Palmetto Movie Review 1998

Contempo-noir that misses the mark has bitter ex-con Harry (Harrelson) partnered with seductress Rhea (Shue) in a phony kidnapping of her step-daughter Odette (Sevigny). Newly released from the joint after a rotten frame-up job, Harry is lured back by ex Nina (Gershon), to the backwater town that sent him up, where he once again winds up in trouble as all three women go to work on him. Originality and character development go AWOL, as the normally adept Harrelson flounders for an identity alongside Shue's broad characterization of a vamp who teeters on high heels and the brink of satire. Feels like Tennessee Williams as written by Joe Eszterhas. From Rene Raymond's (a.k.a. James Hadley Chase) novel, "Just Another Sucker."

Distribution

Warner Home Video, Inc., 5775 Linder Canyon Rd., Westlake Village, CA 91362, URL: http://whv.warnerbros.com, Remarks: Does not handle retail queries from consumers; contact your local video distributor.

Available on VHS, DVD
Running time 114 minutes.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Crime Drama, Contemporary Noir, Frame-Ups, Scams, Stings & Cons, Femme Fatale, Romantic Triangles, Florida, Ex-Cons

Screenplay

E. Max Frye

Cast

Angela Featherstone, Woody Harrelson, Elisabeth Shue, Michael Rapaport, Gina Gershon, Chloe Sevigny, Rolf Hoppe, Tom Wright

Cinematography

Thomas Kloss

Director

Volker Schlondorff

Music

Klaus Doldinger