Hey, psssst! You ever hear the one about the guy who fakes his own death to dodge his debts? Well, loan shark Chili Palmer has. And in this "funny, cryptic and compelling winner" (Playboy), Chili not only tracks the guy down, but also uses him in a scheme that'll set the world on fire! Here's how it goes down: Chili (John Travolta) squeezes Miami lowlifes for a living but dreams of making it in the movies. So when he comes to Hollywood, he attempts to schmooze filmmaker Harry Zimm (Gene Hackman), star Martin Weir (Danny DeVito) and B-movie queen Karen Flores (Rene Russo) into filming the story of his last "debt collection." Can this mobster-turned-mogul pull it off? If the tricks of the film trade are the same ones used in loansharking (i.e., intimidation, fear and deceit)... then, you bet!