The Blu-ray Get Shorty: Collector’s Edition is a great way to step back in time with a cast that does the Elmo Leonard’s book justice. Under the direction of Barry Sonnenfeld, the actors include; John Travolta, Gene Hackman, Rene Russo and Danny Devito. But it doesn’t stop there because the support characters are on the short list of the who’s who in acting. The mob comedy flows from the opening scene until the revealing ending. And, this Blu-ray is loaded with special bonus features and was remastered with a 4K HD scan.
The film opens on Miami Beach at a restaurant where mobster hit man Ray “Bones” Barbone (Dennis Farina) jibes loan shark Chili Palmer (John Travolta) about his name after a comment on how cold it’s been in Florida. Later when Chili gets up to leave he finds out that Ray has taken his leather coat. He goes to his apartment and breaks Ray’s nose. Ray goes to Chili’s office and another incident occurs whereby they are now totally at odds with each other. When Chili finds himself in mafia’s no man’s land he takes off to LA where he gets the idea that he can become a big movie producer. So begins a hilarious story that starts Chilli on the road to romance and fame, but not far enough that the Miami mob can’t find him.
Director Barry Sonnenfeld (The Adams Family, Big Trouble, Men in Black) gathers a great cast and puts together a spoof on Hollywood and the mob. It’s a fun film with a lot of craziness and even a romantic angle to boot. I like how he gives his actors freedom to adlib and use the accents the “mob” uses to up the comedy. He pulls off some good surprises as well that you do not see coming and uses some good coaches for the unexpected “punch”lines. He moves his film along at a fast pace leaving no time for a yawn or a potty break, but being on home video, you can just press pause.
It’s great to see Travolta in a role like this because he gets a chance to ham up his heritage. He holds his accent throughout and also embellishes it a bit in some scenes adding a little unexpected laughter. His performance here earned him a Best Actor Golden Globe as well as many other accolades including the Best Actor honors from the Southeastern Film Critics Association for which this writer is a member.
My favorite girl Rene Russo takes a crack at being actress Karen Flores who has had to spend her career in B horror flicks and you can see her frustration. When she meets Chili, at first it’s more of a “who the hell does he think he is” until she realizes she may get ahead with a little more sugar and spice. She does lights every scene she’s in and even steals a few.
BONUS FEATURES
The Blu-ray disc has about an hour plus special extras, most of which are very good.
“Look At Me” Author of Get Shorty, Elmo Leonard, talks about his book and Director Barry Sonnenfeld, John Travolta and others chime in about their role in the making of the movie.
“Wiseguys and Dolls” Barry Sonnenfeld, Screenwriter Scott Frank, Danny DeVito, Rene Russo and other stars talk about their roles.
“Going Again!” Director Barry Sonnenfeld talks about a special scene he liked in Get Shorty.
“Get Shorty Party Reel” quick clips, goofs and outtakes while making the film
“Page-to-screen of Get Shorty” Peter Gallagher talks hosts Bravo’s show and features Elmo Leonard on Get Shorty, and Director Barry Sonnenfeld gives an interesting opinion of this finished work..
“Vignettes” features Director Barry Sonnenfeld and Producer Danny DeVito talking about their part in being involved with the film.
“The Grave Yard Scene” Ben Stiller explains how they did the scene and Gene Hackman chimes in. He then explains why they pulled it from the movie.
“Audio Commentary by Director Barry Sonnenfeld”
Get Shorty has been Rated R by the MPAA for language and some violence. There’s a number of sexual comments and innuendoes as well, so beware of this when allowing immature family members to see the film.
FINAL ANALYSIS: A very good walk down memory lane. (4 out of 5 Stars)
Specifications and additional video information:
Starring: John Travolta, Renee Russo, Gene Hackman, Danny DeVito
Directed by: Barry Sonnenfeld
From a book by: Elmo Leonard (3:10 to Yuma, Jackie Brown)
Genre: Comedy, Crime
Running Time: 1 hr. 45 min.
MPAA Rating: Rated R for language and some violence
Original Theatrical Release: October 20, 1995
Video Release Date: October 23, 2018
Language: English
Reviewed Format: Blu-ray
Audio: DTS-HD 5.1
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 1.85:1
Subtitles: English SDH
Number of Discs: 1 Disc
Distributed by: Shout Factory
Released Formats: Blu-ray
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
