Tweekums Chili Palmer is a debt collector working for the mob in Miami. He is instructed to collect on the debt of a man who apparently died in a plane crash… his wife tells a different story; he missed the flight but the airline thought he was on board so paid her $300,000 in compensation. He then took it to Las Vegas. Chili follows him there but discovers he has moved on to Los Angeles. While in Vegas he is asked if he can help out collecting a debt from a film director in LA… he agrees and so begins his introduction to the film business. He meets Zimm who agrees to pay up within ninety days; they get chatting and Chili pitches an idea for a movie… the movie we are watching. Of course at this point he doesn't know how it will end. Zimm also owes money to some local gangsters, who in turn owe money to a Colombian drug cartel. It isn't long before Chili wants to get into the movie business and, having retrieved the $300,000 is looking to invest it in Zimm's next project, he is also getting involved with an actress and trying to help get a leading actor to play the protagonist.When written down the plot seems a bit convoluted but when watching it all makes sense. The story is told with flair; it is fun and provides lots of laughs without the humour seeming forced It also contains lots of entertaining characters. The cast includes lots of well-known faces; John Travolta is on fine form as Chili and is ably supported by Gene Hackman as Zimm; Rene Russo, as love interest Karen Flores; Danny DeVito as film star Martin Weir; Dennis Farina as Miami mobster Ray 'Bones'; Delroy Lindo as LA gangster Bo Catlett and James Gandolfini as his enforcer 'Bear'. There is lots of sharp dialogue delivered in a way that makes the characters feel real rather than becoming caricatures. There is some violence but the way it occurs is more comical then upsetting. Overall I'd recommend this for anybody looking for a slick film with gangsters, assorted wannabes that has a gentle poke at Hollywood and provides more than enough laughs.

seymourblack-1 Crime, comedy and action are brilliantly blended together in this fine thriller that has a lot of fun, mainly at the expense of Hollywood's movie makers. Its complicated plot illustrates how easily a mobster adjusts to the world of movies where, for obvious reasons, he instinctively anticipates the kinds of problems that an aspiring producer might encounter. His story is littered with numerous subplots that are richly entertaining and a variety of characters whose eccentricities are a great source of dark humour. What really illuminates the whole undertaking though, is its punchy dialogue that's witty, sharp and full of wisecracks.Miami loan shark, Chili Palmer (John Travolta) is instructed by Mafia boss Ray "Bones" Barboni (Dennis Farina) to track down a local dry cleaner who tried to avoid repaying a hefty loan by faking his own death. After speaking to the dry cleaner's wife, Chili establishes that Leo Devoe (David Paymer) is actually still alive and has gone to Las Vegas. In Vegas, a casino boss confirms that Leo had been there but had since moved on to Los Angeles. Knowing that Chili's next stop would be L.A., the casino boss then hires him to recover $150,000 that he's owed by a Hollywood movie producer who ran out on his debt after a recent gambling session.Chili breaks into the house where B-movie producer Harry Zimm (Gene Hackman) is in bed with his girlfriend Karen Flores (Rene Russo) and watches TV until Zimm comes downstairs to investigate. During their conversation, Zimm agrees to repay his gambling debt within a reasonable time and Chili, who's a film buff, pitches a story for a movie that's based on Leo Devoe's exploits. Zimm doesn't believe the story would have enough commercial appeal but has another script called "Mr Lovejoy" which is so good that if made and released, could elevate him to the A-list of producers. Chili is desperate to be a part of the project and so offers to help Zimm by relieving the pressure he's under from his creditors and helping with his efforts to get top film star Martin Weir (Danny DeVito) on board. Karen is an actress who's featured in a number of Zimm's monster movies but more importantly, as Weir's ex-wife, she comes in useful for helping to get him involved.Things seem to be going well when Weir makes it clear that he's favourably impressed by the script because his involvement would make it relatively easy to attract the $500,000 investment that would be needed to make the movie. Problems arise, however, when Ray Barboni comes to L.A. to recover the money he's owed by Devoe and volatile drug dealer Bo Catlett (Delroy Lindo) also arrives to collect the $200,000 he invested with Zimm to make a movie which never went into production because Zimm gambled the cash away in Las Vegas.The star-studded cast of "Get Shorty" bring huge energy, flair and colour to the wonderful characters that they play and deliver their fast-talking dialogue with great panache. Danny DeVito (as the title's Shorty), Dennis Farina, Gene Hackman and Delroy Lindo all stand out in their roles but John Travolta ultimately carries the movie because his special combination of toughness, coolness and charm makes Chili Palmer both believable and immensely likable. Director Barry Sonnenfeld also deserves great credit for bringing such clarity and pace to a plot which is both complex and character-heavy.

sol- Sent to Hollywood to collect a debt, a film-obsessed mobster seizes on an opportunity to become a movie producer himself in this star-studded crime comedy populated by some truly kooky characters. Dennis Farina is especially memorable as a fellow mobster who keeps getting scarred by the protagonist, but the film is most propelled by the charisma that John Travolta brings to the lead role, constantly telling others to look directly at him in an intimidating manner. Travolta's love of cinema is a nice touch too with a great scene in which he watches 'Touch of Evil', quoting the dialogue word for word, and some funny business as 'Rio Bravo' and 'El Dorado' are confused. Travolta also offers an interesting comment on 'Touch of Evil', claiming that "sometimes you do your best work when you have a gun to your head". It is worth mentioning that this is a film that works better the second time round. The one-joke nature of the premise is disappointing at first with the very blatant comparison drawn between Hollywood producers and mobsters never all that funny, but there is a lot more to the film than just that and a second viewing helps to appreciate how well everything flows. Whatever the case, the film is engaging whenever focused on the gangster-like elements of filmmaking, Gene Hackman is very effective as a timid producer caught up in the mess and the ending (if not wholly original) is pitch perfect.

Predrag Through the course of the movie, parallels are drawn that depict the Hollywood work ethic as being similar to the type of mob work Chili is involved with. These amusing comparisons play themselves throughout the film, with classically stereotyped roles by an outstanding cast that range from the slimy director/producer to the Colombian drug-lord. In fact, it is the characters and the dialogue between these characters that make the movie outstanding. There is Chili Palmer (John Travolta), arguably one of the last true gangsters in the old tradition, whose speech and actions are undeniably cool and cutting. As a contrast to Chili, there is his boss, Ray Bones (Dennis Farina), who is a curt, abrasive character that is always looking for a way to one-up whoever he is dealing with. He is the type of person that wields more power than he actually possesses, creating several memorable scenes between his laughable character and Chili's perpetual coolness. Then there is the slimy director, Harry Zimm (Gene Hackman), a second rate director of B horror movies, whose interactions with Chili show us a less professional view of Hollywood. There is also the pompous, egocentric actor Martin Weir (Danny De Vito), who makes us laugh at the lifestyle of the Hollywood star. All of the characters in Get Shorty show us an amusing side of Hollywood that is simultaneously paying homage to and poking fun at movies.There are two problems with this movie. While I did find the storyline entertaining, I did find it extremely confusing to keep up with the specific "details" of the story - namely who is who and who did what. Perhaps this traces back to the original Elmore Leonard novel for which this book is based on. I usually prefer my films at a "simpler" level - and I think that would have helped this story. The other problem is that I found the ending to be weak. While I think this movie does a very good job at not "dragging out" the ending, I ultimately found the ending a bit anti-climatic. It was an ultimate let-down to a movie that despite the confusing "details" of the plot, does provide an entertaining edge. All in all, this is a very well made movie. The actors are wonderful, the homage paid to prior films of it's ilk are subtle, yet, crafted skillfully, and the cinematography and music perfectly compliment the film flow and style.Overall rating: 8 out of 10.