crossing one of the most feared men in town.
Eszterhas pushed the envelope again when Savoy Pictures purchased his screenplay for "Foreplay" for $3.5 million plus 2.5 percent of the gross including a percentage of soundtrack sales. Such generous deals are usually only reserved for top echelon stars and directors. He received a $1.5 million advance to begin writing "Showgirls" in the fall of 1992. A glitzy take on "All About Eve" set in the world of Las Vegas lap dancing, the production eagerly embraced the supposedly business-limiting NC-17 rating that mainstream Hollywood had previously shunned. The film hit the multiplexes in Fall 1995 to dismissive reviews and brisk box office. That same season, Eszterhas scripted and executive produced "Jade", his third thriller (after "Jagged Edge" and "Basic Instinct") set in San Francisco. This time out David Caruso played a D.A. investigating his former girlfriend (Linda Fiorentino), a psychiatrist accused of murdering an art dealer.