Get Shorty

REVIEW
A thoroughly entertaining, hip and refreshing gangster comedy which takes aim at Hollywood and its players. Travolta gives a scintillating performance as Chili Palmer, a low-level but self-assured Miami mobster whose debt collection assignment takes him to Hollywood. An acknowledged film buff, Chili is soon pitching a movie deal to sleazy producer Harry Zimm (a hilarious Hackman) rather than collecting his debt. In an ever-spiraling comedic vortex of industry machinations, Chili becomes involved with Zimm's leading lady (Russo), a pretentious star (DeVito), a rival gangster (Lindo), and a Miami gangland boss (Farina in a wonderfully antic performance) out for revenge. Based on the novel by Elmore Leonard, Get Shorty is smart, cynical and fabulously funny; its satire goes for the jugular in the most unexpected and gratifying ways.