A decade after Chili Palmer made the movie business his business, he's back again - but this time it's the American music industry he wants to play to his tune.

He takes feisty young singer Linda Moon (Christina Milian) under his wing after he sees her being mistreated by music mogul Raji (Vaughn).

The only trouble is she's still contracted to Raji and his dodgy sidekick Nick Carr (Harvey Keitel)... and they've no intention of letting her go.

To complicate matters he's keen on music industry widow Edie Athens, whose husband he witnessed being shot by the Russian mafia.

Just to make things interesting, Edie's dead hubbie's bankrupt record company owed $300,000 to top producer Sin LaSalle (Cedric the Entertainer).

Get Shorty was one of those cracking little films that came out of nowhere to become lodged high up the list of critics' top tens in 1995.

While by no means a disaster, this ain't going to repeat that feat. F Gary Gray (director) and Peter Steinfeld (script) may have also based their screenplay on an Elmore Leonard novel... but they are not Barry Sonnenfeld and Scott Frank.

Travolta - who has lost so much weight he looks like Ray Liotta - still lends unperturbable Chili his coolly wry worldview and Thurman looks like she's having fun as his moll.

It's also three cheers for The Rock who gamely plays against his Stallone-style rep as a gay bodyguard desperate to break into the movies.

And full marks for squeezing out every comedy moment he's on screen to Vince Vaughn as an Ali G-style honky with the patter of a South Central gangsta.

There's cameo's from Aerosmith's Steve Tyler, who ably demonstrates why he left the acting career to his daughter Liv.

So there's plenty to be getting on with. It does, however, lack the original's something-out-of-nowhere thrill while marking Travolta's rehabilitation after Pulp Fiction.

If you can't Get Shorty... then Be Cool.

Tim Evans