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What’s the Story?

Reviewed by Will Fertman

Miami loan shark Chili Palmer (John Travolta) tries to avoid violence and just get the job done. But when his patron Mafioso has a heart attack, he ends up working for a brute (Dennis Farina). As it turns out, his patron didn't die after all, and has skipped Miami with three hundred thousand dollars' worth of settlement money. Chili tracks him to L.A., where he takes a side job squeezing a small-time movie director (Gene Hackman). Soon, Chili sees an opportunity to go clean and leave it all behind. He becomes a producer, using his special talents to create guaranteed blockbusters. He's still got to settle things with his old boss though, a new mobster (Delroy Lindo), and convince Danny DeVito (playing himself) to work on the film.

Is It Any Good?

4

Get Shorty is a tight, funny crime story that mature teenagers and their families may enjoy, provided they can stand some blood. The film never gets bogged down in the complicated plot. Instead, it takes a number of talented actors and lets them run with some juicy characters.

Pretty much everyone in the movie has got a funny bit, and Travolta has good chemistry with Rene Russo, who plays a scream queen also yearning for something better. Parents should know that the level of violence in the film is pretty high, and not recommended for younger or more squeamish viewers.

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