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 true to the Elmore Leonard book except for a few minor details.
The film was followed by the sequel Be Cool in 2005.
Some guys get all the luck, whether they like it or not. Chili Palmer (John Travolta) happens to be in Hollywood collecting a gambling debt when he's struck by lightning (not literally). Called a natural for the movie business, he's snagged up by a producer. The rest is history. Written by Joshua Davis
Chili Palmer, a Miami mobster, loan-sharks for Ray Bones, a violent thug with a big chip on his shoulder. Ray sends Chili to Vegas after a bad debt, and a casino boss enlists Chili to find an even bigger deadbeat: Harry Zimm, Hollywood player and producer of low-budget horror films. In Tinseltown, Chili meets Harry, as well as his scream- queen leading lady, Karen Flores; Harry's drug-dealing financier, Bo Catlett; and Karen's ex, Martin Weir (aka "Shorty"), a big star with an ego to match. Chili finds his Mafioso skills lend themselves quite nicely to what he's always really wanted to do: producing movies. Written by Marty Cassady
