Get Shorty (film)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Get Shorty | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Directed by | Barry Sonnenfeld |
| Produced by | Danny DeVito, Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher |
| Written by | Scott Frank |
| Starring | John Travolta Gene Hackman Rene Russo Danny DeVito |
| Distributed by | MGM/UA Distribution Co. |
| Release date(s) | October 20, 1995 |
| Running time | 105 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $30,250,000 |
| IMDb profile | |
A 1995 film, Get Shorty, based on the novel of the same name, was directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and starred John Travolta as Chili Palmer, Gene Hackman as Harry Zimm, Rene Russo as Karen Flores, Delroy Lindo as Bo Catlett, Dennis Farina as Ray "Bones" Barboni, James Gandolfini as Bear (Catlett's muscle man), David Paymer as Leo and Danny DeVito as Martin Weir. The plot remained very true to the book although some minor details were changed.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Chili Palmer (John Travolta) is a shylock (a loan shark) in Miami who has an unusual fan interest in classic and B-movie cinema. After lunch, at a restaurant in Miami, Chili is told by the restaurant manager his expensive leather jacket was "borrowed" by another local rival mobster, Ray "Bones" Barboni (Dennis Farina). Chili promptly tracks down Ray Bones at his house, and breaks his nose, and grabs his jacket. Unfortunately, Chili's top boss in New York, Momo, soon dies of a heart attack - leaving Chili under the thumb of a vindictive Ray Bones, who quickly takes advantage of the situation and orders Chili to collect a large shylock debt from a "dead man" Leo DeVoe (David Paymer) or his widow.
When Chili visits Leo's "widow" in Miami, she soon tells him that Leo is not actually dead. It turns out that Leo boarded an airline flight, but impatiently stepped off the plane to drink at the bar while the plane was being repaired on the tarmac. Later when the airplane crashed, Leo was assumed dead and his wife was issued $300,000 in life insurance. She tells Chili that Leo took the money and left for Las Vegas, where he has been winning big.
In Las Vegas, Chili learns from a casino manager that Leo has since traveled to Los Angeles. The casino manager in Vegas (Bobby Slaton) asks Chili to seek out a L.A. B-movie producer named Harry Zimm (Gene Hackman) while in L.A., as Harry owes the casino money. Chili obliges, and he travels to L.A. Tracking down Harry Zimm, he talks to Harry about his casino debt. Chili tells Harry why he's there and Harry agrees to pay back the casinos' money in 60 days. With the business talk omplete, Chili pitches a partial movie idea to Harry: an plot about a Miami shylock chasing a scamming businessman to L.A. (This is actually his own movie story, happening at that very time. It's clear that Chili, a big time movie fan, would like to get involved in the film industry.) Harry is interested in the film concept, but soon relates a problem involving the dangerous Bo Catlett, a movie investor and drug dealer. Chili soon finds Leo living in a first class hotel. Chili takes Leo's stolen insurance money, but does not inform Ray Bones of the money collection.
Catlett (Delroy Lindo), the man involved with drug deals who's also an investor in B-movies, is coming to see Harry, as Harry is supposed to be working on a movie with Bo. In a subplot, Catlett himself is also in a jam: owing a mobster drug money, Catlett tried to pay back the money by sending the mobster's nephew Yayo Portillo to a bag of cash in an airport locker - a location that was clearly being watched by federal drug agents. Knowing he could not pick up the money without getting caught, Yayo threatens Catlett he will tell the police about him, and in response, Catlett shoots him.
When Catlett visits Harry to see how the new movie is going and talk of future investments, Chili is present and tells Catlett that Harry will make their movie when he can, and that threatening Harry to hurry will only lead to trouble. Now being at odds over Harry's tardy film making, it becomes apparent that Chili and Catlett are rival wannabe movie producers who both want to break into the business and need Harry to help them do it.
Chili becomes attracted to Karen Flores Rene Russo, who we learn was once a promising actress but now mainly finds work in low-budget horror films, much like the cheap ones Harry makes. Catlett tries to woo Harry, saying he will offer him 550 grand if he cuts ties with Chili and insteads co-produces all new movies with him. Catlett's production start-up money is in an airport locker and gives Harry the key. (This is the same locker under surveillance earlier.) When Harry tells of this proposal, Chili immediately recognizes it as a set-up and takes the key to see for himself. Around this time, Chili fends off an attack from Catlett's bodyguard, Bear (James Gandolfini). After talking reasonably with Bear, (a professional stuntman), Chili tries to persuade him that Catlett is a boss unworthy of his services.
Meanwhile, Chili believes he can get his "shylock movie" (his own story) made faster if he gets famous actor Martin Weir , (Danny DeVito) to star. Using his new connection (Karen Flores-Martin Weir's ex wife), Chili meets with Weir and pitches him the idea. Weir is immediately intrigued with the project. Later that same night Harry's is still in need of movie money and drunkenly telephones Ray Bones in Miami, rudely asking him to come out and meet with him. Ray Bones comes to L.A., but not for a movie investment, but to find Chili Palmer, Leo, and his money. Ray Bones soon violently beats Harry, and Harry is sent to the hospital to have his jaw wired. Chili and Karen's romance has blossomed, but the happiness almost ends when Catlett arrives at Karen's house in the middle of the night, exactly as Chili did before to Harry Zimm. Catlett kidnaps Karen and demands Chili bring the money owed to him (as he desperately needs it to pay off the major drug dealer, the uncle of Yayo Portillo. Yayo's uncle Portillo has arrived from Mexico looking for his nephew, who Bo has killed.Chili goes to to Bo's, saves Karen and turns over the demanded money. Reneging on their deal, Catlett says he will kill them both. Bear betrays Catlett and kills him, saving Chili and Karen. Chili now has the money, and Karen at his side.
Meanwhile,after flying in from Miami,Ray Bones tracks down Chili at his hotel and demands Leo's money. Searching Chili's pockets, he finds the airport locker key and Chili hints the money is at the airport, and Bones heads there to pick up the cash.
Ray Bones arrives at the airport,opens the locker, with police confronting him instantly. This scene blends into a fictional one, filmed on a movie set with actor Harvey Keitel in the role of Ray Bones while Martin Weir is the shylock. With Chili's "story" now complete, the movie - with Weir - is being made into a film. Chili, Karen are producers,and Harry is teh directorall act as producers, while Bear is a technical consultant. They all leave the set at the end of a day, happy with their successful film project and new lives.
[edit] Novel vs. Film
In the novel, Palmer and Flores attempt to woo Weir in a nightclub, whilst in the movie they visit his house. In the movie there is an additional confrontation between Zimm and Bones which results in Zimm getting a concussion and being accused of killing a partner of Catlett's, whom Bones shot when he walked in on the altercation; this is excluded from the novel. The ending is also slightly different.
The novel Be Cool, published in 1999, is a sequel to Get Shorty. Production began in 2003 to turn it into a motion picture, which was released on March 4, 2005.
[edit] Trivia
- Travolta originally turned down the picture, until he got a call from Quentin Tarantino asking him to "read the book". Travolta read the book and realized many of the best parts had been paraphrased. He then requested for them to add those parts back into the screenplay, and Travolta signed up thereafter.
- Early in the movie, actor Alex Rocco appears as the gangster Jimmy Cap in an uncredited cameo role. Throughout the scene he is being massaged by two women while he holds a pair of thick glasses in his hand and a small tattoo is visible on his right arm. This is a throwback to a similar scene in The Godfather where Alex Rocco, this time playing the role of Moe Greene, is being massaged in the exact same pose just before a hitman enters and shoots him in the eye (a form of execution later referred to as the Moe Greene Special).
- Director Barry Sonnenfeld has a cameo as the Beefeater doorman who opens the
limousine door for Leo DeVoe at the high class hotel.
- Harvey Keitel has a cameo as Ray Bones (played by Dennis Farina throughout the film) in the film at the end of the film. Coincidentally, Keitel would play Jack Crawford in the film Red Dragon, a part originated by Farina in the film Manhunter.
- Harry Zimm makesGene Hackman reference in a telephone conversation about an actor who will only work one night shoot during a production. He is referring to Gene Hackman who has it written in his contracts he'll only shoot one night during a production.
- While there may be no official connection between their characters, Harvey Kietel (playing music producer Nick Carr in the sequel Be Cool) has a cameo at the end of Get Shorty as the actor playing Ray Bones for the filming of Get Leo.
[edit] External links
