Loanshark Chili Palmer (Travolta) has been a gangster for as long as he can remember. When he heads to Hollywood to collect on a gambling debt from a washed-up filmmaker (Hackman), Palmer dives eagerly into the Hollywood scene.

Soon, he’s romancing a “B” movie starlet (Russo), schmoozing the film star (Devito) and making the scene at the hottest Hollywood restaurants. His transformation to big-shot producer nearly complete, Chili just needs to extricate himself from the mob scene and the drug smugglers and other mobsters that are hot on his trail.

Making it in this town can be murder!