Palmetto

I think this is one of those modern-day film noirs (neo noir) that went under the radar. It is excellent, and few people know about it. It's a very underrated film.

It had an interesting and unpredictable story with some very neat twists which a good noir might have. I'm not really sure I liked the very ending, but I sure enjoyed the rest of it. That entertainment included ogling a couple of sexy female leads, played by Elisabeth Shue and Chloe Sevigny and I loved the wonderful colors in this movie. Not only was the cinematography great, so was the soundtrack with some solid blues tracks. The guitar playing reminded me of the Ry Cooder's work in "Midnight Run."

The movie was labeled by some national critics as a "poor man's 'Body Heat.'" Well, that's fine with me because I liked "Body Heat" a lot, too. If you liked that, you should like this movie, too.

Yes, there are a few holes in the story but nothing that damaged the storyline to any degree. Woody Harrelson was good in the lead and Gina Gershon and Michael Rapaport provided solid performance in supporting roles.

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!

The color photography is all that'll keep you from thinking it's the late 1940s and you're watching grade B film noir. All the ingredients are there, including (1) a dumb sucker being set up to take the big fall for the femme fatale (2) the related crime which turns out to be far more serious than the protagonist first suspects, (3) the protagonist's voice-over reminding viewers that he is indeed that dumb, and (4) one or two too many plot twists.

Yes, "Palmetto" has them all, and for good measure is set in a hot, wet, sweaty Florida-in-summer locale. The problem is that the plot is a little over blown, the dialogue not nearly as crisp as it should be, not very well directed, and consequently the usually excellent cast seems to have mailed this one in. If you like the genre, or really dig one of the actors, rent it. Otherwise, look for something else.

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.

Although the characters lack credibility (it seems like every single woman in the history, all of them gorgeous, is dying to get into the underwear of the main male character as a matter of urgency).

Nevertheless the plot is unusual and nothing is what it looks. All seems like a normal thriller in which the roles of everybody are the typical ones but the surprises that unfold in the last minutes make it a watchable twist around a theme many times explored before.

The superb luscious ladies and the unusual plot make it a good watch,