Palmetto

This slick thriller is entertaining from start to finish. Harrelson plays Harry Barber an ex con who is lured by mega rich temptress Rhea Malroux (Elizabeth Shue) in to helping set up a straight forward bogus kidnap scheme involving her stepdaughter Odette (Chloe Sevigny) It seems simple, he can earn a lot of money for doing very little. As the plot thickens Harry finds out that things, and people, are not what they seem and that is where the trouble begins. Harrelson is convincing in the lead and Sevigny is very good as the rich kid, although Elizabeth Shue tends to overact her part. The biggest crime in this film is that of Gina Gershon, who seems wasted in a weak role as Harry's girlfriend. The film on a whole is good though, and because of this you can almost forgive a 'Batman' style ending!

Apart from one central problem (Elisabeth Shue certainly has the body, but not the inherent tough-girl attitude her role requires; in other words, she's miscast), I personally cannot understand how anyone can claim to be a mystery fan and not like this movie. Absorbing storytelling (which takes its time), some tense moments (the body in the car trunk) and many great, totally unpredictable surprises that even the most hardened genre buffs will not guess. Riveting and interesting from beginning to end. (***)

It is very entertaining and mesmerizing, nevertheless. Elizabeth Shue is hilarious as the deranged femme fatale.

It falls apart in some places so fight the inclination to overanalyze and enjoy.

I saw this film for the second time yesterday and i enjoyed it just as much as the first time. It has everything a black thriller needs. Good plot, with a lot of plot twists, interesting scenes, great characters, and good acting (Woody Harrelson is really good as an ex-convict getting involved in a fake kidnapping). Still the action is slow in many moments. Very good ending. Vote: 7 out of 10.

I think that "Palmetto" is going to be a cult movie some years from now. It has been clearly underrated. It is "noir", although located in sunny places. It has a sort of kinship relation with George Stevens' A Place in the Sun. And it has a quite good Woody Harrelson in the leading role. Sweat plays more than a role in the plot: characters are sweating all the time (mainly Harry Barber), for different reasons. May be that's why some people dislike it.