Saturday Night at Market Chess Cinemas

If Pulp Fiction (1994) marked John Travolta’s resurgence as a major Hollywood actor after falling into oblivion in the wake of Saturday Night Fever (1977), then his performance in Get Shorty (1995) the following year left no doubt that his swagger had returned. This is easily one of the most memorable, fun, ensemble casts in recent memory, even if the film is over twenty-years old now.

Based on the great Elmore Leonard’s novel of the same name, Get Shorty is mostly style, and the substance is fun enough to make this an easy view. You can tell that the cast and crew had a blast filming this, with Director Barry Sonnenfeld’s trademark blend of sharp dialogue and quirky tough guys.

The cast is absolutely loaded, with a drop-dead Rene Russo in her prime, Gene Hackman playing against type as a goofy Hollywood producer, Danny DeVito as, well, Danny DeVito, Dennis Farina as the unforgettable “Ray Bones,’ and a pre-Sopranos James Gandolfini to boot.

The soundtrack is perfectly done for this genre, a black comedy that never gets too dark.