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Donald E. Westlake

Donald E. Westlake

Writer · Died December 31, 2008, aged 75 · Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Oscar nominee · 1 other major award body

Donald Edwin Westlake (July 12, 1933 – December 31, 2008) was an American writer with more than one hundred novels and non-fiction books to his credit. He specialized in crime fiction, especially comic capers, with an occasional foray into science fiction and other genres. Westlake created two professional criminal characters who each starred in a long-running series: the relentless, hardboiled Parker (published under the pen name Richard Stark), and John Dortmunder, who featured in a more humorous series. Westlake was a three-time Edgar Award winner and, alongside Joe Gores and William L. DeAndrea, was one of few writers to win Edgars in three different categories (1968, Best Novel, God Save the Mark; 1990, Best Short Story, "Too Many Crooks"; 1991, Best Motion Picture Screenplay, The Grifters). In 1993, the Mystery Writers of America named Westlake a Grand Master, the highest honor bestowed by the society. Description above from the Wikipedia article Donald E. Westlake, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 12, 1933
Died
December 31, 2008 (aged 75)
From
Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
Works as
Writer
Titles
28 on MovieCove · 38 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Up 18% in 30 days

What are Donald E. Westlake's films like?

Across their 26 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Self.

Genres

Comedy9 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 25th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Crime7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 57th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Action5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 57th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Horror3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 27th percentile
: browse their Horror movies

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

share of theme weight
Morality
39%
Self
17%
Bonds
16%
Power
13%
Survival
12%
Ideas
2%
Society
1%
Deception11 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival8 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice5 titles, browse their movies with this themeGreed6 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds6 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeObsession3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 26 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 13 · Serious 6 · Dark 7

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 15 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 4

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 8 · Charged 6 · Intense 12

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 11 · Shifting 11 · Whiplash 4

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 12 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 10

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 22 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 10 · Engaged 14 · Full focus 2

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 19 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 3

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
19
Absurd
13
Dread
6
Thrilling
9
Joyful
5
Other
17

How their films linger

Fun12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 8 with a twist

  • Happy8
  • Bittersweet10
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous7

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 Donald E. Westlake's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 17 of their 28 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (11).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Donald E. Westlake's 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

38 credits, 28 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Play Dirty(2025)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • No Other Choice(2025)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • The Actor(2025)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Parker(2013)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • The Stepfather(2009)

    Original Film Writer · Story

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Ripley Under Ground(2005)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • The Ax(2005)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Ordo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Novel

  • What's the Worst That Could Happen?(2001)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • A Slight Case of Murder(1999)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Payback(1999)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • The Gods Must Be Daring (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Novel

  • Two Much(1995)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Fallen Angels (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Show 1 episode · Teleplay

  • Stepfather 3(1992)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • The Grifters(1990)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Why Me?(1990)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Stepfather II: Make Room for Daddy(1989)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Fatal Confession: A Father Dowling Mystery(1987)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • The Stepfather(1987)

    Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • The Twin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Novel

  • Slayground(1983)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Jimmy the Kid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Novel

  • Hot Stuff(1979)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Express to Terror (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Creator · Story

  • Supertrain (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Show 1 episode · Creator · Writer

  • Come ti rapisco il pupo(1977)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Bank Shot(1974)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • The Outfit(1973)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Cops and Robbers(1973)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • The Hot Rock(1972)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • The Split(1968)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Pillaged (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Novel

  • Point Blank(1967)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • The Busy Body(1967)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Made in U.S.A(1966)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Le commissaire mène l’enquête (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Writer

  • The Getaway Face (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Novel

Career shape

A full career of 38 titles from 1963 to 2025.

Biggest box office

Payback (1999)

$162M worldwide

Highest rated

No Other Choice (2025)

Midcredits 95th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Writing38 of 38: 36 only writing, 2 with another role · typical Midcredits score45thOther crew2 of 38: 0 only other crew, 2 with another role

By decade

1960s7 · crew1970s8 · crew1980s6 · crew1990s8 · crew2000s5 · crew2010s1 · crew2020s3 · crew

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.

Awards

2 major nominations and no wins, 1991.

  1. 1991
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Writers Guild Award, nominated · Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Donald E. Westlake's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 45th percentile, the median of all 28; across their 26 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 55th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

55thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 26

Approval · how many liked their films

44thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 26

Reach · how many have seen their films

77thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 26

Midcredits score across 28 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up9
  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th8
  • Below 25th7

Shape of the crowd

13 of their 28 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Crowd Pleaser13
  • Broadly Agreed5
  • Mixed10

Most divisive · writer

The Actor (2025)

68th percentile spread · 27% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

No Other Choice (2025)

Midcredits 95th · 81% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 55/100 and the plot and story 45/100 in their films, across 24 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 Donald E. Westlake's work okay for kids?

Across up to 10 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore8 titles46–85 · median 64 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity10 titles32–55 · median 45 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity8 titles27–66 · median 45 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs8 titles26–67 · median 36 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense7 titles29–71 · median 68 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

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 Donald E. Westlake work with?

People who share at least 2 of Donald E. Westlake's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Brian Garfield shares the most, 4.

Writers

Actors

Composers

Producers