Get Shorty review 14.08.2007 Matt's Movie Reviews

Hollywood and gangsters have always been a good mix, so why should their worlds be any different? Both use fear and intimidation to reach their inhibitions of greed and power and usually use creative means to do so. Get Shorty, a film directed by Barry Sonnenfeld (based on the novel by Elmore Leonard) asks this very question with its lead character Chili Palmer (John Travolta) acting as a conduit between both worlds.
Chili is a Miami loan shark who works for Ray 'Bones' Barboni (Dennis Farina).Tracking down an overdue debt which sends him to Las Vegas, Chili is asked by a casino boss to go to Hollywood and collect from Harry Zimm (Gene Hackman) a B-grade horror director. Once in Hollywood Chili starts to get a feel for the place and decides to become a movie producer with Zimm's scream queen leading lady Karen Flores (Rene Russo),only to find out that life as a movie producer isn't that different to life as a wise guy.
An excellent choice to follow up Pulp Fiction, Travolta plays a great tough guy bringing the intimidating presence needed but also pulling off the child like enthusiasm his character has towards cinema. The touching scene where he is in a cinema watching Touch of Evil contains some of the best acting Travolta has ever done.
Other highlights are Gene Hackman as Harry Zimm, a B-grade horror director who is a royal screw up and out of his league and Danny De Vito, taking the piss out of method actors (with Dustin Hoffman being the main influence) with hilarious results. Rene Russo, Delry Lindo, James Gandolphini , the always solid Dennis Farina and Bette Midler in a small yet memorable role round out an excellent cast.
Scott Frank provides a great adaptation with the film never drowning in the numerous sub plots, the dialogue is sharp and witty and the tone is pitch perfect. A very good Hollywood satire and one of Travolta's finest.