Jackie Spoiler

Jackie Spoiler
A Novel By

Todd Van Buskirk

Liver Pizza Press 2011

Liver Pizza Press

tevanbuskirk@gmail.com Book design by Todd Earl Winkels Van Buskirk
Copyright 2011 Todd Earl Winkels Van Buskirk All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.

ISBN-13: 978-1468025729 ISBN-10: 1468025724

For Troy

Jackie Soiler

Reviews & Ratings for Jackie Brown

not pulp fiction 2, but great in it's own right, 30 December 1999

Author: frizzlefry-2 from roanoke va if you go into watching jackie brown expecting pulp fiction 2 you might be disappointed. but it you watch it as it's own movie it is equally as good as pulp fiction, just a different type of movie. a lot of people have complained that this movie was too long and bloated. (a lot of those same people claim armageddon is a fantastic movie, yeah right!) i thought that it gave the character's room to expand and contract with the scene and i felt during most of the movie that i was watching people who actually could very well exist. that's a testament to how great all the actors are in this film. highly recommended.

Could have been better, 22 December 1999 Author: ary luiz dalazen jr. (ajr@fortalnet.com.br) from Fortaleza, Cear, Brazil This surprising adaptation of Elmore Leonard's novel Rum Punch marked a new phase in Quentin Tarantino's career. 9

Without the agile rhythm, the nervous and accelerated edition nor the comic and brutal characters that consecrated his previous works, Tarantino delivers a contained film, centered in the excellent cast's performance (led by two veteran actors who, although famous during the seventies, were in frank decadence, Pam Grier and Robert Forster).Robert De Niro is excellent as a cruel and merciless murderer, and in spite of having few lines and time on the screen, he should have been reminded by the Academy for this performance (the scene in which he kills Bridget Fonda is memorable) . The same can be said about Samuel L. Jackson, who plays with generous doses of humor and meanness the dangerous trafficker. Over all, Jackie Brown is a modest and curious entertainment, but that could have been better.

Pretty good but compared to Tarantino's first two movies..., 25 November 1999

Author: Marso from Portland, OR Tarantino, a master of dialogue, didn't blow me away with this one. Grier is great as Jackie Brown and a couple of those inevitable "hits" done by Jackson's character were brutal but unresistable to watch. I tried for an hour to stay with this slowmoving caper but I did not succeed. De Niro is totally wasted in this film and the ending was very dull. I didn't expect a Reservoir Dogs shoot em' up but come on. The soundtrack was great and the old school elements were great. That's all. 6.5/10

hot damn, this flick is good!, 12 November 1999 10

Author: Domino effect Many might disagree with me, but in some ways "Jackie Brown" is better than 1994's "Pulp Fiction". It is unfair to compare the two when in reality they are two totally different films. Sure, both have the Tarantino-esque style, but similarities end there. I felt "Jackie Brown" was a terrific film that really took Pam Grier back to her roots of the '70's blaxploitation pictures. Everyone here turns in a good performance especially Grier and Forster. I liked how a romantic relationship surfaced between the two. One thing that really bothered me was De Niro's character. He was just too dumb, and turned me off a bit. Otherwise this is a great movie and probably one of the best of the late '90's.

the most underrated film ever, 9 November 1999

Great, but not Pulp Fiction, 23 May 1999

Author: scarface-19 Tarantino strikes again. His masterful work shows again in this movie. But, this is not Pulp Fiction. It was nominated for only one Academy Award. Tarantino must work harder to achieve perfection as he did in Pulp Fiction. Even so, it is a great film.

So slow!!!, 19 May 1999

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Author: log from Sidcup, Kent, England I loved Pulp Fiction and had just discovered the delights of Elmore Leonard and so I was looking forward to a real treat with Jackie Brown. But for me it didn't work. The richness of Elmore Leonard's characterisation, developed through the interactions of the characters in various plots and subplots was too much pared away. A lot of the humour went too. And it was so slow!! Towards the end I found myself counting the seconds during which the camera held the same position and "meaningful " glances were being exchanged, thinking of the time between lightening and thunder. But the latter never came.

NOW I understand what all the Tarantino hype is about!!!!, 18 May 1999 Author: momma-3 from United States Fantastic performance by Pam Griere, amazing soundtrack, wonderfully directed, brilliant script...One of the year's best coming from one who thought Pulp Fiction was completely overrated and Tarantino was the flavor of the month. Jackie Brown is worthy of Tarantino's praise.

Entertaining in an old fashioned way., 17 May 1999

Author: Suki Woo from Amsterdam Tarantino slows down a little and shows his skill at plotting an entertaining tale that doesn't tax your patience. Less blood and

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more characterisations than usual - let's hope that those put off by the excesses of Reservoir Dogs don't miss out on an entertaining movie more similar in genre to crime/scam 70's classics than 90's shock tactics. Helped along (as usual) by strong performances and great casting - I loved DeNiro's small but significant role in particular.

nice, methodical and character-driven., 14 May 1999 Author: Dave Taylor What a refreshing film! Jackie Brown was anything but the flashy, mile-a-minute flimmaking I've come to expect from Hollywood. This was a wonderfully done, slow and methodical crime story. I highly recommend it.

One of the best of 97, 11 May 1999

Author: John McIntyre (jjmci@aol.com) from Saginaw, MI A wonderfully done character study of five people dealing with ageing. The characters are all wonderfully human. Great acting especially from Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson and Robert Forster.

Tarantino does less stylistic flourishes and comes up with something altogether different than Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs. This is a very close adaptation of Elmore Leonard's Rum

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Punch.

I love how Tarantine sticks with long shots in his films it develops both characters and atmosphere. All in all an underrated Gem.

Routine crime story with good acting, 2 May 1999 Author: BB-15 from California Tarantino does a good job with Jackie Brown. There is action, some plot twists with cool music, quality directing and editing. I had only one problem. I recently saw Out of Sight (another film based on an Elmore Leonard novel) which was equally good in all these areas but had a much more interesting and unusual story.

With its routine plot, Jackie Brown never left me in suspense or surprised me but I still enjoyed it. I owe this to its fine performances. Pam Greer is solid in the title role as the victim calling the shots. Samuel Jackson is terrific but may I suggest please lose the strange hair (which seemed left over from Deep Space Nine). But my favorite performance is by Robert Forster. He is tough and street wise but surprisingly he is not macho at all. Other supporting roles by Michael Keaton and Bridget Fonda were just fine. The actors left me very pleased with Jackie Brown but besides that, the movie is just ok.

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Tarentino's best yet., 29 April 1999

Author: deakins-3 The star-studded, action packed, funny at times drama/action of the year is Here! Pam Grier plays an Airline Stewardess, Samuel L. Jackson gives his best performance as a gun dealer, Robert Forster is pretty good at is role as a Bail Bondsman, Bridget Fonda plays a stoned Beach Bunny, Michale J. Fox, probably the best performance in the film as a cop and Robert De-Niro as a shifty Ex-con. It's a 10!

tarentino's best!, 24 April 1999 Author: bates-5 from bates motel, haddonfield i thought this film was very very good. it wasn't that violent to attract its audience, but it had a great story. i liked how tarentino showed what each person did during the old switcharoo. he is a genius. and pam grier made a long awaited excellent performance. i recommend this film to every one who was a fan of pulp fiction. how come this wasn't nominated for best picture? this movie was excellent. don't miss it

Word Play and Gun Play: A Tarantino-Lover's Delight, 20 April 1999

Author: sschwart from Deep in the Heart of Texas

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This delightfully disrespectful adaptation of Elmore Leonard's "Rum Punch" features the return of Pam Grier to the big screen, along with Robert Forster as a stoic bail bondsman and Samuel L. Jackson recreating his signature archetypal criminal type. Set in a Los Angeles that is as metaphorically far away from Tinseltown as possible, the movie follows grizzled flight attendant Jackie Brown as she tries to rescue herself from her own troubled life. The stars shine, although Robert De Niro's one-dimensional character could have been played by a trained gorilla. Lighter than "Pulp" and "Reservoir Dogs", this movie was mislabeled as being Tarantino Lite. Rest assured that this movie features enough clever word play and gun play along with the plentiful expletives that are Tarantino hallmarks. If you tolerate Tarantino's vertigo-inducing direction and like the big screen portrayals of other Elmore Leonard works such as "Get Shorty", then you are sure to enjoy "Jackie Brown."

Author: bootsy-4 from Greenville, North Carolina It really upsets me that this film got panned the way it did. In reality it is probably Tarantino's tightest film, and most thoughtful. People went in expecting the fireworks and shock-value Tarantino's earlier films, and what they got was a very tight character study about lonely, aging people. Tarantino did a lot of growing up as an auteur with this film, and should be commended. Can't wait to see what he does with 40 Lashes.

Santa's Got a Brand New Bag and it's Empty, 20 October 1999 Author: David Lie from Singapore In the fall of 1994 "Pulp Fiction" became an overnight sensa16

tion. Critics all over hailed it as an American masterpiece--an instant classic that generated so much excitement that it immediately spawned a generation of Tarantinos and Tarantinites in its wake. In order to understand this phenomenon we need to turn our attention to the current state of the American cinema and compared it with the last three decades. In the seventies the American cinema enjoyed what is arguably its golden years when it produced such masterpieces as "McCabe & Mrs Miller", "The Godfather", "Badlands", "Chinatown", "The Godfather II", "The Conversation", "Taxi Driver", "Nashville", and "Manhattan". In the eighties the number of masterpieces dwindled to just three films. Apart from "Raging Bull" the best films were also the most underrated: "Cutter's Way" and "Dangerous Liaisons". In the nineties the American cinema declined so precipitously that the closest thing to a masterpiece, if any, was arguably Robert Altman's "The Player". So when "Pulp Fiction" opened it was not difficult to see why the public readily embraced it as a masterpiece. It was as if the American pride was at stake and that Tarantino was perhaps the man who could restore the public's faith in the cinema again. Does Tarantino really deserved this kind of attention? Maybe. But is he a major talent? I think not. Tarantino's talent is somewhat suspect when one considers just how much of his own "Reservoir Dogs" resembles Ringo Lam's "City on Fire". Was this homage or just plain theft? In "Pulp Fiction" the main characters end up pointing their pistols at each other in close proximity. This classic gun-toting mexican standoff was of course gleefully appropriated from John Woo--another favorite of the director's.

In "Jackie Brown" Tarantino, this time, turns his attention on Pam Grier and the black exploitation cinema of the seventies. But the end result of what he hopes is hip and soulful feels more like a white man's attempt to ape the moves and rhythms

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of someone black. Soul train on film it is not. "Jackie Brown" is rhythmless, sluggish, and shapeless. It is evident that he needs a more disciplined editor to trim the excess fat.

It is not that Tarantino is without talent. He certainly has a good ear for street gutter and writes dialogue that is appropriately foul, abrasive, and wickedly funny. But Tarantino's fondness for the lowlives, the B movies that he grew up on, is pure pulp not art no matter how good his craft is. His ludicrous screenplay for "From Dusk to Dawn" clearly suggests that what he truly loves is trash--which is enough to make one wonder if there is more to "Pulp Fiction" than all the clever chatter about redemption and the like. To put it another way, Tarantino is less than the artist he purports to be: he is a shrewd trickster, a consummate showman who is only too eager to dazzle us with his bag of tricks. Consider the scene in which the bag of money is switched in "Jackie Brown". Tarantino offers us three different viewpoints of this sequence but adds nothing significant to what we already know. It is an editing "trick" he had learned so well in "Pulp Fiction". But when the smoke clears it is unlikely that anyone will be gullible enough to believe that the LAPD would not arrive early to prepare their sting operation. It is the audience who will be left holding the bag. There is no doubt that when a man of Tarantino's talent decides to aim this low you can bet that he will surely hit his mark.

A quite good movie, but the worst Tarantino., 19 September 1999 Author: S.F.1014 from Hohenpeienberg, Germany

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Perhaps I'm spoiled after RESERVOIR DOGS and PULP FICTION, but I don't think this movie is something special. The Story is quite okay, but not terrific, and the actors don't really have to act, they just have to exist. JACKIE BROWN is a perfect example that even a Genius is not perfect.

Nothing to remember!

Great performances by two little seen actors., 14 September 1999

Author: dewey22 from Lahaina, Hawaii This is one of the best 1997 films. Excellent acting by all actors but especially by two actors seldom seen-Samuel Jackson & Pam Grier. The plot will keep anyone who likes cleaverness, glued in. Excellent plot,casting,directing,editing. Don't miss!!

Great movie!, 30 August 1999 Author: Kid-18 from Odessa, Ukraine This movie was directed on the basis of Elmore Leonard's novel "Rum Punch". My favourite movies which were basis of Elmore's novels are "Get shorty", "Pronto" and "Jackie Brown". I can say that this one is great! To my mind "Jackie Brown" is one of the best Tarantino's movies and Leonard's novels. Of course, this movie isn't for everyone. There are a lot

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of people who don't understand Elmore Leonard, I mean his novels. Yes, it's hard to direct movies by his novels, because the people who watch them mustn't to perceive this kind of movies too serious, but they also mustn't to perceive these movies not serious. And "Jackie Brown" concern to this sort of movies. Here's a very good plot and actors play. And only one this movie's deficiency are borring dialogues, but maybe somebody doesn't agree with me.

Probably Tarantino's best., 26 August 1999 Author: MovieAlien from az I'm not a real big fan of Quentin. Frankly, I see him as being one of the most overrated faces of Hollywood and the prince of swooping other people's ideas. That's just my opinion, but it's also many other's.

Jackie Brown was workable for its decent finale. A wrap-up which is quite different from other Tarantino movies. You came away feeling satisfied with what happens to the characters. (Each one got whatever they deserved, in a good way or a bad way depending on who they were) And unlike other Tarantino movies, the characters here were richly textured, and much more believable then the foul mouthed, Lee-Marvin luvin' thugs in the ladder.

Pam Grier makes a wonderful comeback as a Flight Attendant who is caught smuggling coke and a half a million of her boss' money. The boss is Samuel L. Jackson, who was so despisable

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and evil as the illegal arms dealer that anyone else in the movie was pixy dust. If she helps the bust, there's immunity on the deal.

Not a perfect movie, but the performances were very good. Overall, nice adaption of Elmore Leonard's "Rum Punch."

Reviews & Ratings for Jackie Brown More at IMDbPro

152 out of 178 people found the following review useful: Tarantino's sleeper. An underrated gem of a movie., 24 October 2002 Author: Infofreak from Perth, Australia Many people were disappointed with 'Jackie Brown' when it was first released as it didn't live up to their expectations created by the more flamboyant 'Reservoir Dogs' and 'Pulp Fiction'. I admit that I was one of those disappointed fans. But as the years have gone by I have come to appreciate this movie more and more, and if you deal with what it IS and not what you thought it was going to be, you'll see that it is an underrated gem of a movie. 'Jackie Brown' is much more character driven and leisurely plotted than Tarantino's previous two movies. I haven't read the Elmore Leonard novel on which it was based so I can't tell whether this was a conscious decision by Tarantino himself, or it's because of the source material, but it might be a stumbling block for those with MTV-style attention spans. 1970s crime movie buffs will find it much easier going.

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The big names in the cast like De Niro, Jackson and Fonda are all very good, but the real standout performances in this movie are by 70s blaxploitation icon Pam Grier ('Coffy', 'Foxy Brown', 'Black Mama White Mama',etc.etc.) and a revelatory one from Robert Forster. Forster back in the day showed plenty of promise in movies like 'Medium Cool' but quickly found himself stuck in b-grade exploitation movies like 'Vigilante' and 'Alligator'. Fun stuff, but hardly Oscar material. Max Cherry is the best role he has ever been given, and he is superb in it. The fascinating thing about 'Jackie Brown' for me is that Tarantino's critics accuse him of making shallow and violent selfconsciously hip crime films, but the central story of this movie concerns an inter-racial Middle Aged romance, something I haven't seen done in a believable or realistic fashion by Hollywood before. By doing this so well Tarantino shows he has much more depth, and is a much more interesting and braver film maker than his more acclaimed contemporaries. 'Jackie Brown' is a fine movie that hopefully one day will get the kudos it deserves. Don't overlook this one just because it isn't 'Pulp Fiction The Next Generation'! Many people were disappointed with 'Jackie Brown' when it was first released as it didn't live up to their expectations created by the more flamboyant 'Reservoir Dogs' and 'Pulp Fiction'. I admit that I was one of those disappointed fans. But as the years have gone by I have come to appreciate this movie more and more, and if you deal with what it IS and not what you thought it was going to be, you'll see that it is an underrated gem of a movie. 'Jackie Brown' is much more character driven and leisurely plotted than Tarantino's previous two movies. I haven't read the Elmore Leonard novel on which it was based so I can't tell whether this was a conscious decision by Tarantino himself, or it's because of the source material, but it might be a stumbling block for those with MTV-style attention spans. 1970s crime movie buffs will find it much easier going.

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The big names in the cast like De Niro, Jackson and Fonda are all very good, but the real standout performances in this movie are by 70s blaxploitation icon Pam Grier ('Coffy', 'Foxy Brown', 'Black Mama White Mama',etc.etc.) and a revelatory one from Robert Forster. Forster back in the day showed plenty of promise in movies like 'Medium Cool' but quickly found himself stuck in b-grade exploitation movies like 'Vigilante' and 'Alligator'. Fun stuff, but hardly Oscar material. Max Cherry is the best role he has ever been given, and he is superb in it. The fascinating thing about 'Jackie Brown' for me is that Tarantino's critics accuse him of making shallow and violent selfconsciously hip crime films, but the central story of this movie concerns an inter-racial Middle Aged romance, something I haven't seen done in a believable or realistic fashion by Hollywood before. By doing this so well Tarantino shows he has much more depth, and is a much more interesting and braver film maker than his more acclaimed contemporaries. 'Jackie Brown' is a fine movie that hopefully one day will get the kudos it deserves. Don't overlook this one just because it isn't 'Pulp Fiction The Next Generation'!

115 out of 136 people found the following review useful: No Fancy Fireworks needed, 5 August 1998

Author: Pluto-3 from Quebec, Canada Contrary to Pulp Fiction which had a very unusual editing and flashy situations, Jackie Brown focuses more on characters that are basically humans with very focused problems, for instance getting older which is an eminent theme tackled in the film. No one's evil in all this. They all have interestingly real personali23

ties and I felt strangely comfortable watching them talk, eat, kill and argue with each other. Tarantino is an excellent storyteller and I wish I could write dialogues as interesting as his. The film flows with a slower pace than Pulp, with all it's many streched takes and lenghty scenes, but by doing so leaves us more time to grasp the characters with all their differences. A more mature Tarantino. Still loving what he does. And he said it himself before the film came out: "This one is at a lower volume then 'Pulp.' It's not an epic, it's not an opera. It's a character study."

107 out of 130 people found the following review useful: Less showy than Pulp, but a more mature story that is just as enjoyable, 1 February 2004 Author: bob the moo from Birmingham, UK Jackie Brown is a 44 year old air hostess who also acts as a money carrier for her boss, gun dealer Ordell Robbie. When one of Ordell's other employee's is caught he is forced to kill him, however, before he can get to him the employee tells the police about Jackie and they pick her up. With Jackie facing jail or being killed by Ordell she strikes a deal with both the police and him to bring in a large stash of money. However to help her retirement she plans to play the game to her own ends.

Coming as a follow up to both Dogs and Pulp, this film was going to be the `greatest movie ever made' or it was going to be met with a critical response that seems to be a bit negative. It was the hype and hyperbole around anything baring the name Tarantino that perhaps was giving every film he did higher and 24

higher standards to meet, it is wasn't Jackie Brown that was met in this way it would have been the next film, or the next one. However the reviews were mostly good, but it did get some unfair reviews from critics who expected this to continue the upward trend. In a way I believe that this film did show Tarantino's growth as a director.

Where Pulp Fiction was dizzying in it's style and pace, Jackie Brown is much more of a mature, balanced film that is satisfying in a more traditional sense that the design of Pulp. Developed from a Leonard novel, the plot is a solid crime thriller with a good plot that still gives room for Tarantino to do some time shifting as he reveals some key scenes from different perspectives to allow us to see the bigger picture. As a story it fills the rather generous running time pretty well and is enjoyable throughout.

The film is still full of Tarantinoisms for the fans - the heavy soundtrack, the pop culture references, the witty, slick dialogue. However where the film stands out is that the characters are actually better than in his previous films where they never really went beyond the story and dialogue. Here not only are they better but they also include well-written female parts! While some of the characters are as good as they need to be within the confines of the basic crime story, it is in Jackie and Max where Tarantino has grown up a bit - although in fairness this was an adaptation rather than his own script, but he still manages them better than some of his own thin characters.

Following the praise for Pulp and Tarantino's ability to rejuve25

nate careers, he must have had no problem cherry picking for this role. Grier gives a great performance and should be grateful for the role in an industry that generally ignores middleaged women (not to mention black women!). The only thing surprising about her is how poorly she has taken this big lead role and used it to take her career on. Her performance embraces her age and uses it well, but it is Forster who gives the standout performance here. Not an actor many will be aware of apart from this film, he got an Oscar nomination for this and I think he deserved it. His performance is very low-key and quite moving - I think I will appreciate his work here more as I get older. Jackson does what is expected of him and has no real character, but his energy and skill are there to see. De Niro plays a little against type and is an interesting, but underused character. Fonda is really, really sexy and has some good lines while the rest of the cast do good work in small roles with people like Keaton, Tucker and Bowen in there.

Overall I enjoy this film and can understand why it will never be loved to the extent that Pulp was and is. However to me this is a more satisfying film with an enjoyable plot and a more traditional delivery. The development of actual good characters beyond snappy dialogue is what impressed me the most and it sadden me to see him regress about a decade into style without substance with Kill Bill Vol. One.

85 out of 105 people found the following review useful: Quentin strikes again., 2 April 2004 Author: MovieAddict2011 from UK

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Where does a director go after making two colossal worldwide hits?

"Reservoir Dogs" (1992) and "Pulp Fiction" (1994) were two of the greatest movies ever made, and they launched director Quentin Tarantino into the realm of Mainstream Hollywood Director. Most of the time, a director faced with this reality will sink into a slew of really bad movies, but so far Tarantino has been either extremely lucky or extremely talented - his third feature film, although lacking in the brutality of its predecessors, contains just as much wit. Based upon the Elmore Leonard novel "Rum Punch," it's packed with the clever dialogue that Leonard is known for in his writing. It's also got a good amount of style, too. It's not a typical Tarantino movie, but is that necessarily a bad thing? In this particular instance, no.

Jackie Brown (Pam Grier) is a flight stewardess forced into running jobs for Ordell (Samuel L. Jackson), a ruthless criminal who has no respect for life - or death, for that matter. However, during one of her smuggling efforts, a couple of FBI Agents (including Michael Keaton) nab her and offer her a deal: If she helps them get Ordell, she will be let free from custody. The Feds do not know who Ordell is, but they know he exists, and that is where Jackie comes in. She reluctantly agrees to participate in their sting operation, but all is not what it seems. And when $500,000 dollars disappears from his retirement fund, Ordell stops, thinks, and arrives upon the conclusion that we all anticipate with glee: Jackie Brown did it.

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His partner in crime, Louis (the wonderful Robert De Niro), also decides to double-cross Ordell, with the help of a sexy blonde ditz named Melanie (Bridget Fonda), The movie's twisting plot line and intersecting story lines is very reminiscent of "Pulp Fiction," and De Niro's underrated performance is a real stand-out. The movie's quite well made and enjoyable.

Don't misinterpret what I'm saying. This is no "Reservoir Dogs," nor does it want to be. It's not in the same vein as Tarantino's other movies, at least not at a superficial level. However, it is extremely entertaining, helped along by a great cast and a terrific script. The only difference here is that Tarantino did not come up with everything by himself. He adapted the screenplay from another source, something he usually doesn't do. But there's also a little-known fact that Roger Avary cowrote some of "Dogs" and "Fiction" with Tarantino, as well as sparked the idea for some of his films. Here, Quentin adapts Leonard's novel and does justice. People who say it isn't as good as his other movies because it's recycled obviously don't know what they're talking about.

Tarantino started out as a video store clerk, and is the movie buff's filmmaker. Not only does Tarantino share a deep passion for films, but he also knows what most of the real movie enthusiasts want. He has yet to disappoint me with any of his directorial efforts. His own life story would make an interesting movie, and indeed it did with "True Romance," partially based on Tarantino's own self-image of himself. (A geek working at a comic book store falls in love and goes off of an adventure into a new realm -- in Tarantino's own case, it was film-making. For Clarence, from "True Romance," it was drugs and murder.)

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Tarantino has a flair for raw energy in all of his films, and "Jackie Brown" is no exception. The movie is bursting at its edges, packed with wild antics and the occasional fierce brutality. The movie was criticized by Tarantino's die-hard fans for being too different from his other films. However, the mistake of many directors is to repeat the same formulas over and over again. One must at least give Tarantino credit for trying new things in each of his films. If anything, the only thing that Tarantino likes to insert into all his films is a large source of energy. And is that a bad thing?

4.5/5 stars.

57 out of 68 people found the following review useful: Solid film, never a dull moment, great characters, 22 October 2001

Author: rlac66 from London, England

Although different than some of Tarantino's more violent precursors, such as "Reservoir Dogs", "Pulp Fiction" and "True Romance" this is an excellent film. Where it lacks in violence however, the film makes up for in language earning it an "R"

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rating in the US. In certain scenes, I thought it Tarantino went to far with the explicit language and it seemed awkward and artificial, but that does not cast a shadow of over what I thought was an otherwise fantastic film. The editing and directing is excellent. There is good character development of the main characters, yet there is not one scene where the movie drags throughout its entire 150 minutes. I couldn't tear myself away from this movie until the very end.

Especially enjoyable is the performance by Robert Forster whose character I thought was outstanding. Max Cherry, played by Forster, is a tempered bail bondsman who cautiously handles his unscrupulous clients. One day he is approached by Ordell Robbie, played by Samuel L. Jackson, to post a bond for Jackie Brown, a middle aged flight attendant for a low cost airline who gets caught smuggling Ordell's fortune in Mexico into the US. The initial meeting between Jackie and Max sets up a relationship between these two characters on both professional and personal level and that changes Max from a methodical and business man to almost an innocent young boy with a crush. The last scene in the movie between these two characters is absolutely brilliant.

I highly recommend this film and it's fun to watch Tarantino mature as a director. The little extras littered throughout the film such as "Chick with Guns", the fabulous locations such as the Cockatoo Inn, and the excellent characters make this film well worth a view.

54 out of 65 people found the following review useful: 30

Underrated, 29 October 2004

Author: Mattias Petersson from Stockholm, Sweden Being a huge fan of Tarantinos earlier efforts Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction expectations were of course high. Especially since Jackie Brown is based on the Elmore Leonard novel "Rum Punch". And Elmore Leonards stories usually fit the big screen very well, they are actually one of the rare occasions where i usually prefer the film to the novel.

Tarantino sets a different mood here compared to the more frantic and violent Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. This is more of a slow crime story that focuses more on being cool than being shocking. I think this movie works very well despite the slow pace which seems to put a lot of people off. Mainly i think it works because the actors are all giving it their best (the casting is also excellent) while Tarantino seems to handle the whole story more gently than in Pulp Fiction. He doesn't stress it, he doesn't run the risk of over-doing the "cool" parts. The end result is enjoyable but a lot more somber than what you're used to from Tarantino.

All in all i feel this movie is underrated. It's enjoyable, well made and stylish. Recommended to those not demanding all movies to head on at breakneck speed. I rate it 7/10.

48 out of 57 people found the following review useful:

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Wtg Q..., 19 July 2005

Author: fsalvemini from CA, United States When I first heard the name of Q's next movie, Jackie Brown, I figured this would be a remake of a 70's Pam Grier blaxploitation flick (i.e- Foxy Brown). I quickly learned that this was actually an ode to the legendary Pam Grier! Loaded with possibly the best and deepest cast since True Romance, and very similar in many ways, this movie delivers on all levels. Like T.R., a combination of road trip movie (this time airborne), gangsters, comedy, druggy/pimp story, and love story molds itself into a great story. A fantastic revival for Robert Forster- who'd never been awarded the shot he deserved, as Max Cherry, our star and hero of this film. Robert's been historically type cast as a gumshoe cop in numerous roles- Mulholland Drive, South Beach, Rear Window, Me, Myself Irene, but really breaks out in this opportunity to portray a character with actual personality,integrity, wit, and passions. Hail to Robert! Fantastic deliveries from Michael Keaton who revives the Ray Nicolette character seen in Out of Sight, Bridget Fonda's transformation as the stoner surfer girl, DeNiro as the shifty ex-con, Samuel J as the untrustworthy Ordell, and most impressively the one scene delivery of Chris Tucker- with the famous improvised line 'You sneak up on a Nigga with this sh#t!'... The screen translation of Elmore Leonard's Florida based Rum Punch is very interesting- from the blonde bimboish Jackie Burke, to the sexy 40ish black Jackie Brown, worked very nicely. Q hits another home run, as expected!

61 out of 85 people found the following review useful:

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Tarantino sees off the backlash, 8 April 2000 Author: Paranoid Android-2 (marcvanderloo@talk21.com) from London, England Quentin Tarantino is clearly finding it difficult to follow the phenomenal success of "Reservoir Dogs" and "Pulp Fiction", which made him the hottest writer-director of his generation. In the six years since then this is the only time that he has returned to the directors chair. "Jackie Brown" - his "difficult third film" - seems to be his response to criticism of his first two films that he could only make movies about other movies, but not real life. He cleverly anticipates the backlash by adapting a tightly plotted, character driven Elmore Leonard novel, still set in his familiar world of LA low-lives, but keeping to a minimum his trademark comic-book violence and pop-culture references, while emphasising the novels more mature themes such as ageing and the feeling of time running out for the middle-aged characters. The result is a slick, interesting, if slightly draggy thriller, which ultimately lacks the freshness and audaciousness of those earlier films.

Tarantino still has his maverick streak though, as displayed in his trusting of Pam Grier to carry the entire movie. The casting of a middle-aged black actress with no box-office clout in the lead role can't have been easy in an industry notorious for it's scant regard for actresses after they reach 30. You can bet that the studios would have at least insisted on the safety of a Sharon Stone or a Demi Moore. But Tarantino, as he did when casting Travolta, stuck to his gut-instinct, and once again it proved an inspired choice. Grier, bringing with her the memories of her 70's blackploitation movies, gives a convincingly tough, wise and sympathetic performance.

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Actors love to work with Tarantino because the roles he gives them will be invariably jucier than usual. That is once again the case here, although the casting isn't quite as inspired as it was in "Dogs" or "Pulp" (or "True Romance"). Samuel L. Jackson is reliably good - if hardly stretched - as an unscrupulous hustler who is not as smart as he thinks he is, and Bridget Fonda has fun as his conniving beach babe girlfriend. Robert Forster jumps at the chance to play a role with depth after years in made-for-tv hell. Robert De Niro though, despite providing some amusing moments, is disappointingly wasted as Jackson's dim-witted partner.

At times this feels like just another thriller, but every now and then Tarantino reminds you what all the fuss was about. Jackson's brutal (off-screen) dispatching of Chris Tucker in the boot of a car, as the camera slowly cranes up into the sky, is masterfully conceived and a scene, which is subtly built up to, involving a teasing Fonda and a p*****-off De Niro is as unexpected and as shocking as anything Tarantino has done before. By refusing to make a Pulp Fiction 2, Tarantino may have missed out on some easy money, but this film has enough to suggest that he will be more than just a flash in the pan.

Reviews & Ratings for Jackie Brown More at IMDbPro I really enjoyed this movie. Pulp Fiction was good but JB was better. Love the way the film was cut with flash close-ups and much detail that slips by the first few times that I saw the film.

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Music was perfect, and Samuel L. Jackson... what can I say other that he was perfect actor for Ordell. DeNiro, always great and Fonda did a good job with her part.

Forster & Grier carried the film and the difficulty of their relationship came across well.

Absolutely a great film!

Blaxploitation with an arthouse edge., 25 May 2000

Author: wilsonsctt from New YorK, U.S.A

Smart, funny dialogue and solid performances make this homage to 70's cinema a real treat. Those familiar with the action flicks of the disco decade will be charmed by the films style, while fans of crime films will enjoy the suspense and plot twists. In years to come, Jackie Brown will be looked at as one of Quentin Tarantino's best films.

Goofs in the Goofs Section, 20 May 2000 Author: T-Pain from United States 35

In the Goofs section on the Jackie Brown page, it says that "Continuity: When Max Cherry approaches Amy, the clerk at the mall, and tells her that his wife left a bag of towels in the dressing room, Amy tells him that they're in the last stall. However, Amy never saw which stall Jackie used." While Amy didn't see which stall Jackie used, it isn't a mistake. When Jackie left, she told Amy "someone left a bag of beach towels in the last stall." That is how Amy knew. It isn't a mistake. I tried to take it off in the update section, but they don't have a section for taking off goofs.

... when Quentin was king, 17 May 2000

Author: The_Movie_Cat from England

Despite the inevitable backlash against Tarantino, and regardless of whether you approve of his violence/bad language/selfreferencing narratives, I firmly believe the cinema owes him a huge debt.

For I genuinely believe that the 1980s were the worst decade in history for the modern motion picture. The "high concept pitching" of films that could be summed up literally in two lines, with functional dialogue and A to B plotting had caused a serious slump in creative output, and audiences were being patronised by what substandard fare was being pumped into the

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cinemas.

In 1992 Quentin entered the scene with Reservoir Dogs (9). Okay, it's heavily indebted to foreign film, but the realtime/time-bending conceits of the movie, coupled with naturalistic dialogue that gave characterisation broke down the rot. Okay, films with plot and character were all the rage in the 60s, 70s, 50s even. But the 80s had forgotten how to do it, and Quentin gave it back to us. Now I'm sure everyone could tell me there's another film writer-director that did it first, but Quentin was the one to popularise it. He capitalised on Dogs with the more commercial, more indulgent, more juvenile, but ultimately much more fun Pulp Fiction (10). Without these films we would never have seen such fare as The Usual Suspects, with it's wordy script and time-bending, and this would never have bled on to the dying British film scene with movies like the successful Trainspotting. There were other successes, too, such as by far and away the greatest Tarantino film not directed by Tarantino, True Romance (7). Starring Christian Slater (who allegedly gives 10% in royalties to Jack Nicholson for every performance), it lost the downbeat ending and time distortions, but Quentin was said to be satisfied with the linear narrative of this 93 movie. His first real film script (discounting an incomplete student project, "My Best Friend's Birthday"), it was completed in 1987 and went for years before being taken up. It showcased some of his best dialogue and Hollywood satire; Tony Scott's more laid-back direction actually giving greater chance for the writing to shine. And for a film that also features Dennis Hopper, Christopher Walken, Brad Pitt, Val Kilmer, Gary Oldman and Balki out of Perfect Strangers, it didn't feel crammed. Amazingly, I still know of people that won't see it as they think by the title that it's a romantic comedy.

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However, the nature of the films and the fact that Tarantino did so much in so little time meant a backlash wasn't only inevitable, but in certain quarters, eagerly awaited. Experimental, between-film follies such as Four Rooms didn't help, and when Jackie Brown emerged, three years after Pulp Fiction, it seemed as if his time had passed. Jackie Brown (7) was a smoother, maturer direction for Tarantino. The first of his films not to come from his own ideas, but from a source text, Elmore Leonard's Rum Punch, it was a new direction. Interestingly, aged 15 Quentin had been caught trying to unsuccessfully hustle a copy of Leonard's "The Switch" from a shopping mall. Many of his previous films did use the oft touted "magpie technique" of borrowing. Ringo Lam's City of Fire has often been brought up in conversation against Reservoir Dogs and the "Butch" segment of Pulp Fiction was a reworked version of Roger (Killing Zoe) Avary's "Pandemonium Reigned". Yet this was a fully-fledged adaptation, Miramax having bought him the rights to four Leonard novels in 1995. (The other three being Killshot, Bandits and Freaky Deaky. Quentin's original plan was to make Killshot, starring himself, Bruce Willis and Holly Hunter).

Of course, many don't appreciate a film that has in it's range Robert DeNiro, yet underuses him, and Samuel L. Jackson, who is given plenty to say, but nothing as incendiary as Ezekiel 25:17. There is only one time-break, where a single scene is played out three times in the same bracket, and only one kitsch moment, where an animated plane is used to paper the gaps in a $5 million-higher-than-Pulp-Fiction-but-still-very-low $13 million budget. Violence is almost non-existent by Q's standards, and the subjects discussed range not from burger bars to

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the Fantastic Four but the fear of ageing and the Delphonics. Top of the bill is a long-term idol of Quentin's, Pam Grier, who is even name-checked in Reservoir Dogs. It's an altogether more relaxed, more controlled film, and in many ways the writing is stronger. The easy option of a sketch-style format for his script is discarded, making it, in a sense, a better film. Yet people claim it to be worse. Strange. A genuinely touching romance at times, the only comment this one got was "it's nothing compared to Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction". Quentin, it seems, is a victim of his own success.

And so it is that we now await his fourth writer/director vehicle, another Leonard piece, "40 Lashes". Fingers are crossed that it will a superb return to form, though maybe it doesn't really matter. Even if Quentin's time were over, he would still have achieved a wide-scale revitalisation of American cinema. However, it would be fortunate if 40 Lashes did live up to its promise, if only to put the ghosts of Tarantino failures to rest. But that's another story. The time

"a thousand roles to play, until you play your life away", 11 May 2000 Author: carsten lang-jensen (TRULEIGH) from copenhagen, denmark

A near screen version of the pophit "Street Life", this movie is pure tragedy that is disclosed astonishingly in the last shot. Brilliant. Jackie must realize that the game of love is not won by tricks and traps. She forever lost the only game that came to 39

mean so much for her.

By using the old genius, Bobby Womack's great hit "Across 110th Street", Tarantino shows a woman of a certain toughness that means she will never contain tenderness and emotion. This is her tragedy. But she is she - an every day person, a woman getting along by herself in a man's world - no better, no worse.

The "title" song has many symbolic rings: Life at 110 mph, living life 110%. At this level the soul just doesn't keep up.

Tarantino keeps rolling, 9 May 2000

Author: dave fitz (dfitz77@aol.com) from somerset, nj

Quentin Tarantino made a promising debut with Reservoir Dogs. His 2nd film, Pulp Fiction is simply amazing. His next film, Jackie Brown is another great effort from this gifted film maker. If you see this movie with an open mind and don't expect it to be another Pulp Fiction, you will enjoy it. It's not as fast-paced as Pulp and with alot less violence and profanity, but is a very entertaining film.

Jackie Brown marks the first time Tarantino has adapted someone else's work. In this case, Elmore Leonard's novel Rum 40

Punch. Leonard's books, like Stephen King's and Michael Crichton's, translate very nicely to the big screen. The book was great and Tarantino follows it pretty closely. The one major change is white Jackie Burke becomes black Jackie Brown. This happens so he could cast Pam Grier in the lead role. She is terrific in this. Robert Forster, another 70's star rescued from oblivion is very good, too. They join John Travolta as actors whose careers have been revived thanks to Mr. Tarantino.

Robert DeNiro, Bridget Fonda and Michael Keaton are good in small roles unlike any I've seen them play before. Samuel L. Jackson is wonderful as always. Jackie Brown is a very enjoyable movie with an awesome soundtrack. It is not an original Tarantino story and is unlike either of his first 2 movies, but is alot of fun. Tarantino comes through again. I'm looking forward to seeing more films from him in the future.

Excellent, 7 February 2000 Author: DON SERIBUTRA (H5O) from Houston, Texas

Jackie Brown (Pam Grier) is a flight attendant, who is legitimately employed, and earns $16,000/yr, and works a second job by delivering money (over $10,000) to Samuel L. Jackson, who is an arms dealer, with a "crack ho" beach bunny, portrayed by Bridget Fonda. Jackie Brown might not be your average flight attendant; she is a convicted felon, busted for carrying drugs for her husband, and in her current profession, she smuggles and delivers money to Ordell Robbie (Jackson). Eventually, she gets busted (for carrying $50,000 and posses41

sion of cocaine), but this is just the beginning. The portrayal of Ordell Robbie is another reference to the innovator, who engages in illegitimate sub rosa goals to achieve success, much like Al Capone and Meyer Lansky. The real-life criminals like Capone or Lansky is similar to the portrayals of the fictional characters Tony Montana (Scarface), Nino Brown (New Jack City), Dylan Malone (Catch Me If You Can), or the kid from Fresh (1994).

Jackie Brown might be the only Quentin Tarantino flick that stands alone from his other films, like Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. One thing that I noticed was that the recurring alumni (e.g. Steve Buscemi, Tim Roth, and Tarantino himself) weren't casted. Samuel L. Jackson was the only Tarantino alumni that was in the film, but he did another breakthrough by casting Hollywood has-beens (e.g. Robert Forester, Pam Grier, Sid Haig, and Michael Bowen) from 70s and 80s films and TV shows (e.g. Sharky's Machine, Across 110th Street, Detroit 9000, Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry, Mean Streets, martial arts classics, and numerous 1970's-era blaxploitation films). Maybe it was the videos that Tarantino might have viewed while being employed as a video store clerk back in the 1980s.

She has a choice of serving time, or cooperate with the cops, to bring down Ordell Robbie. Excellent plot twists, especially when Robbie threatens Max Cherry (Robert Forester) in his Cadillac. Lots of cameos in this Tarantino flick, like Chris Tucker (who ends up killed in the trunk of an Oldsmobile), and Aimee Graham (Heather Graham's younger sister) as a sales lady in a department store. She REALLY looks like a clone of her sister from Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, without the shagadelic attitude! Another thing that I noticed 42

was the Tarantino trademark of 70s music, especially R & B/funkadelic tunes like Across 110th Street (Bobby Womack), Didn't You Blow Your Mind This Time (The Delfonics), and Street Life (Randy Crawford).

My Favorite Movie, 7 February 2000

Author: MentosMan from Wabash, Indiana

I just wanted to say that of all the films I have seen, I think Max Cherry, as played by Robert Forster, is my favorite character. The great part of this movie is that it doesn't pander to a younger audience, but rather tells of intelligent, experienced people who are reaching an introspective point of their lives.

Tarentino sure knows how to tell a story..., 19 January 2000

Author: LDB_Movies from Culver City, CA

Just saw this movie for the second time. I loved it the first time and gave it 4 stars out of 4. The second time, it held my interest as much as the first. On IMDb I'm giving it 10 out of 10. The reason: Quentin Tarentino sure knows how to tell a story. All 43

the characters are interesting (I can't believe the reviewers here that say they were bored!), the acting is first-rate (from everyone, including an understated Robert deNiro), and the direction and editing are is tight and neat. Even the scenes that "sound" boring on paper (like the ones at Bridget Fonda's apartment) are exciting and interesting because you just never know what's going to happen, and what these characters are up to. This is one great movie!

Reeks of high quality and acting, 14 January 2000 Author: songlife from Dayton OH

I've seen this one over ten times; gets better with age. Superb acting from the entire cast, especially from Jackson. He turns the scumbag Ordell Robbie into an even more complex character than Tarantino had in mind when he wrote the screenplay. It's a brilliant characterization of a 'bad guy' who is not stereotypical and has intelligence. How do you hold your own when acting with a genius like Jackson? Just ask Robert Forster, who gave life to Max Cherry and was equally as phenomenal. Either one of them could and should have won an Oscar for their performances, in a better world where awards are given for quality and not media blitzes and popularity. Keaton, De Niro, and Fonda have less to do, but they knew that going in and do similarly fantastic jobs, while never showing off in their understated roles. Grier, on the other hand, while demonstrating that she can hold her own amongst such heavyweights, simply can't handle the grilling scenes in the ATF offices. She doesn't have the acting skill to get it on with Keaton in an believable manner. Overall, she did fine, and didn't embarrass herself. This is one of the most enjoyable movies in the last 20 years, with a 44

wonderful soundtrack whcih contributes to the genuine 70's feel. It's flawless, unless you're of the opinion that these characters are generally uninteresting losers, but with this kind of acting it just doesn't matter. My favorite scene is the one near the end in which Ordell tells Max a few important things in the car before heading into the bond office for the final rendezvous. This scene is two of the best in full gear..and no voices are ever raised in that fake, unbelievable 'I'm a great actor so I'm gonna yell my lines!' style. I've seen some negative comments here on IMDB for this flick, most poorly written and comparing it negatively to Pulp Fiction. Jackie Brown is the better movie, but Pulp will always be a favorite with the Tarantino fans because of not only it's brilliance but also the graphic violence and shocking scenes. People who crave this sort of stuff, and consequently put down a relatively quiet film like Jackie, are merely conditioned products of society. They thrive on fodder and garbage, and they have no idea how to interpret a movie without extremely graphic violence, especially from a director known for those qualities. It bores their tiny minds and they trip all over themselves to shout how unsuccessful the film was. Apparently, once a director makes a successful film, he is supposed to repeat himself infinitely to satisfy these mental midgets, and cannot do anything in a different style. I would venture to say that someone who disses Jackie Brown (or Eyes Wide Shut) is not worth your time arguing with; they wouldn't know quality in a film if it bit them in a certain place. Let them have their Hanks and Spielberg films, since they crave manipulation so much; we'll our Jackie Browns and stay away from them.

Add another review

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56 out of 83 people found the following review useful: Tarantino grows up, 10 January 2005

Author: paul2001sw-1 (paul2001sw@yahoo.co.uk) from Saffron Walden, UK Quentin Tarantino follow up to the hysterical response generated by his suitably hysterical first two movies was 'Jackie Brown', an altogether more restrained film that garnered a somewhat more restrained set of reviews. Perhaps the relative lack of impact made by this film explains his subsequent return to extremes with 'Kill Bill'. But in some ways this is a shame, as there's a lot to enjoy in 'Jackie Brown', particularly in the universally first rate performances the director manages to get out of his distinguished cast. Robert Forster is wise and weary as a middle-aged bail bondsman, Samuel L. Jackson plays a criminal with all of the menace and none of the charm of his character in 'Pulp Fiction', while Bridget Fonda and a (cast against type) Robert de Niro are entertaining as a pair of useless crack-heads. Best of all is former blaxploitation star Pam Grier in the title role, combining human warmth and coolness under fire with considerable charm. The generic Ellmore Leanard plot is ultimately not quite as clever as it promises to be, and as as ever with Tarantino, both tone and taste are sometimes questionable: the early sequence 'Women Who Love Guns' is very funny, but it's quite unclear whether it's intended as satire or celebration. Nonetheless, once one adds in a typically splendid soundtrack, everything adds up to a movie far above the average crime thriller, and for all the breathtaking invention of his other movies, it's enough to make one wish that Tarantino didn't usually feel the need to try so very hard. 46

43 out of 71 people found the following review useful: Tarantino + Leonard = Dynamic Duo, 10 April 2003 Author: george.schmidt (GSchmidt0609@aol.com) from fairview, nj JACKIE BROWN (1997) ***1/2 Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Forster, Robert De Niro, Bridget Fonda, Michael Keaton, Chris Tucker, Tiny Lister. A marriage made in heaven: Elmore Leonard and Quentin Tarantino. Excellent adaptation of Leonard's `Rum Punch' with Grier cast as the eponumous character, an airline stewardess caught between a rock and a hard place when she's pinched for drug possession after a cash pick up for arms dealer Jackson. Double crosses aplenty - both the rich characterizations and screenplay crackles with equally good acting particularly 70s survivors Grier and Forster (Best Supporting Actor nominee) the latter the sepitome of understated acting. Great fun and leisurely paced to the twisting uncompromising climax. De Niro getting baked on weed with Fonda is one for the film vault.

11 out of 11 people found the following review useful: Personally, I find it to be Quentin Tarantino Masterpiece, 15 June 2008

Author: pianoman904 from United States Sometimes a movie requires more than one viewing. The first

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time I sat down to watch Jackie Brown, I wasn't so impressed. I didn't hate the movie, but I didn't love it either. I thought it was decent. The second time I watched it, I knew the plot already so I really got to indulge in the characters of the film. And thats exactly what the film is, it's a character piece.

Those of you who expect an energetic, stylized, violent, comic book-esquire film like Pulp Fiction will not get that from this movie. Its a lot more tamed, and to say the least realistic. I love Pulp Fiction, its one of my all time favorite movies. But I doubt in the real world there would be two hit men in matching black and white suits. The scenarios of that movie, while fun and totally entertaining, aren't too realistic. Jackie Brown on the other hand has totally real characters that don't come off as too over the top.

All the actors in the movie are superb.The lead is played by actress Pam Grier who nails the role. Tarantino again shows you don't need an a-list actor to carry a movie. Grier plays Jackie Brown, an airline stuartess in her 40s. Samuel L. Jackson plays Ordell Robbie, a gun dealer who uses Jackie to bring him in money from Mexico. Robert DeNiro (in a smaller role for such a big actor) plays Louis, Ordell's friend who recent got out of jail. Bridget Fonda plays Melanie, a "blonde haired surfer girl" who lives with Ordell. Michael Keaton (my all time favorite actor)plays ATF agent Ray Nicollette who wants to take down Ordell. And Robert Forster plays Max Cherry, a bail bonds man. Without giving too much away, all of these characters in one way or another are all after $500,000 of Ordell's money. Every character in this movie is great and unique in their own way. But for me, Robert Forster steals the show. Max Cherry is without a doubt my favorite character in all of Quen48

tin Tarantino's movies.

To some people, this movie is just a crime/heist movie. But to me there is something quite beautiful to this movie. After a few viewings of the film, you will notice that underneath it all, this movie is really about two people. Jackie Brown and Max Cherry. Two people who are middle aged, lonely, and tired of their dead end jobs. Two people that meet in a very unlikely way. Two people that together figure out a way to steal $500,000 and get away with it. Take this movie however you want it. But to me, thats the heart of the movie, and thats why the movie works so well.

In conclusion, Jackie Brown is not a graphic crime story like Reservoir Dogs or Pulp Fiction that preceded it. Nor is it a stylized revenge saga like Kill Bill vol. 1 & 2 that followed it. Instead it is a stand alone film. A wonderfully acted character study. And for me, an absolute gem of a film. It's Quentin Tarantino's underrated MASTERPIECE.

7 out of 8 people found the following review useful: Like Pulp Fiction, a story with clever dialogue and character development, 2 July 2005

Author: Tommy Nelson from Long Beach, California Jackie Brown-1997-Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert

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Forester, Robert Deniro, Bridget Fonda, Michael Keaton, Michael Bowen, Chris Tucker, Tiny Lister, Aimmie Graham and Sid Haig.

I'll go over the plot and then review it. Ordell Robbie(Jackson) is an illegal arms seller. One of his aquaintences Beaumont Livingston(Tucker) was put in jail for carrying a machine gun that he bought from Ordell. Ordell goes to Max Cherry (Forester) and gets a 10,000 dollar bond to get Beaumont out of jail. After getting him out, Ordell pays Beaumont a visit and kills him.

Later.....while walking in the airport parking lot from her job as a stewardess, Jackie Brown(Grier) is stopped by two FBI agents Mark Dargas(Bowen) and Ray Nicholette(Keaton). They check her bags and we soon figure out that Beaumont told everything to get out of going to jail. Jackie is Ordell's money runner for the guns he sells. Unfortunately, in the money bag for him, the buyer had slipped in some cocaine for Ordell and Jackie goes to jail. Ordell goes back to Max and has him move the 10,000 dollars from Beaumont to Jackie. Max drives her to her house and is beginning to fall for her. Ordell goes to Jackies house to try to kill her, but Jackie stole Max's gun and protects herself. This all spirals into fooling Ordell out of 40,000 dollars.

My review: 9 out of 10. Robert Deniro and Bridget Fonda were excellent together as Ordell's friend and girlfriend. Keaton has a gem role that's small but important. Grier and Forester are in their best roles ever and Jackson is good as always. This movie 50

is not fast paced but has so much interesting dialogue that makes up for it. Tarantino knew what he was doing.

R for language, some brief bloody violence, drug content and a brief scene of sexuality(between Deniro and Fonda)

4 out of 4 people found the following review useful: Tarantino's best film, a tremendously entertaining thriller, 24 July 2008 Author: ametaphysicalshark from prejudicemadeplausible.wordpress.com Quentin Tarantino takes on Elmore Leonard? At first look not such a good idea but coming to "Jackie Brown" several years after its more or less lukewarm initial reception (released after so-called masterpiece "Reservoir Dogs" and the inventive and infectious "Pulp Fiction", "Jackie Brown" was seen as something of a disappointment) and being able to assess it without putting in context of Tarantino's filmography, "Jackie Brown" is surprising.

It is, without question, Tarantino's most mature and complete work to date as a director. Mature in the sense that Tarantino here is not preoccupied with 'homages', references, style (not too much, at least), or indulging himself in his fantasies. Tarantino, for once, is primarily a storyteller, and the approach works stunningly well. "Jackie Brown" is a fantastically entertaining crime thriller that not only does justice to Leonard's

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source material, but in some senses improves on it (admittedly, the novel this is based on is hardly his best work). The cast is a dream for this sort of movie, and contains what is as of 2008 Robert De Niro's last truly memorable performance, the music fits perfectly, the atmosphere created is the sort you can lose yourself in for the running time of the film (which feels significantly shorter than it is), and the screenplay, with its witty exchanges, striking characters, and plentiful plot twists, keeps the viewer more than entertained. This is a truly engaging film.

Tarantino movies do it for me. I don't think he's one of the greatest directors of all time or anything, but he is a talented director with the capacity to make tremendously entertaining films. While many would prefer him to do films like "Kill Bill" I think "Jackie Brown" is a far better representation of his talent. He's certainly not completely out of his element here, there's plenty of 70's retro cool in this film, but thankfully it is contained and kept from going overboard.

Expect another "Pulp Fiction" and disappointment is an understandable reaction, but if you go into this with an open mind and expect nothing in particular you might just find that "Jackie Brown" is not only Tarantino's best but one of the most entertaining films of the 90's.

9.5/10

4 out of 4 people found the following review useful:

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Decent, but don't expect a Pulp Fiction sequel, 6 August 2005

Author: FilmOtaku (ssampon@hotmail.com) from Milwaukee, WI "Jackie Brown", the 1997 film starring Pam Grier as the title character, a flight attendant who smuggles cash into the country for a shady associate, Ordell (Jackson) is the third film directed by Quentin Tarantino. When Jackie is tagged by the feds, (played by Keaton and Michael Bowen) she is willing to give up Ordell because she has a plan of her own. Meanwhile, Ordell has proved himself to be a pretty nasty character, killing associates without even a hint of betrayal, so to say that Jackie is walking a tightrope is an understatement. Rounding out the cast is Robert Forster as Max Cherry, Jackie's bail bondsman hired by Ordell when Jackie is initially arrested by the feds, and eventual love interest, Robert DeNiro as Louis, an associate of Ordell's who is fresh out of jail and about to buy in on one of Ordell's gun selling schemes and Bridget Fonda as Melanie, one of Ordell's women, and object of both fascination and irritation for Louis.

"Jackie Brown" features many "Tarantinoisms" that we have come to expect from his films; slick cinematography, a soundtrack that is perfect for the film (in this case, 1970's R&B) a rich cast of eccentric characters, a solid amount of violence and even more profanity. If there was a Tarantino film that DIDN'T include these elements, I would be disappointed. As John Travolta was dug up to star in "Pulp Fiction", Tarantino resurrects two 1970's actors, Robert Forster and Pam Grier, and both prove once again that there are few contemporary directors around who have better gut instincts and an eye for 53

casting than he. Although there could have been many other bigger name, safer choices that would have jumped to be in Tarantino's perceived follow-up to "Fiction", the film geek once again proves that he knows best. Grier is absolutely luminous, and looks at least 10 years younger than her actual age. Better than that, she is sexy, spunky and knows what she wants. The supporting cast is also excellent, and while it's definitely film geeky to admit it, like the actors who appear in the ensemble films of Paul Thomas Anderson or Wes Anderson, I always admire the cast of Tarantino's film because while they may not have a large or prestigious role in the film, they are always juicy characters that are sometimes played against type. I loved seeing Michael Keaton as a hard-faced, leather jacket clad fed, and Robert DeNiro, who can chew scenery better than a lot is fantastic as the quiet, shlubby and slobby sidekick.

Anyone who approached "Jackie Brown" looking for a Pulp Fiction sequel was probably either somewhat disappointed or, like me, encouraged that Tarantino can not only do flashy, but can spin a good story as well. And perhaps even more importantly, he wasn't a two-trick pony with the inspired films "Pulp Fiction" and "Reservoir Dogs". While I have mixed feelings about Tarantino the man, (I am endeared to his almost autisticknowledge of film and his inherent film geekiness, but I am both fascinated and repelled by his almost constant hysteria and, particularly in the infancy of his fame, his inability to turn down an acting job or engage in ceaseless self-promotion) I certainly count him among my favorite directors and anytime he releases a film, it's an event. Before seeing his latest releases, "Kill Bill Vol. 1 & Vol. 2" I lamented that he possibly took too much time off between projects, but after seeing "Vol. 1" I quickly reconsidered, saying that if he is going to consistently put out superior product, he can take as much time as he wants.

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And that is why I look at "Jackie Brown", a film that wasn't quite as stellar or lauded as his others with a certain amount of fondness, because it is a great piece of work, without all of the flash, bells and whistles of its predecessor. Knowing that a "Pulp Fiction 2" would be an instant hit, Tarantino decided to go in a different direction, and it's that willingness to take a chance, even if it's not a huge leap, that makes me appreciate it that much more. It's probably my least favorite Tarantino film, but even my least favorite Tarantino film garners a better rating than 80% of contemporary cinema. Even Tarantino fans that I know let this film go under their radar, so if you are in the same boat, seek this one out; it is well worth it. 7/10 --Shelly

5 out of 6 people found the following review useful: Pam Grier = Awesome, 17 April 2005

Author: bensonmum2 from Tennessee *** This review may contain spoilers ***

- Jackie Brown (Pam Grier) is a flight attendant who gets busted when returning from Mexico with cash and cocaine. She works out a deal with the police to help them catch her boss, Ordell Robbie (Samuel L. Jackson) in return from her freedom. Ordell has $500,000 in Mexico that Jackie is to bring to him. But there are a lot of people who want that money - the police, Ordell, Ordell's girlfriend, and even Jackie. Who is going to

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scam who to get their hands on the money?

- Until I saw Jackie Brown, I had a hard time believing that any Tarantino film could top Kill Bill. Now, I'm not so sure. I need to revisit Kill Bill to be sure. Jackie Brown is a more "grownup" film than most of his other works. It doesn't try as hard to be cool like Pulp Fiction and it doesn't try to be as violent as Kill Bill. Oh, the coolness and violence is there, but Jackie Brown is more about the story and characters than either of those films. It's a more subdued film that is a nice change of pace from what I had expected from Tarantino.

- For me, Jackie Brown works because of two things - a good script and excellent acting. I'll start with the script. Tarantino may be one of the most self-absorbed jerks on the planet, but he certainly can write a script. The characters in Jackie Brown talk like real people. They're not like a lot of movie characters that seem so unreal you are unable imagine beyond the confines of the movie. These people are smart, clever, and capable of showing real emotion. It doesn't hurt any that Tarantino had good source material in the form of Elmore Leonard's Rum Punch.

- As for the acting, Pam Grier is AWESOME. I've seen a few of her movies from the 70s, but now I'm inspired to track them all down. She's cool, tough, vulnerable, and afraid - all at the same time. Kudos to Tarantino for taking a chance on an actress without the big Hollywood name. When you add Robert De Niro, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Forster, Michael Keaton, Bridget Fonda, and the rest, you've got an all-star cast that, for 56

once, lives up to the hype.

- Another thing I've always enjoyed about Tarantino's movies is the music. The soundtrack to Jackie Brown may be the best.

3 out of 3 people found the following review useful: I dare to say this is the best Tarantino film, 23 July 2008

Author: Joo Pedro Toms (joaoped@msn.com) from Faro, Portugal Is it? Maybe. Story about a black woman who works as an air host at the airport and for a "old friend" to trade drugs and money easily by the airport. Unfortenately she got caught by the cops but, they use her as a decoy to try to catch the big drug dealer (Samuel L Jackson). How this gonna work? Is Jackie Brown going to help the cops or she will join her boss?

A movie that has no rules of film making and break all of them. Amazing script, top camera-work and also, the story is easily recognized as better conceived other than Pulp Fiction or even, Reservoir Dogs. Of course, in a Tarantino's movie, we don't have a brilliant story, but the dialog is always amazing and that, for me, makes almost the entire movie.

Don't be shy to see it. Alright it isn't in the top250 like Pulp or 57

Reservoir, but, as always, that's bullshit. Jackie Brown is better. In every ways. And you know why? Because that's when Quentin got more mature as a director; and that my friends, makes all the difference in the final result of the movie.

3 out of 3 people found the following review useful: Another Tarantino Triumph, 15 January 2007

Author: mjw2305 from England Tarantino once again writes and directs superbly in this gangster style crime thriller. With half a million dollars in cash as the prize, an air stewardess (Pam Grier) a gun runner (Samuel L Jackson) a bail bondsman (Robert Forster) an ex-con (Robert De Niro) a cop (Michael Keaton) and stoned beach bunny (Brigette Fonda) are all out to con one another and get their hands on the cash.

The dialogue is very slick and clever throughout, and although its loaded with vulgarity; it works brilliantly.

The characters are very diverse and each one is fascinating to watch, due to the great acting and the strong script.

The direction equals all of Tarantino's previous work, and it blends the characters nicely into the story with craft. 58

The story is a great slant on a commonly used theme, with more than enough twists and surprises to keep it stylish and fresh.

Compared to Tarantino's other work, there is a noticeable reduction of violence in this movie, but it doesn't have a degenerative impact on the movie as a whole.

Overall, Tarantino has done it again, its probably not quite as effective as Pulp Fiction or Reservoir Dogs, but it certainly doesn't fail to entertain for a moment.

8/10

3 out of 3 people found the following review useful: Unlike other Tarantino film, better on second viewing, 11 August 2006

Author: funkyfry from Oakland CA *** This review may contain spoilers ***

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I first saw this movie on opening night and was somewhat disappointed. I think in retrospect that I was expecting too much the same thing I got from "Pulp Fiction". Specifically I was disappointed that Sam Jackson and Robert Deniro's characters were such small time criminals and just not "badass" enough. I thought it was kind of a waste of their talents. Thinking about it now, I realize why would you want to see Deniro and Jackson repeat previous performances? Tarantino did something new with them in this film and they both turned in very interesting performances that are better than the vast majority of their work in film since.

Just in general, I really think this is the best Tarantino film I've seen except "Reservoir Dogs". Why? Because the characters are more real and the plot/story is more focused. I love the performances he got out of Pam Grier and Robert Forster. Both of them are fantastic actors who really were wasted through most of the 80s and 90s until Quentin came along and basically rescued him, like he did for Travolta. Except Forster and Grier are way better than Travolta, and turn in excellent and nuanced performances here. The chemistry between them is perfect.

A few tangential comments. The music is good, as usual, the first time I saw it I felt it was a bit forced. But I realize now that it was part of the "verite" effect he was going after. Having the characters interact with the music makes the music seem a bit more obtrusive, but it also makes the film seem more real.

There is a lot of good character work in this film too. Keaton is great as a youngish cop, the "nice guy" in the routine. Fonda 60

shines as a slutty stoner, the type of girl who makes fun of her boyfriend to his friends when he's not there, as if that would make them seem more appealing or sophisticated. In fact there is a very nice kind of "dovetailing" effect where you really don't notice the difference between the performances of the "stars" and the "character actors". The "stars" (Forster, Grier, Jackson) get to do basically just an expanded version of character work, and it makes for an even more seamless film than "Pulp Fiction" which at times feels bogged down by the weight of its stars.

All in all, a good story with good actors makes for a good film, if a bit slow in the end when we have to see the "heist" from multiple viewpoints despite its predictability. 3 out of 3 people found the following review useful: Good Movie, but is not praised with Tarantino's other work for a reason..., 12 June 2005

Author: GreenHammer from United States *** This review may contain spoilers ***

After Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction you knew that this was going to be over-hyped and expectations far too high. Tarantino had a lot to live up to get this movie to compare with the other two, and although he fails, Jackie Brown is still an above average movie.

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Jackie Brown is Tarantino Light, and avoids much of the flash and violence of Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs. This isn't a bad thing because the movie decides to exchange flash and flair for character development. This wouldn't be a bad thing if anyone outside of the two main characters were very interesting. Jackie and Max are both well fleshed out real characters who the audience feels they get to know and care for.

Grier and Forster bring great skill to their performances of Jackie and Max and the rest of the cast is acceptable as well. The one possible exception is DeNiro (gasp!) although his character really has nothing to go with. That brings me to one of the films faults, it spends too much time with Samuel L Jackson, Robert DeNiro, and Bridget Fonda especially in the first half hour. There characters are one note, and not very funny even though they seem to be there mostly for comic relief. Jacksons character is interesting but his shtick tires on you after the first great scene with the women who love guns.

Tarantino's direction in the movie is quite good. Its easily the best thing in the movie. There is an interesting mix of trademark Tarantino shots, long takes, and some nice long shots and tracking shots. Unfortunately some of the shots seem to be more so for the sake of being "cool" than anything else.

Overall the film is an above average film, that seemed to get ripped apart because it was under extreme scrutiny. Overall this movie is about ***/****. 62

4 out of 5 people found the following review useful: Tough-talking but surprisingly low-keyed Tarantino curiosity..., 4 May 2006

Author: moonspinner55 from redlands, ca Quentin Tarantino's much-anticipated return to film-making following "Pulp Fiction" is an intriguing character-drama about a cool-headed flight attendant in cahoots with a merciless gunrunner who ends up playing both sides of the law to save herself from going to jail. From Elmore Leonard's book "Rum Punch", and full of punch-drunk people, dreamers, and low-life scuzzies with cockeyed, crazy ambitions. Great acting by nearly everyone (particularly Robert Forster as Pam Grier's bailbondsman), but in the end it does feel a little thin--especially as the plot is stretched out too long. Tarantino's technical dazzle is certainly in place, but there's possibly too much exposition for the film to really hit the bull's-eye. Hot soundtrack, lots of funny/scary moments courtesy of the auteur, and some fine conversational dialogue, as when Grier tells Forster about her record collection: "I was gonna buy a CD player, but I didn't feel like starting over." *** from ****

2 out of 2 people found the following review useful: Overlong, stretched, too much, 29 March 2010

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Author: gcd70 from Melbourne, Australia *** This review may contain spoilers ***

From popular director Tarantino comes this overlong adaptation of Elmore Leonard's novel "Rum Punch". It appears Tarantino has attempted to make the film as clever and as indepth as the original material. Yet in trying to include so much, he has stretched this pic too far.

Far too much time is spent on characterisation (probably the entire first hour). The plot therefore, is neglected until it is too late for Tarantino to gain our interest. By the time he starts compiling the narrative, we have tuned out. Our director was too hung up on his amazing characters and what they had to say (a Tarantino weakness which served him well in "Pulp Fiction"), and his introductions went on too long.

Tarantino fave Samuel L. Jackson is his usual enigmatic self, but is in serious danger of being typecast. Richard Forster's subtle performance is far more effective, and Pam Grier is solid. Good support from Robert DeNiro and Bridget Fonda.

The funky soundtrack helped, but Tarantino's over indulgence did not. Could have been more impacting with twenty minutes cut out and more focus on the plot.

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Saturday, March 6, 1999 - Video

2 out of 2 people found the following review useful: A must see for crime movies fans, 19 October 2008

Author: kurciasbezdalas from Lithuania This film is pretty different from previous two Quentin Tarantino's films but it's good in it's own way. If you liked Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction and expecting this movie to be similar with those two, you may be disappointed. This movie is pretty different but has a better plot and that's what I liked about it. Actually I saw this film before watching Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction and those two movies appeared a little disappointing to me because I was expecting to see something like in Jackie Brown. So like I said the plot was good and another thing that I liked about this movie was Robert Forster's character which was very realistic, especially when he's at work. Other cast did a great job too like Pam Grier or Samuel L. Jackson. Like all Tarantino's movies this one also has a rich soundtrack and some interesting dialogs so it's actually not that different from previous films.

2 out of 2 people found the following review useful: An excellent, low-key character study with the usual Tarantino quirks, 8 August 2008 Author: Graham Greene from United Kingdom

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Arguably director Quentin Tarantino's greatest film, and his third straight masterpiece in a row following the creative success of Reservoir Dogs (1992) and Pulp Fiction (1994), with his firm grasp of character, narrative and dramatic involvement at something approaching a career best. Unlike the first two films aforementioned, Jackie Brown (1997) is something an obvious step-back from the hip dialog, cool violence and narrative experimentation of his more characteristic work; with a mostly straight story placing the emphasis on the dynamics of the central characters and the continual themes of middle-age hopelessness and the need for fulfilment; all of which seems fairly radical when looked at within the context of Tarantino's career as a whole, and in particular his two most recent films, Kill Bill (2003-2004) and Death Proof (2007). Unlike the more self-aware, post-modern self-reference of those particular films, Jackie Brown is an entirely low-key affair; built around an outstanding central performance from Pam Grier and an accomplished ensemble cast that compliments the character of Jackie - as well as the theme of people living off past glories with Tarantino capturing the action with a restraint and intelligence that many of his detractors might conveniently choose to overlook.

As ever with Tarantino, the writing is intelligent enough to support both the mechanics of the plot and the reliance on character interaction, with a lot of the film simply being supported by the complicated relationships between the characters and the downtime that occurs during the more obvious moments of exposition; with the two strands coming together on a number of occasions to show these characters as fully-formed, complicated human beings trying to do right, when all along tormented by the need to succeed. There's also Tarantino's great use of colour and composition - still entirely low-key but com-

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pletely suited to the subject matter - the always great use of music to both establish a mood and set the tone for the characters, and an incredibly complicated final act that dips into the territory of Kurosawa's Rashomon (1950), albeit, with the director's always interesting use of long takes and intricate tracking-shots. The handling of the central theme of the film, of middle-aged characters looking back to the past and seeing only the defeat of their later lives, is brilliantly conveyed by the casting of actors considered forgotten or "washed up"; with the central performance of Grier as the still sassy Jackie Brown being matched by the performance of Robert Forster as protolove interest Max Cherry, or De Niro as the past-it career criminal, itself a sly reference perhaps to De Niro's own drop in quality over the last fifteen years.

There's also fine support from Tarantino regular Samuel L. Jackson, as well as Bridget Fonda, Michael Keaton, Michael Bowen, Tommy Lister and a cameo by former "blacksploitation" icon Sid Haig. Without question, Jackie Brown is Tarantino's most mature picture to date; not only in the sense that it's characters are more seasoned, beat-up and worn down than those found in the previous two films, but in the intelligent and thoughtful way that the film has been put together. True, there's nothing here that is as radical or as iconic as Reservoir Dogs or Pulp Fiction, with the gunplay and sporadic bursts of violence having been toned down to a bare minimum; but regardless, the film still fizzles and pops with an energy and enthusiasm that makes Tarantino's work so original and worthwhile. What we have here is an honest look at criminal characters that is as real and unglamorous as you could possibly get, with the dialog enriching and complimenting these characters, as opposed to defining them, and the film-making sensibilities of the director capturing the essence of the story, without overwhelming it.

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2 out of 2 people found the following review useful: Two of the World's Greatest Writers Join Forces, 3 December 2006

Author: jzappa from Cincinnati, OH, United States Quentin Tarantino is one of the few filmmakers that will adapt a novel by a popular and well- received veteran novelist like Elmore Leonard, whose books are famous for not being adapted into very good movies, twist it into a blaxploitation homage, change the settings and a few things about the characters, and make it the best adaptation ever made of that author's work...save for Out of Sight, of course. Tarantino has that way of charmingly ruffling up other people's work and making it his own and somehow getting us to love it. Jackie Brown is wonderful.

This is inarguably Quentin's least appreciated film. This is something like saying the Holy Spirit is not as appreciated as the Father and the Son, because all of his films are appreciated. They're looked at by incredible amounts of people as ingenious, groundbreaking cinema. However, Jackie Brown is not mentioned as often, it's not quoted constantly, it doesn't have a following, and it's not on IMDb's Top 250, where Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, and the Kill Bills have their places. I think it deserves more recognition than it gets. l think that the reason it's his least appreciated film is frankly because it's not soaked in blood and it's a battle wits more than weapons. Even though I love blood-soaked gorefests, highlights of such a kind of film 68

being those other four Tarantino films, I think it's awfully shallow to expect such a narrow criteria from such a brilliant filmmaker like him, leaving his other efforts in the shadows. Jackie Brown has a lot to offer: One of the finest ensemble casts I've ever seen, Tarantino's trademark salt-of-the-earth dialogue ("Beaumont ain't got a doin'- time kind of disposition..."), a roller-coaster rush of a soundtrack including forcibly headbobbing 1970s funk with unforgettable highlights like Bobby Womack's Across 110th Street and The Brothers Johnson's Strawberry Letter #23, and a clever con game that is slowly unraveled.

Jackson ignites the screen with his infectious and eternally memorable portrayal of Ordell Robie, the perfect opposite to his Jules Winnfield. He's an eccentric who doesn't realize it, a nearly laughable pseudo-badass-businessman exterior, but with a cold-hearted interior quietly ahead of everyone else, a clever double-sided mastermind.

Grier naturally gives off that down-home, unsophisticated streetwise woman-trying-to- make-it feeling in the movie's title heroine, especially early on when we're just coming to know her as a character and she's not saying much, tired from nights spent in jail, just wanting a drink and a smoke and to go home, but knowing something about her situation isn't adding up. We learn to love her not just as a badass black chick in a suit with a gun, but as a middle-aged woman trying to cling to that semblance of a life she has and taking such risks to beat the odds.

One surprise in Jackie Brown is the presence of Robert De Ni69

ro. It seems appropriate that Tarantino, someone who so embraces the crime genre and having done so much with Harvey Keitel, should cast De Niro as a seasoned career scumbag, the staple of his tremendous career. The surprise is that he plays the character down, which is so rare for him to do. Usually, De Niro takes a character and plays him up, making him a bigger, tougher, more brazen and bombastic character, sometimes just a little bit and sometimes a lot. Jackie Brown is a departure from the majority of his other work. His character shares a lot of the same traits as most of De Niro's other tough guys and crooks, but his disposition is so different. It makes this one of his most intriguing performances.

Those who've overlooked this gem, buried in all the hype of Tarantino's other classics, you're really really missing out.

2 out of 2 people found the following review useful: A solid, character driven movie, 23 July 2006

Author: Kyle Yehhh from Oshawa, Canada When we insert our Quentin Tarantino movie into the machine, we expect to be bombarded with action, and perhaps sex. If this is what you're looking for, you may walk away disappointed. While this film does not provide a gun shot or beating around every corner, or breasts every few scenes, it does provide us with an intricate look inside a half dozen interesting characters. Don't get me wrong, it packs a mean punch compared to the average flick, just perhaps more mature and talkative compared

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to the average QT thriller. I personally commend Quentin for swaying off his action crammed image and simply telling an interesting story with a few sporadic gun shots here and there. Unless you can't stay seated without action in almost every scene, I would recommend this flick be seen.

2 out of 2 people found the following review useful: Jackie Brown is some lady., 18 July 2006

Author: John Bale from Australia Jackie Brown works well thanks to a great cast and Tarantino's mastery of cinema technique. As Jackie Pam Grier almost steals the show but Jackson and DeNiro are strong support. The plot is a complex bit of double crossing, when Jackie finds herself trapped by the police to give up her dangerous associate in order to gain freedom. It flows along punctuated by extreme closeups, long tracking shots (that would do credit to Orson Welles) driven at times by pop music. All of which Tarantino manages very well. In the end the direction takes a lot of credit for the success of this thriller in the wake of Pulp Fiction. The violence is understated by comparison, but all the more shocking because of this. Well done.

2 out of 2 people found the following review useful: Excellent Tarantino movie with all star cast, 30 June 2006

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Author: jabaw1 (jabaw1@bigpond.net.au) from Australia Jackie Brown is the first Quentin Tarantino movie I ever saw, and I loved it. In my opinion, Tarantino is one of the best crime directors around today, along with Martin Scorsese and Brian De Palma. Jackie Brown is an excellent movie all-round, with an all-star cast including Samuel L. Jackson, Robert De Niro, Bridget Fonda etc.

However, theactors who really stole the show were Pam Greir and Robert Forster.With this being their second collaboration together, Greir and Forsterare the perfect duo in the movie's web of deceit and betrayal. The script and directing by Quentin Tarantino are amazing, with lots of crisp dialogue in Tarantino fashion. I'm disappointed that this Tarantino classic isn't among the IMDb Top 250 like all his other works, because this movie certainly deserves it.

Overall, a must-see movie for both fans of Quentin Tarantino and lovers of a good, original crime flick.

2 out of 2 people found the following review useful: Very good, 7 June 2006

Author: StayPuft003 from United States I do not understand why this movie is not noticed among the

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movie world. If I were to ask somebody who directed Jackie Brown, I do not think they would be able to tell me. This movie, although not nearly as action packed as Pulp Fiction, has great dialogue and at times can be very humorous. The soundtrack is arguably Tarantino's best (And he knows his music) and the characters are well rounded and unique. Although some people feel like the ending is bad and in some ways ruins the movie, I felt as if it were the perfect fit for a movie like this. Also, each character seems to get their own scene to show off both the actor's talents and the way the character acts compared to those around them. ElmoreLeonard's writing mixed with Tarantino's attitude make this movie a sure 10/10 and it is enjoyable, if not more enjoyable, every time I see it. Tarantino knew his material, and turned it into one of the best movies I've ever seen. 2 out of 2 people found the following review useful: Tarentino Stumbles..., 8 November 2002 Author: Edward Shimborske III (es3@worldnet.att.net) from Toledo, Ohio Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, but based on Elmore Leonard's 1995 bestseller Rum Punch, the ridiculously too-long Jackie Brown is like Pulp Fiction on a weightreduction plan. Gone are all the fattening calories like longwinded, witty dialogue, ultra-violence, street-humor, over-thetop character development and good roles for everyone (`Tiny' Lister, Chris Tucker and Robert DeNiro play stock characters with next-to-nothing to do).

Let's just say the best thing about Jackie Brown is... well, Jackie Brown (Pam Grier), a hard-up stewardess who supplements 73

her meager income by smuggling cash into the US for a gunrunner named Ordell Robbie (Samuel L. Jackson). Grier, the blaxploitation she-god of 70s tough-cookie flicks, barely misses a step, proving she belongs back on the silver-screen amidst Julia Roberts and Sigourney Weaver. But Jackson, on the other hand -- I found myself caring less and less about his near-unexciting character!

Crime goes unpunished until Jackie is nabbed by ATF agent Ray Nicolet (Michael Keaton) and LA detective Mark Dargus (Michael Bowman), at which point a cat-and-mouse caper begins. The cops pressure Jackie to help bring down Ordell, threatening prison if she refuses (Ordell wants to kill her before she does). So, with the help of sympathetic bail bondsman Max Cherry (Robert Forster), Jackie launches a foolishly daring plan.

The biggest problem with Jackie Brown is that Tarentino made a film with `real' salt-of-the-earth characters the kind of conspiring people you see in local bars who live right around the corner. Unfortunately, most `real' people we know are boring and limp; certainly less-than-dynamic. And that's not why we love Tarentino, it's why we love film-makers like John Sayles. But Tarentino himself set us up for this fall two sensational films followed by an ordinary film? Let's hope Tarentino has got a heavy brand of cork and rubber in his next bat when he steps up to the plate again -- I'd hate to think of him as a twotrick pony!

At least there wasn't a chase-scene to end the film. 74

2 out of 2 people found the following review useful: The only time QT has disappointed me, 19 August 2002

Author: Boris Danilovich (barcik86@yahoo.com) from Rishon Le-Zion, Israel First, unlike the title might say, I do not think this is a bad movie. Actually it is a good one, but just not what I have expected from Tarantino. I am one of the people who did not happen to like this turn in QT's style. To me the symbol of it all is Samuel L. Jackson wearing white clothes. It might seem foolish, but this represents the big difference from his previous films in my eyes. White; This movie is, how to put it in words, less evil than Pulp Fiction or Reservoir Dogs. The dialogues are not quite as unique, the script resembles Tarantino's unique style less. I hope that Kill Bill will be better than this one.

2 out of 2 people found the following review useful: Overrated, 25 January 2002 Author: jimjam20-2 I never saw what the big deal about this one is. Some good actors, but just them in it don't make it a must see. I always thought Pulp Fiction was a little over hyped & reviewed, but is far better than this one. If you are a hardcore Tarantino mark, its a must see for you. But its not worth seeing, Not as mind blowingly great as people would have you believe

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2 out of 2 people found the following review useful: Not One of My Favorite Leonard Adaptations for Film, 23 July 2001 Author: eibon04 from New York City, NY Jackie Brown(1997) is a major disappointment following the brilliant and strange Pulp Fiction(1994). A huge plus for the film is the cast and their performances. A rare De Niro feature where he is not the center of attention in Jackie Brown(1997). Too eratic in story and some scenes. A average take on an Elmore Leonard movie compared to 52 Pick Up or Get Shorty. The one scene that I do enjoy is the sequence done with mutiple viewpoints ala, Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon(1951).

2 out of 2 people found the following review useful: A good different Tarantino movie, 14 June 2001

Author: INeedANewNickname from Norway Jackie Brown has very little of violent content that Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs had. But it got good dialogues and a very good story. And the actors almost carry the movie alone. All the actors are amazing. Samuel L. Jackson, Robert De Niro, Robert Foster, Michael Keaton, Bridget Fonda and Pam Grier all acts very good. You think that a movie that last for 150min. would be boring without action was wrong. It got very many good conversations and that are all the action you really need.

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If you are tired of Hollywood action, and thought Pulp Fiction was too violent you got here a good alternative where there is not focused on violence.

2 out of 2 people found the following review useful: Not bad, not bad at all..., 21 February 1999

Author: Hegger from Vancouver(foolinrain@hotmail.com) A good movie, but it's only average for Tarantino. I liked the acting of course, and the plot was not bad. But it's no where near movies like Reservoir Dogs and doesn't even touch Pulp Fiction. However, it is fun to watch, and is a great rental if you have never seen it. 8/10.

3 out of 4 people found the following review useful: Boring.., 20 October 2007

Author: Aida Nejad from Gothenburg, Sweden I had way too high expectations about this movie. Quentin Tarantino is by far the best and coolest director, in my opinion, and watching Reservoir Dogs (my favorite movie), Pulp Fiction and the Kill Bill movies, I understood what Tarantino was really about; blood, violence and a fast tempo. But Jackie 77

Brown has none of those things. If another director had made this movie then people would probably go on saying that it was good and it had a good story and so on. But Tarantino knows what he's all about (I'm sure) and he knows what his fans like, once again fast tempo and violence. Plus a great soundtrack. Making this movie wasn't so smart. But I hope he'll continue with the cool movie making, cause he really knows how, and that we will see more of his greatest movies in the future. Thumbs down for Jackie Brown, but thumbs up for the coolest dude on earth.

3 out of 4 people found the following review useful: Ultimately, a bit boring, don't you think?, 14 March 2007

Author: theVHSrocks from United States This film has a great start and a very memorable opening sequence. Our main character is on an airport track and is going forward on a conveyor belt set to a great tune. Fantastic use of the camera and a great song to go along with it, but then once you get to the movie, beyond the stylized and interesting opening, the film starts to slow down and goes on for 2 1/2 it didn't need to.

The thing that defines the film from Tarantino's other work is that is not his own creation (or his own ripoff of someone else's creation) but a legitimate adaption of a novel. Tarantino's style was never that conventional and when you see him working within conventional cofines, which is sort of what this is, de-

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spite being a vibrant-feeling piece, his whole style just doesn't work and he can't acomodate proper pacing. Tarantino's style is suited to fast-pased thrillers or just things told of out of sequence. When he tells a character-driven crime story in a rather linear matter, his very superfluous direction and writing ends up chugging the whole thing down, when it should be either speeding the thing up or directing more so its focus. The opening is more in line with his type of films, but once it gets into relationships and more complex elements of story and character, the thing just kind of drags.

It's got so much good in it, with great acting and great dialouge, but Tarantino just doesn't pace it right cause he can't handle a story of this type and the movie ends up feeling a bit boring, by the time you're finished. Still, though, it's got so much good in it, that it's not necessarily a bad way to spend an afternoon but maybe there'll be a point, where you wish it were it over, when there's probably still a good amount to go.

3 out of 4 people found the following review useful: Under-rated Tarantino gem, 2 April 2006

Author: marcodesouza from United States I was really pleasantly surprised by this Tarantino crime drama. Thinking back to the days of its original release, I don't remember much enthusiasm for this film. Yet, having watched it for the first time last night, I thought it was fantastic! It contained many of those retro Tarantino tricks that I love - the '70's

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soundtrack; the unexpected cuts and fades; the tricks with the time-line. The characters were fantastically portrayed for the most part - Samuel L. Jackson is a genius in this film as is DeNiro in his very understated role. In fact, this DeNiro character is unlike most others I can think of and in that sense, is sort of a relief. And Robert Forster captures the essence of Max the bail bondsman perfectly. This film lacks some of the wild pace and excessive violence of other Tarantino films. I find that a bit of a relief, too. The plot twists are interesting and bottom line is this movie is a lot of fun. Heartily recommended.

3 out of 4 people found the following review useful: An amazingly cool film., 12 March 2006

Author: Willy Thatcher from Canada First of all I am one big Tarantino fan always have been. Most people have criticized this movie as being his worst movie. That couldn't be further from the truth. Quentin takes Elmore Leonars novel Rum Punch and turns it into an amazingly cool film. Pam Grier is as foxy as she was in Foxy Brown and Samuel L. Jackson is a really good bad ass. Quentin gives this story is own spin with a great adaptation of the book and outstanding direction. Robert Forster gives a great performance as a bail bonds agent named Max Cherry. His performance actually surprised me considering he wasn't in much before this. The best actor in this film is by far Samuel L. Jackson, his character Ordell is perfect for him. I might even say that he is better in this than in Pulp Fiction. I think this movie is a great, foxy, cool mystery that deserves much more attention then it has received. I suggest this movie to all you Tarantino fans out there. 80

3 out of 4 people found the following review useful: A great black movie on the theme of cat and mice., 9 February 2006

Author: michel-crolais from France The gunrunner Ordell Robbie use Jackie Brown's services for transferring the money that he has in Mexico for his traffics to his residence at L.A. Jackie Brown is an air hostess who works in a shabby aircraft company because she was formerly condemned for drug traffic. An Ordell's accomplice denounces Jackie Brown to police and she is arrested, but Ray Nicolette, the federal policeman suggests to her to works for the police in order to trap Ordell. This one discovers the trap and thinks to murder Jackie, but she reacts with a gun she had stolen to Max, another Ordell's accomplice. She negotiates a new plan with Ordell in order to do the transfer of his money. But, in fact, she has in mind to steal Ordell'dollars with Max's complicity to go away in foreign country. The movie is very well made and acted and is very pleasant to see.

3 out of 4 people found the following review useful: Tarantino at his best, 7 November 2005

Author: JohnnyR from United Kingdom This is one of the movies in my DVD collection that I haven't watched too many times but whenever I see it, I really enjoy it.

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It hasn't got the attention-grabbing scenes or famed dialogue of Tarantino's previous efforts, Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, but I rate this film at least as highly as I do his others. The plot's good and keeps you interested and it's refreshing to see a movie whose main characters are middle-aged and trying to come to terms with getting older. The cast is pretty much flawless - Jackson is as reliable as ever, De Niro turns in one of his best performances of the last ten years, Grier is really good in the title role and, based on his work here, I've no idea how Forster didn't become a much bigger star back in the 70s. The soundtrack, as you would expect from Tarantino, is spot-on too. What also struck me about the film is how accomplished the technical side of it is, particularly the camera-work and editing. The late 90s was a good time for adaptations of Elmore Leonard's novels, with Get Shorty and Out of Sight being released in that period as well. However, as much as I like those two movies, I think Jackie Brown might be the best of the bunch.

3 out of 4 people found the following review useful: A Much More Mature Tarantino, 13 October 2005

Author: marydot52 from United States *** This review may contain spoilers ***

Taken out of Tarantino context, this film is, well....excellent. Tarantino has grown up. He has cut back on his espresso and made a much more even paced, mainstream (realistic) movie.

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Unfortunately this maturity hasn't boded well with some of his hyped up fan base. Since Jackie Brown doesn't reflect his previous frantic, disjointed style, it hasn't done as well as expected, or hyped. And that is too bad! The characters in this movie have much more depth than say a Vincent Vega or a Larry Dimmick. They are portrayed excellently by the cast. I had little regard for Pam Grier or Robert Forster before this movie. I now highly respect both of these individuals as actors, and anticipate watching all of their subsequent films. Quite a few critics have panned this movie as being too slow and or missing the mark. I agree with the slow part, but that is not all bad. Certainly, when you compare a Ferrari (Pulp Fiction) to a Rolls Royce (Jackie Brown) you will have some critical words regarding speed. However, that should not take away from the Rolls.

Jackie Brown is a great movie. Yes, I said great. The soundtrack is right on. Sam Jackson does an excellent job portraying Ordell Robbie, a totally different character from Jules Winnfield. He is very convincing as a dumb, small times arms dealer wannabe. Forster is excellent (his AA nomination was a testament), and what can I say about Pam Grier! I love that lady after this movie.

I highly recommend Jackie Brown to anyone. Just don't expect the usual Tarantino with this movie.

3 out of 4 people found the following review useful: A Great Film, 26 August 2005 83

Author: gobobcats04 from United States This is just a great movie with incredible characters. The music in this movie is amazing and beautifully applied to the film in perfect synchronization. After viewing it several times, I have a fond appreciation of it because of the fine craftsmanship that Tarantino put into it and because the characters are simply amazing. Ordell Robbie was the strongest character in my opinion because he was so versatile. He could be a stone-cold killer one minute, and a laughing, joking, funny guy the next. His facial expressions and character itself were fun to watch. Pam Grier did an awesome job as well, and Bridget Fonda was great. In fact, the whole cast was just superb. I highly recommend this movie.

3 out of 4 people found the following review useful: Not halve as good or memorable as Tarantino's other work but still way above average of course!, 28 July 2005

Author: Boba_Fett1138 from Groningen, The Netherlands Yes this is a Tarantino movie alright there is some trademark typical Tarantino dialog and a complicated and ingenious story. But something is missing here, especially compared to Tarantino's his other work.

Main problem is I think the characters. They are good all and

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eccentric in a way but they are not really memorable. Especially the main character Jackie Brown (Pam Grier) is disappointing. She isn't really strong enough as a character to carry this entire movie. Real main character of the movie to me was Samuel L. Jackson but why oh why did you had to wear that odd looking pony-tail Sam? Character that I truly liked was Robert De Niro's. He plays a sort of loser role like you wouldn't expect from him in a movie like this. The rest of the character aren't really strong or interesting enough to carry this entire movie.

Really strongest element of the movie is the brilliantly written script that once again is filled with some typical Tarantino elements and twists. Yes, the ending might had been a bit weak and perhaps disappointing but no it did not ruined the movie for me. I still enjoyed this movie, it just wasn't as good as I had hoped for. It was kind of like the movie "Out of Sight" by Steven Soderbergh which has a kind of similar build-up-style and story, it comes very close at times but it never quite takes the cake.

Still a perfectly watchable, mostly fun movie but still you're better of watching Tarantino's other work.

7/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

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3 out of 4 people found the following review useful: not as good as other tarrantio's, 15 October 2003

Author: Roly Savage (areyouilliteratenigga@hotmail.com) from Darlington, England It was always going to be a hard act to follow classics like Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, and unfortunately Jackie Brown doesn't deliver to the standards set be Tarantinos previous efforts. Whilst this is an enjoyable, whilst slow paced movie, it doesn't hit the viewer on the same level and actually left me slightly disappointed. This does not, however, mean that you shouldn't see this film, whether you are a Tarantino fan or not. It may be better viewed if you are not an enthusiastic fan of the director.

Based on Elmore Leonards novel Rum Punch, the movie strays away from the book, so much as changing the colour of the lead to black. Pam Grier does a good job of playing the forty something caught up in money laundering and Samuel L Jackson delivers a great performance as Ordell, but the film unfortunately fails to grip the audience, and unlike Pulp and Dogs, this is not a film you will want to watch over and over again.

BEST ACTOR: SAM JACKSON is funny, witty and truly scary as Ordell. BEST ACTRESS: PAM GRIER was perfectly cast as Jackie and fits in perfectly. BEST SCENE: The three different views of the money exchange is one of Tarantinos best set pieces. BEST QUOTE: 'Wanna F&$k?', from Bridget

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Fonda is very sexy.

OVERALL: 7/10

3 out of 4 people found the following review useful: Where is the creativity?, 9 March 2003 Author: ayoayo from nyc Besides the Tarantino dialogue, everything else is below par. The movie's attempts at plot twists were to predictable. It still is a good movie but just not on the same level as Pulp Fiction. I enjoyed this movie, but I stopped midway way through to go get some Chinese food. I don't know how much that says but I definitely like watching my movies in one sitting.

4 out of 6 people found the following review useful: Read The Book Rum Punch The Movie was better, 1 July 2005

Author: Shyjohn from Ohio The Book Rum Punch by Elmore Lenoard was completely different than this movie. The best things Tarrantino did was switch the location from South Florida/Cayman Islands to L.A./Cabo and switch the lead character Jackie Burke from a blonde 40ish white woman to a 40ish black lady Jackie Brown. When you read the book its confusing why Lenoard made the 87

lead character white because the story flow isn't that good. Tarrantino also removed a couple other sidelines from the book which all in all made the movie much better than the book. Pam Grier in a way brings elements of all her 1970s characters into Jackie which if you liked her early work you'll love this. Jackie in many ways is sort of like Foxy Brown over 40 and out of options but still with her brain. Ordell played by Samuel Jackson underestimates Jackie and it costs him big.

7 out of 12 people found the following review useful: Jackie Brown: 8/10, 25 May 2004

Author: movieguy1021 (Movieguy1021@comcast.net) from Anywhere, USA Expectations ruin movies. I was talking to my brother about Jackie Brown, Quentin Tarantino's follow-up to Pulp Fiction. He said the movie "bombed" because people didn't think it was as good as Pulp Fiction and made less money. Although many were disappointed that it didn't rise to Pulp-like statue, and that it didn't make as much money as it (less than 20%), but does that automatically make Jackie Brown a terrible movie? No. On the contrary, it's a nice departure from the frenzied pace of Pulp, and shows Tarantino's growth in this medium.

Jackie Brown (Pam Grier) is a flight attendant at a small airline. She works in transferring money via the airline, but soon she is caught. In order to reduce, or eliminate her sentence, she helps the police get Ordell (Samuel L. Jackson), an arms deal-

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er, put away. However, with the help of bail bondsman Max Cherry (Robert Forster), she starts to play both sides like a modern-day Yojimbo. Plus, Robert De Niro using a large bong!

Tarantino takes a breather between Pulp and the Kill Bill movies here with a (for the most part) nonviolent drama. It's slow, but it's refreshing. In the age of quick cuts and techno music that's overused, it's good to see a film like this. The pace is slow, sometimes too slow for its own good, but it never gets boring or tedious. The movie does have a few stylish flairs, but it looks low budget, and feels low budget. This movie seems normal-none of the wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am dialogue that made Pulp so famous. There's almost no memorable dialogue in Jackie Brown, but does that mean that it's a terrible movie? According to many people, yes. In my opinion, no.

The thing is, although Jackie is about 20 minutes too long, it's entertaining throughout. The script, based on Elmore Leonard's Rum Punch, keeps our interests throughout, mainly because of Pam Grier. Her endearing work makes the movie worth watching. Her no-holds-barred attitude in the movie makes it continually interesting. Jackson puts in an average show-nothing can top Jules Winnfield. De Niro looks like he's doing a favor for a friend-or Tarantino just wanted him in the movie. But chronically stoned Melanie (Bridget Fonda) put in a good job. The acting's not as good as previous Tarantinos, but for the most part, it's good.

So, let me sum up everything I've said. Jackie Brown is an en89

tertaining, long (by about 20 minutes), and enjoyable movie. See it.

My rating: 8/10

Rated R for strong language, some violence, drug use and sexuality.

Reviews & Ratings for Jackie Brown More at IMDbPro

1 out of 1 people found the following review useful: Absolutely Incredible! A Masterpiece From Quentin Tarantino!, 10 August 2011

Author: Humphrey Fish from United States Jackie Brown, starring Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Forster, Michael Keaton, and Robert De Niro is about a female flight attendant becomes a key figure in a plot between the police and an arms dealer. I just watched this movie today, and I was totally and completely astounded by it! This movie is absolutely incredible, it is a movie that benefits from strong performances and directing! Quentin Tarantino really knows how to make a masterpiece, and that's what we've got here, this movie is a masterpiece from Quentin Tarantino. Jackie Brown is one of the best movies of 1997, and therefore, it has just be90

come yet another one of the greatest movies that I have ever seen in my life. This has got everything a masterpiece should have, a great plot, great directing, great acting, or in short, great everything! I loved this movie, I loved it, loved it, loved it, LOVED IT! When you watch this movie, you will understand why I am really raving about it! I will award this movie a perfect rating of ten stars out of ten. This movie is one of the best movies, as well as one of Tarantino's best!

Samuel L. Jackson plays an arms dealer named Ordell Robbie in one of his greatest performances. Pam Grier, Robert Forster, and Michael Keaton also deliver great performances. But perhaps the best performance in this movie, goes to the great Robert De Niro. Robert De Niro plays Louis Gara, Ordell's partner and close friend. While Jackson, Grier, Forster, and Keaton were fabulous, De Niro was the best thing about this fabulous movie! So all in all, great performances from a great cast add to the greatness of this masterpiece of a movie! This film has got to be one of the best movies that Quentin Tarantino has ever directed, as one of the best movies that I have ever seen in my whole entire life! Jackie Brown is excellent, don't miss it!

Well anyway, this movie is one of the greatest movies ever to be made, as well as one of Tarantino's best. I don't want to spoil the movie for you, so the only thing that you can do is watch this movie to find out what happens. Since this movie is directed by Quentin Tarantino, and stars great actors like Samuel L. Jackson and Robert De Niro, then you can probably expect to see something as extraordinary as this! Get ready to see the absolute best when you watch this movie, because it gives you the absolute best! Do yourself a huge favor, and watch Jackie Brown, because you will totally and completely 91

love it!

10/10

1 out of 1 people found the following review useful: The smartest ones don't always win out., 10 December 2010

Author: bobsgrock from United States After a ground-breaking, eye-opening success like Pulp Fiction, any director would feel pressured to make a film that establishes them as a genuine talent rather than a flash in the pan. I'm not sure that is what Quentin Tarantino attempted to do with Jackie Brown, but he makes it work in every way possible. As his only film not originally written but based on an Elmore Leonard novel, the film has a very novel-like structure. There are also quite a bit of main players, to a degree even more so than Pulp Fiction because here they are part of the intricate and complex plot rather than supporting characters thrown in for some enjoyable banter.

It is interesting to see the evolution of Tarantino's ability to direct a film between Pulp Fiction and this. One feels like a young, up and coming director full of ambition and energy, ready to show the world what he can do. The other is much more restrained, professional and interested in the deeper realms of these characters. Indeed, throughout his career it is

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obvious that Tarantino's gifts lie with dialogue and characters; for him they go hand-in-hand.

To go along with that is a terrific cast. Pam Grier, an icon of the blaxploitation films of the 1970s, looks tired and weary of the cards life has dealt her as the title character, a flight attendant who gets mixed up with smuggling money and the ATF, putting her in a position she would rather not be in but understands the long-term significance. Samuel L. Jackson gives perhaps the best performance as Odell, a mean, driven criminal willing to go to any lengths to ensure his status. Robert Forster revived his career as Max Cherry, a bail bondsman with a lot in common with Jackie and willing to help her out. However, my personal favorite must be the great Robert De Niro as Louis, a former cell mate of Odell who is more than a little unable to work his way back into society after being released from prison. The way De Niro plays the character so subtly stupid and ignorant is both hilarious and shocking to watch.

Of course, with any Tarantino film, the plot doesn't matter so much as who's in it. The film is long but never boring as he winds up this intricate story of crossing and double-crossing all while sneaking in scenes contemplating heavier themes like age and life's direction. This is certainly a film that will catch people by surprise, especially Tarantino fans who loved Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. The classic Tarantino signs are here, but there's also a lot more under the surface.

1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:

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Nothing I can say will do this film justice, 31 May 2010

Author: ILoveASeriousMan from New Zealand Some have a problem with the running time, they say it drags They say, it kinda sucks compared to Pulp Fiction I AM NOT ONE OF THEM I'll keep this short The casting and acting is flawless.

It's a comedy, a drama, a crime film, it has one of my favourite characters in movie history (Ordell Robbie, played to perfection by Samuel L. Jackson) The real treat of the film is that it's a slice of life look at people dealing with age and facing retirement. Ordell knows he can spend the rest of his life spending, Lewis can't smoke a bong properly anymore, Jackie Brown and Max Cherry are both stuck in jobs that will have them with things that ain't worth a damn Quentin Tarantino said he made this film for black audiences and everyone else is invited. And while I've enjoyed everything he's made, this one I can't fault and the parts I love, I love more than in his other films and a lot of other films I love in general This film is a rarity - how many films do you see with an African-American women of Pam Griers age have a roll like this in the film She looks absolutely stunning and is quite simply excellent in the film, as everyone is.

Tarantino still uses references from other films, the title sequence is from The Graduate. There is a shot of a womens feet (out of all shots of womens feet in his film, this is my favourite). There are references to things on television. There's a 94

great soundtrack and so on and so forth I don't know if I'll ever see a film like it again in my life, but I prefer it to Quentins others because of it's adult themes and much more to Pulp Fiction because of the structure I give it 100/100

1 out of 1 people found the following review useful: Undeniably cool though it pales in comparison to Tarantino's best efforts, 28 January 2009

Author: sme_no_densetsu from Canada "Jackie Brown", based on the novel "Rum Punch" by Elmore Leonard, was Quentin Tarantino's hotly anticipated follow-up to "Pulp Fiction". It met with generally favorable reviews but is today overshadowed by much of Tarantino's other output.

The story revolves around the title character, a middle-aged stewardess (Pam Grier) who gets caught transporting illicit cash for her arms-dealer boss (Samuel L. Jackson). As a result, the authorities coerce her into aiding them. However, she soon hatches a plan for a complex con that will satisfy her legal obligation while also fattening her pocket with some of her employer's ill-gotten funds.

The script, while adapted from someone else's work, has much of the usual Tarantino style. Unfortunately, in my opinion, the film gets bogged down somewhat by the sheer complexity of

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the scam that Jackie is trying to perpetrate. It takes a lot of time and exposition to set up the caper and in the end the film has little to offer beyond the superficial plot. That being said, Tarantino does manage to fit a fair amount of character development into the film's two and a half hours.

The cast gets high marks. Samuel L. Jackson delivered a performance that was every bit as good as his turn in "Pulp Fiction". Both Pam Grier and Robert Forster had their careers rejuvenated by their assured performances in prominent roles. Robert De Niro doesn't spend much time in the spotlight here but his performance is marked with nuance and skill. The rest of the support is solid too, especially Chris Tucker in a small but entertaining role.

Naturally, Tarantino's direction is top-notch. While I can't recall any particular visuals that stood out the overall presentation was carefully considered and well executed. Tarantino also displays his penchant for savvy soundtrack choices, this time using a number of R&B gems with a dash of sixties rock for variety.

Ultimately, though, the film's relative lack of action and convoluted plot make it a little less compelling than other Tarantino offerings. It's still a cool flick but don't expect something on par with "Reservoir Dogs" or "Pulp Fiction".

1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:

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Just when you thought it couldn't get any better, it actually didn't but it couldn't have come closer., 29 September 2008

Author: johnnyboyz (j_l_h_m@yahoo.co.uk) from Hampshire, England Tarantino is quoted to have said, when asked about his follow up to Pulp Fiction which caused shock waves throughout the industry and how he would match it, that he knew he couldn't go over Pulp Fiction; so he went under it. In Jackie Brown, Tarantino pulled off from that very sentence what he set out to do. The film is a quite simplistic and laid back experience for most of the time, only branching off at certain points with that distinct flair Tarantino brings to his films when it needs to. This is most evident during the actual trading of bags in the shopping mall, something Tarantino announces is about to happen with a title card and a cheeky fourth wall breaking comment: 'For real this time'.

But leading up to this heist or exchange or whatever is a thoroughly rewarding and distinct journey littered with realism; menace; great dialogue; great acting and individual personas for each of the characters. Given that Tarantino includes characters in Jackie Brown of the stoner, surfer bimbo and flight attendant variety and for him to make them come across as anything but the clichs and caricatures we have become to associate with them is a triumph in itself. Part of this is down to casting; having De Niro play Louis, a bank robber recently out of jail and addicted to drugs is one thing but resisting casting a young man in the role and resisting having him talkative and nave in that 'stoner' caricature we could all associate with him is another. If anything, Louis could take the drugs to keep him 97

calm since the instant we see him spending long amounts of time away from the pad and away from the drugs, he becomes very irritable and somewhat dangerous.

Then you have the other 'types' that could so easily have been typecast but people like ATF enforcer Ray Nicolette (Keaton) is more than a typical policeman or agent with a badge and an ego, he wants to help Jackie and at certain points wants to get to know her whilst carrying a certain quirkiness attributed to Keaton's approach to the character. So if Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs were all about breaking down stereotypes in a well worn genre then Jackie Brown is the continuation of this, albeit on a lower scale. The film could fall into crime, possibly even neo-noir and quite possibly romance. There are some blurry lines as to who is playing the protagonist in the noirinspired sense as bail bondsman Max Cherry (Forster) could clearly be given the 'down on his luck' lead role and Jackie the femme fatale or Cherry could simply be labelled an ally and Jackie (who's equally down on her luck) is the anti-hero playing everyone off against each other. The film is named Jackie Brown after all, but if we can learn anything from the final scene and garner anything from the film overall then it's feasible Max is the best and most interesting character.

Jackie Brown is perhaps the most conventional of Tarantino's films; certainly at the time and certainly with hindsight also. It adopts a straight and linear path that only become complicated when it branches off to show its several primary characters' actions. In terms of manipulating the linear passage of things, Jackie Brown rarely toys with formula until it is absolutely necessary to drop the viewer into chaos of the mind as they frantically backtrack and work out who's where and why they 98

might be. This is done during the most important scene in the film and feels like the climactic heist as everything comes together and fits into place but really, Tarantino is using it as a set up for the bigger picture; the attempted acquiring of a gun runner.

At the core of the film is a strong female character and how often can you come away saying there is such a thing in a film that contains gun runners; stoners and could quite feasibly fall into the noir genre? Incidentally when Max first sees Jackie, played by Pam Grier, leaving the jail house his look is constructed around the gaze theory but one thing I noticed that may be deliberate by Tarantino is that she isn't fetishised or presented in an objective fashion. This is down to two things; firstly Tarantino places her about two dozen feet away from the watching Max and secondly, given the dystopian locale of the jail house we've previously been presented with, Jackie has this aura about her that does not demand an attractive labelling. She is a mess, with scraggly hair; well worn clothes; air miles under her belt for that particular day and generally unglamorous.

Following her brush with death at the hands of gunrunner Ordell Robbie (Jackson), who is equally brilliantly set up in all his ruthless glory, the film divulges into the seedy world of apartments bought with blood money, malls, mall car parks and police station offices. The splashes of Tarantino are evident in random flashes of violence; eventual non-linear story telling and a mock cartoon bird's eye view of a flight from Mexico to America. The soundtrack of light, mellow love songs adds a depth to Jackie Brown as Max gently eases his way into feeling for the woman as the meetings escalate between the two. The manner in which each character is fleshed out in their own re99

trospect's and the efficiency of most scenes involving Jackson's Ordell Robbie as well as Cherry's gradual relationship with Brown are some of the reasons Jackie Brown goes down as and will remain as one of my favourite films.

1 out of 1 people found the following review useful: MC's take on "Jackie Brown", 10 September 2008

Author: Lorenzo_von_Matterhorn from every where *** This review may contain spoilers ***

Jackie Brown: "Well, I've flown seven million miles. And I've been waiting on people almost 20 years. The best job I could get after my bust was Cabo Air, which is the worst job you can get in this industry. I make about sixteen thousand, with retirement benefits that ain't worth a damn. And now with this arrest hanging over my head, I'm scared. If I lose my job I gotta start all over again, but I got nothing to start over with. I'll be stuck with whatever I can get. And that sht is scarier than Ordell."

Jackie Brown is the name of a flight attendant who gets caught smuggling her boss' gun money on the airline she works for. Luckily for her, the Fed Ray Nicolet and the LA Cop Mark Dargus decide to team up in order to arrest the arms dealer she works for, whose name they don't even know. Here's when she

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has to choose one way: tell Nicolet and Dargus about Ordell Robbie (the arms dealer) and get her freedom -except that if Ordell suspects you're talking about him, you're dead- or keep her mouth shut and do some time. That's when she meets Max Cherry -her bail bondsman-, a late fifties, recently separated, burnt-out man, who falls in love with her. Then Jackie comes up with a plan to play the Feds off against Ordell and the guys he works with -Louis Gara and Melanie Ralston, among othersand walk off with their money. But she needs Max's help. No one is going to stand in the way of his million dollar payoff...

I liked Quentin Tarantino better when he's borrowing concepts and ideas from other films and making it uniquely his own. Just kidding. I still dig this film even though there's no flashy editing and the style is lesser than the substance. I don't know, I guess QT's magic works better if he's homaging movies after movies (ie, Kill Bill 1 and 2, Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction) This time around, Tarantino worked his way around an engaging script, a stellar cast and amazing acting courtesy of lead Pam Grier as the titular character, Samuel L. Jackson as Ordell and believe it or not, Chris Tucker's performance was hilariously amazing. Even though his character never did see the end of the film, jousting cuss words with Samuel L. Jackson is no easy feat. John Travolta's Vincent Vega was annihilated by Jules' "Superfly TNT, the Guns of Navarone!" and even the snakes pised their pants with Sam's "I'm tired of this motherfn snakes on this motherfn plane!" Like in any other film by Quentin Tarantino, the script is more than amazing. It was engaging, satisfying and genuine. From the quirky one liners to Samuel L. Jackson's holier than thou cussing, this film is as real as you can get. Real characters dealing with real situations with real outcomes.

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People who bash Quentin a lot should learn a thing or two from this film. He's not all that copycat director you make him to be. He's just a guy who's seen a lot of films during his video store clerk days and loved it so he pays tribute to it by making films. This one however is a step out his usual norm and I must say, he still nailed it. This is why QT is one of my favorite directors out there.

1 out of 1 people found the following review useful: Very unique movie., 26 August 2008

Author: bubbathom from United States *** This review may contain spoilers ***

Recently I've become a huge fan of Tarantino, and this was one of the 2 movies of his I hadn't seen(can't find the other one) so I rented it. I loved Samuel L Jackson in his role and De Niro was funny. The plot was unique, sometimes confusing, and barely ever boring. Samuel L Jackson does a great job as a gun merchant who will stop at nothing to reach $1,000,000, and this movie just shows why he is one of my favorite actors. De Niro is quiet, but for some reason I found him really funny. No, this movie is no Pulp Fiction, but to me that's kind of a dumb remark, it means nothing besides this movie is not one of the greatest movies of all time(which you should not expect out of it), which is perfectly fine. Anyways, a very good movie.8/10.

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1 out of 1 people found the following review useful: Slow moving crime drama, not as much action as Pulp Fiction, 16 July 2008

Author: Stampsfightclub from United Kingdom In Tarantino's third film, Pam Grier stars as Jackie Brown, who is arrested for bringing illegal money into the country which ultimately takes her into a case involving one of her close friends, gun dealer Ordell (Jackson).

Once again covering the crime genre, Tarantino brings the characters and plot to life with cutting edge direction, and specific writing in a great portrayal of the crime world.

A lot of crime films focus upon action and car chases at every possible opportunity but this crime drama exploits the more specific details of what gun dealers and police are like with the unnecessary action. In admiring the realism of this concept, it does last for the entire film with hardly any action and can trail off waiting for something big to happen.

This may be off putting for many action viewers but the direction, script, dialogue and characters are good enough to give that little extra to put this film right up with Pulp Fiction and

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Kill Bill.

The acting is excellent by all involved. I particularly enjoyed De Niro's (Raging Bull) performance, in perhaps an underrated role for the legendary actor. Samuel L Jackson is again good, but not as powerful as he was in his Oscar nominated role in Pulp Fiction. His character is intriguing to watch and develop as the film progresses into a more personal stage, but with the lack of action and suspense, the characters sometimes end up being a bit dull, all except for De Niro and Grier, who are the stars of the show.

Grier takes centre stage as the air hostess who is under the spotlight from everyone in this film and Brown's actions and skillful planning are a joy to watch and the zest in her actions make up for the lack of suspense and action.

Not Tarantino's best film, but nevertheless great portrayal of real life crime with a good sophisticated plot that will keep viewers intrigued t the very end.

1 out of 1 people found the following review useful: One of Tarantino's Best., 23 June 2008

Author: yearspew from United States

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When I first watched Jackie Brown, I thought it lacked something that Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction had: the entertainment factor. I liked the movie but I didn't enjoy it much. I rewatched it and re-watched it again and realized that it wasn't supposed to be like Reservoir Dogs nor Pulp Fiction.

Jackie Brown is Quentin Tarantino's most "real" film. Real in the way that it handles very true-to-life characters in a complex and well-written crime plot. Unlike Reservoir Dogs, which focused more on the violence; and Pulp Fiction, which had more cartoonish elements to it.

As far as story goes, this is Tarantino's best. A very interesting, appropriately paced crime story that makes you think and pay real attention to understand all the details of what's going on.

Acting-wise, superb. Every cast member does a brilliant job portraying these fantastic characters. Pam Grier and Sam Jackon have great chemistry, Robert Forster is amazing playing a low-key regular man, De Niro is very good and funny, and Bridget Fonda and Michael Keaton are great as well.

The direction is good. I wouldn't call it Tarantino's best directing job (that'd be Pulp Fiction) but it's a very good work that shows quality.

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Overall, Jackie Brown is a very good film, and I mean the word very. Perhaps Tarantino's most underrated, but a great film with a great story and great characters.

1 out of 1 people found the following review useful: A grossly misunderstood movie., 15 February 2008

Author: shadowman123 from United Kingdom QT's Jackie Brown is homage... homage to movies from the 70's blaxpoiltation era to movies like Superfly,Coffy , and The Mack. That I feel that was over looked from the audience who saw this movie and thusly I feel did not give it the type of review that it deserved. This movie can't be rushed or crammed because for me Jackie Brown is a character study from person to person , we are given time to analyse each character to and to see them for what they really are. Everything in this movie is form following function and that can be told from Tarintino's heavy study on the lingo used by the characters and not to mention the soundtrack and settings which just add homage to the genre. This movie is different from what others might expect from QT , but it really has to be followed closely and appreciated as we get to see him stretch out his wings further into the artistic world of directing. Having said that I feel that Jackie Brown may not be for everyone because not everyone will understand it will probably require than one viewing but if you can get through that then trust me you might really get to see it for what it really is.

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JACKIE BROWN : 8.6 OUT OF 10

THIS Christmas , SANTA'S GOT A BRAND NEW BAG...

1 out of 1 people found the following review useful: A Drama from the Murdermeister, 26 January 2008

Author: screenman from United Kingdom *** This review may contain spoilers ***

I didn't know that this was a Tarantino movie when I watched it. One evening it was screened on television and I just went along for the ride. But pretty soon I found it was taking me to lots of interesting places, all of them with the same name Character.

Each of these characters have problems with which we can empathise. There's a crook with a Walter Mitty complex, and another crook who's burned-out and clearly losing it. There's a bored blonde moll with too much spare time who has taken to drugs as a fillip. There's a bail-bonds-man just getting along and getting older, doing his job without much thought to anything else. And then there's Jackie Brown: an air-hostess metaphorically on her last flight. She's 44, middle-aged, and putting on weight. She's also an unintentional mule for Walter Mitty 107

and, consequently, a stooge for the police.

This movie weaves an engaging little fabric of trust and deceit, hope and disappointment, success and failure. Even at their worst, there is something about each character that commends them to your affections. They're just getting by on the term that life has made for them.

There is murder. And it's as sudden, needless and brutal enough to bear the Tarantino stamp. But in the end it doesn't detract from the character study that is the basic premise of this movie. Those who die were clearly doomed anyway. You knew that. Whilst those who survive are enriched by their passing, literally and metaphorically.

I needn't name the players; they're all listed elsewhere. But each one does a thoroughly sterling job in their role. And if ever proof were wanting that we need more older women on screen - here it is.

This movie is a worthy distraction from Tarentino's usual formula of graphic crudity and violence. It signal's an ability to do a great deal more with people than the things for which he is so rightly famous. The man possesses subtlety. And I, for one, would welcome more.

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2 out of 3 people found the following review useful: this one merits another viewing..., 9 October 2003 Author: SulphurMan Jackie Brown deserves more credit than it often gets...

If anything, it proves that Tarantino has a real knack for filmmaking, and that he isnt some indie fluke who made a couple masterpieces and then went downhill. What weve got here is a real piece of work. A film that is provacotive and entertaining, a film that features solid performances and skilled directing. Jackie Brown embodies the essence of a great film, and I will still stand by the claim I made when I first say the picture: If this came out before Pulp Fiction, in 1994, JACKIE would be viewed as Quentin's masterpiece.

But of course as we all know, it followed in the wake of the Pulp madness, and that was perhaps the films death knell. To out-do Pulp would be impossible - it is the greatest film ever made, but I dont think Tarantino was trying to make a film that out did it, I think he was trying to make a film that he would enjoy if he happened to catch it at the cinema back in the 70's. Its fun and it moves at a more methodical pace than its two predecessors (Pulp and Reservoir Dogs), but dont be fooled, its still chock full of brilliant dialogue and inspired segments. Keaton turns in a great performance here, and it just goes to show that he is incredibly underrated. Robert Forster brings a dose of charming reality to the film and he brings a warm and comfortable presence to his charecter. Pam Grier approaches her role as Jackie with the same detached yet confident "cool" 109

that made her a legend in stuff like "Coffy". She's great, and she really keeps you glued to her every move. DeNiro is DeNiro - he is a classic actor and this shows why. He can do it all. Honestly I this is his best work since Raging Bull.

Jackie Brown is great, dont be told otherwise. Its an excellent contribution to the film world and should be viewed with a little more distance from the Pulp Fiction madness.

2 out of 3 people found the following review useful: QUINTESSENTIAL TARANTINO, 23 August 2003

Author: kida_fish from BOMBAY, INDIA Honestly, this movie doesn't match the brilliance of its predecessor, PULP FICTION. However, this movie is still a Quentin Tarantino flick. Great directors have their own style: their movies may fall into particular rubrics, but they have a unique identity of their own, creating a different blend of movies, confirming rigidly to their specific style. Quentin Tarantino has his own way of directing and conceptualizing his movies, and JACKIE BROWN, has all the sine qua nons of a trademark Quentin' movie.

To begin with, the combination of American & AfricanAmerican gangster pair still continues on from its predecessor. Even this pair of gangsters (Robert De Niro and Samuel L

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Jackson) is as ruthless and unemotional as the pair (Samuel L Jackson and John Travolta) in PULP FICTION, in executing gory killings. The plot is pretty simple: A female flight attendant, working hand-in-glove with an arms dealer tries to trick him and loot him of his own money. Within the execution of the plot, one is bombarded with the quintessential Tarantino': great dirty' dialogues, brilliant retro music, (instead of using background scores, Quentin uses songs) detached & controlled butcherly violence, and of course, the bohemian funny nature of the characters.

Though pretty much in the same lines as PULP FICTION, JACKIE BROWN isn't as inane and mindless as its precursor. Far from his 1994 attempt, which is a classic, Quentin's 1997 attempt, though not in the ranks of PULP FICTION, is still a fantastically made Tarantino' flick.

8/10

Viva Tarantino!, 20 November 2011

Author: Michal Nowak from Poland After the box office and artistic success of "Pulp Fiction" Quentin Tarantino made a brilliant and unconventional another image, which is indisputably "Jackie Brown". The film tells the story of the title Jackie Brown, who has been tricked into carrying drugs. Her question leads two policemen, Ray Nicolet (Mi-

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chael Keaton) and Mark Dargus (Michael Bowen). Ordell (Samuel L. Jackson), for which Jackie was bringing the money, is now in trouble because they do not know whom to trust.

As with Tarantino, or propels something great, or do crease. This time he succeeded again - no doubt created a film worthy of most attention, which is due to the original screenplay beats most of the production of the same decade. Excellent dialogues, fantastic climate, great actors and amazing Soul "The Delfonics" make it to this film will always come back with the greatest pleasure. We deal here with cinema entertainment in its pristine form, so to say that it is a principled one of my paintings to kill boredom. This amazing story of a woman after 40, who got mixed up in no small trouble, flirting with the guarantor Max Cherry (Robert Forster), having on his head a dangerous offender and his sidekick Ordella Gare Louis (Robert De Niro) is something not to be expected by Tarantino, because where's the blood, where the place for something stronger? This is not a typical Tarantino movie, because it is much more subtle than his other productions, but that's the genius of this film. Of course, do not run the typical flavors, which occur for example in "Reservoir Dogs" and "Pulp Fiction" as black humor or irony great dialogues, but no doubt it is the most subtle and mature in terms of "moral" the work of Mr. Q. Those who do not like the work of Quentin Tarantino, should "Jackie Brown" view immediately, and those who adore this man, most probably be disappointed because they do not get here this pastiche, which is the main symbol of his other works.

"Jackie Brown" is a movie for everyone, both for those who want to tear after a tired day, and for those who simply want to see something good, something that will be made in memory. 112

This film shows that in today's life, to survive you have to be sly and cunning. It is close headlamp 90s cinema and i will put this movie alongside such "cults" of those years as "The Shawshank Redemption," "Forrest Gump," "Silence of the Lambs" and "Pulp Fiction". "Jackie Brown" contains everything that should be the work of cult. An excellent cast, great music, great script and directing, of course, climate, and with finesse. I recommend with all my heart.

Quality from QT, 11 November 2011

Author: symonm from United Kingdom *** This review may contain spoilers ***

Although not one of QT's most talked about works, Jackie Brown is Tarantino at his best. Everything about this movie works. From the start, with it's long following shot of Pam Grier walking along in her Flight Attendants uniform, Jackie Brown is primarily character driven. It doesn't seek to be action or fantasy orientated, it's not gung-ho or overly clever and there are no mystery sub plots where the viewer has to wait for the end for the pieces to be tied together, (although there is some beautifully crafted surprises along the way). It's just a great character driven "book" brought to life by the master of dialogue rich films. Sure it's violent in places, it's an homage to the blaxploitation films of American urban 70's low life after all, but throughout, it's theme is simply what happens to Jackie. A hard working but lonely, although still beautiful middle aged woman who's life has inexplicably passed her by and her at113

tempt to augment her low wage and raise her low self esteem with some easy ill-gotten gains, the police investigation into what happens after and an unlikely but very believable mixed race pseudo-romance with a white bail bondsman. What intricacies there are to the plot, features incredible supporting roles from Robert De Niro, Brigit Fonda and Samuel Jackson amongst others. All of whom are exceptional here.

The musical score throughout is perfect (as always with QT) and in the end, the ultimate pay off being that although Jackie Brown gets away with it and the bad guys are gone, her crime means that she has to walk away (well drive away) from her chance of happiness.

Great film, great cast, great score and great fun. More like a 10/10 than a 9/10

Everything in place but the magic - 73%, 7 November 2011

Author: Mr Ben from Hampshire, England For many years, this was the big one - the one that got away. As much as I enjoy Tarantino's movies, this one never really seemed to bother me much and so I was happy to give it a miss. I even bought it on DVD and traded it before I watched it. So using the benefits of a Sky+ box, I could finally give it a fair hearing but after all this time and given the fact that it is the follow-up to one of my favourite films of all time, could it

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really hope to compete?

Taking his cue from riffing off other genres, "Jackie Brown" is Tarantino's take of Seventies blaxploitation and introduces us to airline stewardess Jackie (Pam Grier), who should be doing better but finds herself increasingly held back by past mistakes. Her other source of income is running money for arms dealer Ordell (Samuel L Jackson) but things are about to take a turn for the worst. After being busted by ATF agent Nicolette (Michael Keaton), Jackie finds herself caught up in their plan to catch Ordell or face a long stretch behind bars. Trouble is, anyone double-crossing Ordell ends up dead pretty quick. But Jackie is a resourceful woman and begins making plans of her own, possibly involving her bail bondsman Max Cherry (Robert Forster)...

There is technically nothing wrong with "Jackie Brown". Performances are universally brilliant - even Chris Tucker's brief appearance isn't annoying - and almost as good as the funk and soul mix of the soundtrack featuring legends like Bobby Womack, the Delfonics and Randy Crawford. The soundtrack, you expect to be faultless in a Tarantino flick but his usual antics of playing with the chronology are kept to a strict minimum which means any who didn't get "Pulp Fiction" will not be confused by the plot here. The story, based on an Elmore Leonard novel, has the usual twists and turns but ultimately doesn't offer too much in the way of surprises which felt a little disappointing. But in truth, this is a great crime movie with brilliant performances and all to a fantastic soundtrack. What's not to like?

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Well, Tarantino's films have a reputation for being close to the edge, for pushing boundaries and taking things to the extreme but "Jackie Brown" is none of this things. It feels too safe by Tarantino's standards as if he's afraid of offending anyone and as a result, it lacks the usual zing and verve of his other films. And while it keeps the Seventies vibe going, I never personally felt it was a blaxploitation tribute as strongly as "Pulp Fiction" paid homage to crime thrillers. I wanted to be gripped but I only stuck with it for fear of losing the plot. It's an easy film to admire but a difficult one to love and to be honest, I just didn't feel the magic.

Very Cool Movie. Well done. Watch it you Jive Turkey, 4 November 2011 Author: fire-58 from United States I like this movie. There are some funny moments and there are some really cool moments. De Niro has a very interesting character in this movie, most of his roles are very in your face.

He has a very mild personality in the start then you see him shine at the end.

I love the way this movie is ends. It shows what happens from different views.

The blond girl that smokes all the dope is fun to watch ;)

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This is a very good movie and i would watch it. If you like mob and crime and such, this is right up your ally.

Now go watch it you JIVE TURKEY!

A Woman Named Jackie Brown ..., 10 October 2011

Author: ElMaruecan82 from France Quentin Tarantino created such recognizable trademarks in his first two movies that the third one, "Jackie Brown" seems like borrowing the name, but not the substance. No overt-the-top violence, no wisecracking dialogs, no non-linear editing except for a few parts, "Jackie Brown" is not the most defining film of Tarantino's style, but of his incredibly versatile talent.

The film patiently lets the relationships grow and the decision be made with a level of realism that respects the audience's intelligence. Interactions, deep moments of thinking, while a usual thriller would mostly rely on action, massive shootouts or bloody violence, in "Jackie Brown", the point is elsewhere, and the plot only works to assess the depth and threedimensionality of the characters, stuck in a cat-and-mouse situation with the complexity of a chess game. And with so many lives at stake, the smartest will be the winner. There's such a harrowing feeling relying on Jackie Brown's desperate need to

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be THE smartest, it's only fitting that she is an attendant: her situation embodies the stressful nature of her job, when regularly, she expresses the need to light a cigarette so she can pull herself together, have a break. And think again.

What makes "Jackie Brown" so compelling is that the best scenes generally feature two characters trying to act clever, to make a decision, a move, to see through things. Nothing is taken for granted, not even one earlier scene when Ordell (Samuel L. Jackson) gets rid of Beaumont Livinston, a business partner who's got busted by the AFT agent Ray Nicolet (Michael Keaton) and might rat him, Beaumont (Chris Tucker) is hard to convince, refusing to get in the trunk, he finally falls in the trap when Ordell tempts him by promising his favorite food after the job is done. This scene is well-written and it serves the plot on two crucial levels, first, it highlights Ordell's personality as an excellent manipulator, secondly, it illustrates in what kind of situation, Jackie Brown is put, when she's the next one arrested by Nicolet.

The film is long because it works on a repetitive process, vital to create a feeling of logical continuity when the whole plot is based on pure logic. The first repetition involves the third most important character of the film, the bail bondsman, Max Cherry, played by Robert Forster in a nuanced but powerful performance, rightfully Oscar-nominated for Best Supporting Actor. Max paid the bond for Beaumont before he got killed, and of course, he's the one in charge of Jackie Brown's case. By using the same logics, Tarantino deliberately lures us into a feeling of predictability to better surprise us with the scenes' outcomes. Yes, we expect Max to fall in love with Jackie, but the way it's handled is original and satisfying: no sex scene, no stereotypi118

cal dialogs, there's a relation evolving smoothly, graciously, with lines that ring true.

And 'true' is the first feeling that inspires the growing tacit romance between Max and Jackie. Hard to believe that it's made by the same director who made "Pulp Fiction", with an emphasis on "Fiction", but it's the ultimate proof of Tarantino's originality and versatility as both a writer and a director. Look at just how the characterization works. In most movies, characters are defined by their actions, in "Jackie Brown", their thinking, their decisions, their collaboration, and their interactions define them through an extreme intricate puzzle with all the pieces reassembled together at the end. The movie can be frustrating at some parts where we don't follow Jackie Brown's reasoning but this is pivotal as she's trying to outsmart Ordell, Nicolet and Max a little bit, that we might feel outsmarted too.

The film works on that intellectual and subtly emotional level, that makes all the difference between "Jackie Brown" and the other 90's gangster films. And Tarantino didn't forget his particular touch, we get the iconic trunk shot, the beautiful sight of Bridget Fonda's lovely feet (sorry), an unrecognizable De Niro in a loser role, and a homage to the opening of one of my alltime favorite movies "The Graduate". Tarantino's touch is present but never without serving the story. Take Bridget Fonda as Melanie, she is an obnoxious and particularly annoying spoiled bitchy blonde and De Niro as Louis Gara isn't the brightest of the bunch, the combination of the two makes you expect the worst. They're criminals, they know how to shoot, but Jackie Brown is smart, and Max Cherry have a fondness on her, their 'partnership' as she likes to say, is more valuable than all the guns in the world, to outsmart a criminal mastermind 119

like Ordell.

And Pam Grier as Jackie Brown, is the reason-to-be of the film, another demonstration of Tarantino's secret talent not to revive careers but to remind us how underused some actresses are, and some actors like Robert Forster. "Jackie Brown" wouldn't have worked the same with actors and actresses used to play lead romantic roles,. Grier and Forster are so into their character of old, tired, hard-working people that they don't expect to fall in love, so the communication goes through objects, music, and intermediary elements. When Max listens to this beautiful 'Delfonics' song, we know it's his heart for Jackie that is pounding and we feel for them whenever the melody can be heard. Age is one of the recurring themes of the film, incarnating this passing of time as an invitation to act before it's too late, a tormenting feel of urgency. Because there's always more than money, more than freedom. Jackie Brown is not totally relieved at the end as she knows she's won more than a 'partner' in Max.

And we're satisfied that, at least, they could finally exchange a tender, intense and rewarding kiss before another song could get between them, leaving the ellipsis or the interrogation mark up to the viewer.

Call it comedy noir, crime thriller, middle age romance; it's quite entertaining just the same., 13 September 2011

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Author: felixoteiza from Canada *** This review may contain spoilers ***

I never thought I'd say this, but I liked this Tarantino. The same QT who to me has come to epitomize stylish but gratuitous violence and whose alleged masterpieces I have yet to watch in their entirety. But JB is different. Here he takes us to an entertaining rendez vous with suspense, humor, (implicit) romance, action. This is the story of a stewardess in dire straits--because of a past conviction--who's caught again, now delivering money & coke and who's put in the dilemma of doing time or collaborating with police and thus facing the wrath of the man who put her in that situation. She decides to do the later--but also, as a bonus, to get the guy's money, half a million dollars.

Some say this is not a real Tarantino and I'm glad for that because otherwise I'd have never known how good a filmmaker he can be. JB is a very well done flick, from beginning to end; there are no lagging segments, even when the risks for it are the the greatest, in those lazy scenes in the couch between dope heads Melanie & Louis, thanks to good acting jobs by De Niro & Fonda. Jackson does okay too, but I found his language rather excessive; I don't get that overkill of profanities, unless the point is that his Ordell is a very bitter, screwed up, insecure man. But the flick belongs to Grier & Forster anyway. They are both superb in their common scenes, which are beautifully understated and where their overall behavior is more meaningful for what they are implying than for what it's said or done.

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Every good filmmaker know a few tricks that would save him/her a lot of work if doing things properly For ex. it makes a lot for characterizations to put a few people in an unusually difficult spot and let them react in their own particular way. JB is a classic ex. of that, even more when the tension essential to a thriller doesn't come here from a villain, a temporary circumstance, a disaster, but by an unavoidable fact of life: old age; or rather the possibility of lacking financial security for it. That's why, rather than bad apples what we got here are just a few desperate people who see coming the big 5 without having anything to provide for what comes later. Or even if they got it, it can be all lost in a wink of an eye. That's what gives JB his special edge, the fact that Jackie, Ordell, Louis, got only one bullet left in their revolvers, which they'll have to use wisely-as Simone does--or who don't even have that and they'll have to bluff their way out of trouble. We may include also Melanie who, even as a younger dope head, knows well that she'll end up the same way. Max presents the same portrait, but emotionally. He may have financial security, but he has no emotional bearings, nothing for which to live or to die. That leaves Ray; Keaton may overact sometimes but that for a good reason, as QT failed to provide him with a Damocles' sword which would have justified his over the top eagerness, his rage, as he'd have been acting then by similar motivations as the others. As for Mark, he is not really part of the drama, rather an amused observer. But the real leads are Jackie and Max, and we have to thank De Niro, Jackson, Fonda for having graciously left Grier/Forster the spotlight. Anyway, the scenes between the two dope heads provide for a great comic counterpoint to the more serious stuff between the middle age lovebirds.

I read some laudatory comments about the cinematography, but I didn't see anything that I hadn't seen before. Ditto for a par-

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ticular event seen from 3 different POVs. As for the plot, it isn't very realistic; the scam would have never worked out that well for Jackie in real life. In all, best things here are plot development and acting overall. Nice pacing too. Good writing, good dialogs. As for the 70s music, it didn't bother me. In all, entertaining enough for a 7/10.

Tarantino's most mature film yet, 25 August 2011

Author: bigplatts from United Kingdom Tarantino's massively hyped follow up to pulp fiction doesn't disappoint, and stands as his smartest and most mature movie to date.

The film follows the story of an air hostess (Pam Grier) who gets arrested for trying to smuggle money out of the country, and she gets caught up in the middle of the gangster world as her old partner Samuel L Jackson tries to get her to work with him again, while she also falls for Bail-bonds man Robert Foster. The plot works well as it is filled with twists and an always moving narrative, while the performances are the real highpoint: Jackson, Foster and Grier all do well but its Robert DeNiro and Bridget Fonda who give the standout performances as Jackson's friend and girlfriend respectively.

As you'd expect from a QT movie, the film is filled with well written chunky sections of dialogue, with all the characters get-

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ting fleshed out very well. But what sets this apart from Tarantino's other work is that the film feels more mature and professional: there's no messed up chronologically, no weird unrealistic events and there's not an endless list of connections between this and other films with no star cameos. Don't get me wrong, I still feel Pulp Fiction is his best film, but Jackie Brown proves QT can create a smart yet normal movie.

Something some people might not like is the film is very slow burning and at the beginning its unclear where the plots going, but give it a chance and the film really picks up. My one major criticism of Jackie Brown is that the films final quarter is a bit boring and all of the things that happen feel very dragged out for no reason, although the films ending is a satisfying end. But I don't find JB as re-watchable as QT's other film, mainly due to its more realistic story and pacing.

Overall I'd heavily recommend Jackie Brown as its a slow but heavily rewarding film that once again shows Tarantino's talent as a filmmaker. 9/10

It's the Characters, Stupid, 9 August 2011 Author: masercot from Manassas, Va What makes this a great movie? EVERY character in this movie could stand on his/her own in their own movie.

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Jackie Brown: This is her movie; but, consider the compelling personality of this woman. She's more afraid of growing old without money than she is of her psychotic boss; so, she coolly schemes away money from a sociopathic killer.

Ordell Robbie: The sociopathic killer. Not bright, will kill at the drop of a hat and somehow has made big money in arms dealing. The man has a great ability to convince himself that what is does is justified.

Max Cherry: Twenty years as a bail bondsman, encyclopedic knowledge of sentencing guidelines. No fear...

Louis Gara: Unbelievably dumb career criminal. The fact that he still breathes is a testament to the reptilian brain.

Winston: Bail bondsman who finds people who don't wanna be found 'cause "that's what he does".

The Judge: Maybe not a compelling character; but, I just like Sid Haig.

This movie is actually better the subsequent times that you watch it...

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I Can't Blame Anybody For Anything I Do, 5 August 2011

Author: ShootingShark from Dundee, Scotland *** This review may contain spoilers ***

Jackie Brown is an airline stewardess who moves money to Mexico for L.A. arms dealer Ordell Robbie. After a shakedown by the cops, a worried Ordell decides he wants to get all his money out, and Jackie sees an opportunity to escape her situation

Based on Elmore Leonard's classic crime book Rum Punch, this is a sensational, hypnotic thriller, with outstanding direction, lashings of style, highly original characters and three fabulous performances from Grier, Jackson and Forster. Tarantino somehow manages to depict a criminal underworld which seems frighteningly real and brutal, and yet at the same time is filled with his beloved seventies nuances and crackerjack dialogue. The casting of cult blaxploitation star Grier (Coffy, Foxy Brown, Sheba Baby, Friday Foster) is obviously a dream come true for him, and he just can't get enough of shooting her - the opening five minutes is just a montage of her amazing face, memorably underscored with Bobby Womack's soulful number Across 110th Street. Grier seizes the role completely and delivers an amazing performance which retains all the chic and sexuality of her previous work, but with the depth and maturity to portray a middle-aged woman taking a desperate gam-

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ble on her future. She's amazing, and what I like best about the movie is Jackie's relationship with Max, who is also looking to break out of a rut, but is not as ambitious as Jackie. They have an extraordinary unspoken chemistry, and their two key scenes together - having coffee in Jackie's kitchen and the finale when they kiss - are my favourites. Contrasting their earthiness is Jackson's incredible turn as gangster Ordell, alternately hilarious and terrifying as he plays all the other characters like puppets. The only word to describe him is intense, and there are some moments - like the scene in the van when he closes his eyes and (correctly) deduces who has stiffed him - where he just burns up the screen. This kind of movie is all about the characters, and Tarantino lovingly crafts every word and nuance out of them all, from Ordell's braided goatee to Max's blue 1976 Cadillac Seville, all of which combine to create such a rich atmosphere. At two-and-a-half hours it could perhaps use a little trimming, but I'm not sure where; every scene is pretty tight, and as with all great thrillers the build-up pays off big time with a satisfying dramatic finish. An outstanding crime picture in every respect and the icing on the cake of Grier's long and distinguished career. Dedicated (very appropriately) to gifted writer/director Sam Fuller, who passed away just prior to the film's release.

Tarantino's honest contribution to Noir, 26 July 2011 Author: moviestar26 from The Big Apple *** This review may contain spoilers ***

Quentin Tarantino is a force that can't be reckoned with. When I was at grad school I discovered his movies and became an 127

instant fan. I truly appreciated his understanding and perception of cinema. His individual style has been very unique from the beginning. Not many directors have managed to replicate or plagarise his work at all. Many have made Tarantino esque movies, but they have never lived up to becoming a huge success. His vision has been shared many times with Robert Rodriguez, with whom he has made joint collaborations. It has almost seemed like Tarantino has a patented license for all his works.

Since his debut feature 'my best friend's birthday', it was evident that had talent not only as a write but also as a director. His first big feature 'Reservoir dogs' set his career in to motion from the outset. 'Pulp Fiction' later followed which won multiple awards. Many have regarded it as one of the best movies of all time. Unfortunately the recent 'Inglorious Basteards' didn't receive my approval. But I understood that he enjoys to experiment with different genres of movies. I'm eagerly awaiting his next venture 'Django'.

'Jackie Brown' is his third directed movie. And it follows in the traditional crime and gangster theme. Upon viewing this feature it is evident that it was his tribute to the 70s blaxploitation cinema. Movies such as 'Superfly' and 'Snatch' still create echos to this day on. And Tarantino has given his offering. He has also incorporated his witty humour. The movie also helped to relaunch Pam Grier's movie career. Many still remember her from the 70's movie 'Coffy' and 'Foxy Brown'. Her portrayal of the bad revenge seeking woman is still very memorable to some. However she doesn't exactly get chance to relive those moments due to the different nature of this movie. This is an adaptation of Elmore Leanord's novel 'Rum Punch'. Tarantino 128

has changed the location from Florida to California. The novel also had a blonde white woman as it's central character. He has cleverly managed to alter a few elements of the novel while still maintaining it's authenticity.

The movie doesn't fall in to one category immediately. There is a atmosphere of noir as well as crime elements. The central theme involves a pair of cops that intend on apprehending a gun runner with the help of a flight attendant. She has a choice whether or not to cooperate. Not giving assistance means spending a few years in prison due to possession of illegal drugs. I fell that this is the closest that Tarantino could come to making a noir movie. Many of the conventional noir aspects exist, right from the double crosses to the deceitful female characters. And the main theme surrounding cash and deception is at the top of the list here. However one of the most common elements such as extra marital affair scenario does not exist. Every character is very well depicted and each contribute positively to the plot.

SPOILERS Ordell (Samuel Jackson) is a gun runner who profits from selling unlicensed and unregistered firearms. One day a associate of his is arrested by the authorities. Ordell approaches a bails bondsman Max Cherry (Roberty Forster) to get the young guy's bail. But his real intention is to murder him so that he doesn't say anything to the police that would place his life in jeopardy. Ordell is reunited with his old accomplice De Niro and also has a female woman Melanie (Bridget Fonda) to help out with the odd jobs occasionally. Meanwhile a flight attendant Jackie Brown (Pam Grier) is stopped by two cops to be checked and searched. They discover a sachet of cocaine and a few bundles of hard cash. She delivers money to Ordell 129

through her airline flights. And is asked to cooperate with the authorities to bring Ordell to justice otherwise spending a few years behind bars. She accepts and the plan is to apprehend him after a cash delivery is to be made. However Jackie has plans of her own and decides to keep the money and share it with Max, but the authorities will be unaware of this. Meanwhile Melanie become devious too as she wishes to take the money also. Unfortunately all does not go as planned and Melanie is shot by De Niro. The money was taken by Max and after Ordell discovers about this from De Niro, he is killed too. Jackie and the cops devise a plan again, this time to get Ordell to come for the money and so they can make the move on him. END OF SPOILERS

With a running time of 2 hours 30 minutes the movie does seem pretty heavy going. But Tarantino has incorporated all the small detail from the novel so there is nothing lacking. I found that there was a dramatic atmosphere absent in the movie. One scene progresses to the next at a steady pace, But the sheer quality is at the surprising moments, for example De Niro's death scene. The director makes many scenes effective even without the use of a background score. The 70's soundtrack compliments many scenes nicely. Clearly this is an example of substance over style as Tarantino has concentrated on narrating a story rather than just throwing style in our faces. While viewing the movie I had a strange thought that this felt like a combination of two movies put together. 'Bound' and 'Pulp Fiction' came to mind instantly. The money scenario from Bound and the undercover cop from Reservoir dogs.

I could not help but noticing that Bridget Fonda, De Niro and Samuel L Jackson's characters were lacking common sense to a 130

small extent in their roles. They weren't capable of achieving their intentions like they should have.

Excellent crime drama, but not typical Tarantino, 21 July 2011

Author: Useful_Reviewer from United States Tarantino's fans don't seem to like the fact that this isn't a typical Tarantino movie. It's more realistic and doesn't have the super-crazy action violence that Tarantino is known for. As such, it has a gritty feel to it, and the violence comes off more effective because of the realism. But don't judge it by how well it conforms to his pattern; judge it for what it is. It's a great crime movie.

Based on an Elmore Leonard novel, the story is clever, and the characters are outstanding. The cast, especially Samuel L. Jackson, but also DeNiro, Robert Forster, and even Pam Grier, bring these multi-dimensional characters to life with plenty of depth and believability. I'd recommend this for anyone who wants a tough, R-rated crime drama.

Detach "Jackie" from its predecessor and its merits shine, 8 June 2011

Author: Movie_Muse_Reviews from IL, USA

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It's never easy to follow up brilliance. After suddenly rocketing to notoriety, Quentin Tarantino was left with an inevitable task: make a movie after "Pulp Fiction." His choice came in the form of "Jackie Brown," the story of an airline stewardess (saying "flight attendant" would not gel with the vibe of this film) caught between an arms dealer and the law and hoping to pit them against each other in order to walk away with a half a million dollars.

Despite an abundance of a badass trash-talking Samuel L. Jackson, "Jackie Brown" doesn't have the same growl as "Pulp Fiction," but the comparison only exists beyond that because they're crime dramas made within three years of each other.

"Jackie Brown" has a distinctly more retro '70s vibe than "Pulp Fiction" as well. Tarantino paints Jackie (Pam Grier) as a tough-as-nails woman who can stick up for herself in a man's world, but that doesn't make it any easier for her. This "Charlie's Angels"-style feminism in addition to music choices and title sequences intend to make "Jackie Brown" kick old-school ass. It doesn't run all that deep, but it certainly keeps Tarantino's signature nice and shiny.

The film feels an awful lot like a foul-mouthed version of a Coen brothers film in that small- time characters put themselves way in over their heads. The core relationship in the film exists between Jackie and Max Cherry (Robert Forster in an Oscar-nominated role). Max is enamored with Jackie, perhaps for her sheer courageousness and fierce independence. As a bail bondsman, we expect him to remain peripheral to the sto132

ry, but after picking up Jackie from prison for the first time, he becomes more and more intertwined in the conflict, putting his life on the line frequently. Without his pure admiration and sympathy, Jackie would never have been able to consider pulling off the "sting." Although neither of them are morally commendable protagonists, there's still a sense of who deserves what. ''My ass may be dumb, but I ain't no dumb ass!'', 11 April 2011

Author: Bullet-91 from Edinburgh, Scotland *** This review may contain spoilers ***

With 'Pulp Fiction' a proved mass phenomenon, film creator Quentin Tarantino was on the lookout for another hit and in 1996 created 'From Dusk Till Dawn', which proved to be a box office success ( though I personally thought it was naff ). His next big hit came the following year when he created 'Jackie Brown'. Unfortunately, I was unable to see it on its original release so my first encounter with it came five years ago and, while I have to say that it is no 'Pulp Fiction', it is certainly an interesting and worthwhile effort.

Sexy Jackie Brown ( Pam Grier ) is a stewardess for a small Mexican airline, a job which she massively dislikes. She only uses this job as an excuse to smuggle money from Mexico into the United States for fearsome gun runner 'Ordell Robbie' ( Samuel L. Jackson ), who is under close watch by the ATF.

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One day, while smuggling, Jackie is placed under arrest by ATF agent Ray Nicolette ( Michael Keaton ) and LAPD detective Mark Dargus ( Michael Bowen ) after being found in possession of stolen money and cocaine. Upon hearing of her arrest, Ordell fears that she may divulge information about him to the authorities in order to avoid being sent to prison. Ordell then plots to kill Brown.

However, Jackie strikes up a deal with Ordell in which she will pretend to help the authorities while simultaneously managing to smuggle $500,000 of Ordell's money. Will she hand the cash over?

Some bits don't work admittedly but for the most part the film is on target. Pam Grier is excellent as the super smart Jackie, and she was adequately supported by Samuel L. Jackson and the brilliant Robert De Niro. The best bits, though, were those containing the stunningly beautiful Bridget Fonda. Words just cannot say how hot she looked in that bikini outfit. Watch how she constantly tries to seduce De Niro's character, it is wonderful.

Six years later saw the arrival of what I regard as Tarantino's finest creation - 'Kill Bill', starring the sexy Uma Thurman.

The forgotten one, 4 March 2011

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Author: Leofwine_draca from United Kingdom Out of all the films in Tarantino's career as director, JACKIE BROWN is the one people are least likely to have seen. This may be because it's the director's most subtle and relaxed movie, and also the only one in which the material he directs isn't his own; instead this is an adaptation of an Elmore Leonard novel. This doesn't mean it's at all bad, and in actual fact it's entertaining to watch Tarantino try something different for a change.

Of course, his trademarks are still apparent for the fans. The dialogue is as zippy and frenetic as ever, and the characters the usual bunch of double-crossing low-lifes you'd expect to see in RESERVOIR DOGS and PULP FICTION. There's a huge setpiece late on in which takes place in a shopping mall that manages to be just as entertaining as the chop-em-up showdown of KILL BILL: VOLUME 1 even if the on-screen events are more laid back.

As with every other Tarantino movie I've seen (all of 'em, with the exception of DEATH PROOF), the cast is remarkable for its breadth and daring. Once again, Tarantino isn't afraid to pick forgotten or non A-list types as central characters. When he incorporates A-listers, like De Niro here, he does an about turn and casts them against type. It pays off. De Niro is hilarious as a no-good hoodlum and seems to be loving the chance to play something other than a slick mob boss.

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Elsewhere, we get cult favourite Robert Forster (ALLIGATOR) who gives what I think is his best ever performance; Michael Keaton, playing a pretty weird/wired cop; Bridget Fonda as a stoner; Chris Tucker, not annoying for once; Samuel L. Jackson as a cold-blooded, almost reptilian character and, of course, Pam Grier. While I appreciate Grier's iconic status I've seen a fair few of the '70s flicks that made her famous - I don't think she's quite the actress that Tarantino hoped for when casting her, but she's adequate at least. Add in a Sid Haig cameo and there you have it: a typically offbeat, original and enjoyable Tarantino outing with a cast to die for.

Jackie Brown - A woman of substance, 2 March 2011

Author: suvopyne49 *** This review may contain spoilers ***

Quentino's third movie is supposedly the so-called weakest amongst all his works.It may be his weakest but still one of the better crime movies also. Jackie Brown(Pam Grier) is a flight stewardess, who actually smuggles money for a gun, runner,Ordell Robbie (Samuel. L. Jackson).

It's always been Tarantino's speciality and brilliance to show some completely isolated incidents and then relate them in a stylish, convincing and enthralling manner. Thus all the characters in his movies seems to be inter-related.

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This movie, as the name suggests, is about Jackie Brown. This character can be one of the finest female movie characters, along with nurse Ratched, Beatrix Kiddo etc. Jackie Brown is a woman of substance.

All the characters are portrayed in a brilliant fashion starting from Bridget Fonda as "Melanie" to Robert De Niro as "Louis Gara". But the movie belongs to Samuel L. Jackson and Pam Grier, and even Michael Keaton and Robert Forster has to be mentioned when it comes to that.

P.S. Delfonics' "Didn't I Blow your Mind This Time" is superb

Less Guts, Over-The-Top Violence and Quirkyness But No Less Stunning, 28 November 2010

Author: jfcthejock from United Kingdom *** This review may contain spoilers ***

Most Tarantino fans agree that Pulp Fiction is Tarantino's greatest work, due to its wackiness and over the top violence and humour. I won't disagree there, but Jackie Brown another of Tarantino's films is just as good personally. Yes it is lacking some things in Pulp Fiction, more in order to make space for a 137

more entwining storyline and also to interlink characters more. Jackie Brown is about a 44 year old stewardess Jackie Brown (Pam Grier) who is caught by the ATF and law enforcement ferrying cash for a Los Angeles based gun dealer Ordell (Samuel L. Jackson) who is making a killing in profits selling all kinds of guns to very sour and dangerous people.

She is given a choice; help the authorities nail Ordell or face hard serious jail-time and here begins her story. She chooses to nail Ordell for the cops, in exchange for no prison time and immunity. Beginning her sting, to let the cops catch Ordell with his hands on the money she begins to hatch her own plan of taking Ordell's $500,000 dollars for herself. Alike to Pulp Fiction we see the spanning storyline from different perspectives and viewpoints of those of Jackie, Ordell, and even the lower characters of the world including a Bail-Bondsman and a newly released con friend of Ordell's.

Tarantino makes us in the end root for Jackie Brown to get her hands on Ordell's money, as we being to like her and understand her predicament due to Ordell's activities. We see him as a cowardly brutal businessman who in the end would rather shoot one of his people dead, than allow them to live and risk prison. Tarantino shoots Jackie Brown alike to how he shot Pulp Fiction, with very gritty environments and set-pieces, moving from one to another to piece in another character's story.

The violence isn't regular, but when it comes along its just right to get across the scene like when Ordell shoots dead one of his 138

own people when they risk a big prison sentence, or when Robert De Niro's character flips out shooting dead Ordell's annoying girlfriend. These scenes are quickly shot, and you are taken to another character's point of view.

Maybe Jackie Brown to some hardcore die-hard Tarantino fans is not his best work but to some its one of his best, alongside Pulp Fiction. The cast is great, with searing performances from Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson and even Robert De Niro in supporting roles, however one that even surprised me was Robert Forster's performance as the bail bondsman who gets close to Jackie Brown and helps her swindle the $500,000 from under Ordell's nose. His performance was quite good, and at a point almost stole the show from Samuel L. Jackson. Jackie Brown is a great film in Tarantino's long run of works.

Another Hit for the master Tarentino!, 24 November 2010

Author: Jetset971 from United States *** This review may contain spoilers ***

The more times I see this movie the more I like it. To me, that is the trademark of a truly exceptional director. Quentin Tarentino hits another grand slam with "Jackie Brown" and homage to the "Blackspotation" movies of the 1970's. I really like this movie! The cast is fantastic, not one weak performance in any of the characters, Pam Grier is in top form in the tittle role and

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comes across as nothing but genuine. Samuel L. Jackson, as always, gives a mesmerizing performance as Ordell. Supporting players Robert DeNiro and Brige Fonda, are spot on. As for Robert Forrester, Man, I have never scene him give a better performance. He hits just the right tone as Max Cherry. The dialoge, as always in a Tarentino film, keeps you enthralled from beginning to end. One of my favorite scene has to be when Ordell,( Sam Jackson), has just shot Beuamont and is showing him to Lewis, (DeNiro), Here is A sample of the dialog. "Who' that" "Thats Beuamont" "Who's Beamont? "An Employee that I had to let go." Love it! Quentin Tarentino does not churn out a movie every year or every two years. He is a master craftsmen, who like Stanley Kubrick, makes a movie when he finds something that interests him. I think that Tarentino will go on for decades to come and not amass large numbers of films but will leave a body of treasured gems. Mr. Tarentino, I salute you sir, To me you are on the same level of Stanley Kubrick! You take all the time you want, I know I will not be disappointed.

Something was missing in Quentin Tarantino's mind, 10 October 2010

Author: JohnW67 from France Jackie Brown...

I never heard about this movie until i saw a file posted for "imdb's 20th anniversary", it was something about the top underrated movies. I saw it in a good position, around 7, and i 140

asked myself : "What is this movie ?". [...] I've given this one a try, and i saw it.

Well, i must say Quentin Tarantino is a truly genius, but i don't know, something's missing. Okay, you've got a good duet L. Jackson - Tarantino, you've got a nice screenplay, good actor; BUT, it's not like the others. I mean, Quentin T. is known to make people having a good time with some incredibly quotes, scenes, characters or screenplay, but all of them were not as good as usual. The only fact which was pretty unexpected was the very good performance from Robert Foster who was definitely higher than his friends.

My note : 7/10, was a good time, but could be better. - If you are a Tarantino's fan, go for it anyway.

John W.

I pray this won't always be the third best Tarantino flick, 29 August 2010

Author: MBunge from Waterloo, Iowa *** This review may contain spoilers ***

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I haven't liked the last 3 movies by Quentin Tarantino. I loathed Kill Bill, was bored stiff by Death Proof and unimpressed by Inglorious Basterds. I was starting to wonder if I was being unfair. Perhaps my standards for Tarantino's work were too high and I was being overly critical. Then I rewatched Jackie Brown and remembered just how great Tarantino can be. This movie is so good it completely validates my view of how crappy everything he's done since has been.

Based on a book by Elmore Leonard, this is probably the least showy and ostentatious of all Taratino's films, but it's also the one where he's most trying to grow and mature as a storyteller. It's about a loquacious and murderous gun dealer named Ordell Robbie (Samuel L. Jackson) who's set himself in inner city Los Angeles like a spider in a web. Ordell has women set up in houses all over town, an ex-con buddy named Louis Gara (Robert De Niro) helping him out and 500 thousand dollars stashed down in Mexico. To get access to his money, Ordell relies on an 40something flight attendant working the last airline job she'll ever have on the worst airline in the business. Her name is Jackie Brown (Pam Grier). When an ATF agent named Ray Nicolette (Michael Keaton) catches Jackie coming back into the country with drugs and an envelope filled with 50 thousand dollars, he gives her a simple choice. Go to jail and lose everything she has or turn on Ordell. It's a simple choice but Jackie Brown isn't a simple woman. With the aid of a bail bondsman named Max Cherry (Robert Forster), Jackie hatches a scheme to get her out from under the cops, Ordell and her own run down life.

This movie looks, feels, flows and even sounds different than anything else Quentin Tarantino has done. It dispenses with 142

slick attitude and embraces and earthy and compromised reality. These characters are real people living real lives and when they talk, they say real things. They live in a world that looks lived in and unpolished. When these characters act, they don't do anything cutely clever or stylish but move and perform with a mesmerizingly plain directness. Jackie Brown is an effort by Tarantino to become more than the flashy shtick he executed so brilliantly in Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. He's not trying to make that same sort of film again and he wonderfully succeeds.

There's a lighter touch to the whole movie. The violence is less grotesque, the dialog is less contrived, the performances are less theatric and even the music that defines Tarantino's direction is less intrusive. Most of the songs we hear are a part of these characters' lives, not a soundtrack slathered over them.

Now, that does also mean that Jackie Brown doesn't have quite the energy or intensity of Tarantino's previous work and the pacing of the story is maybe a bit too luxurious. But there are no serious flaws to the movie. There's nothing in here you have to overlook or excuse. There's never a point or a moment that you have to accept that you wouldn't accept if you saw it in the work of a lesser filmmaker.

The performances here are uniformly strong with the actors filling out the depth of each and every character. None of these roles are just here to serve The Almighty Plot Hammer. They do what they do because of who they are.

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Jackie Brown is a really good film. Sadly, though, I fear that when Tarantino's career is overJackie Brown will still be the third best movie he ever made. True, that would mean he made three films that were better than most people ever make. It would also mean he spent decades throwing away one of the greatest talents of his time.

Smooth Criminal, 9 December 2009

Author: tieman64 from United Kingdom *** This review may contain spoilers ***

"My ass may be dumb, but I ain't no dumbass." - Ordell

Some points...

1. This film was brushed aside in 1997, mostly because it seemed similar to Barry Sonnenfield's "Get Shorty" (another Elmore Leonard adaptation, released two years earlier) and lacked the rapid-fire dialogue, narrative gymnastics and bloody violence of Tarantino's previous two films. Today "Jackie Brown" still doesn't get much love, despite being light-years ahead of Tarantino's other flicks.

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2. Samuel L Jackson is the only character here who speaks in "Tarantino-speak" ("Kevin Smith speak" with less sex jokes). Everyone else has very little dialogue, and when they do speak, they do so realistically and with lots of little nuances. This makes the film far less cartoonish than Tarantino's other flicks.

3. The film's central characters, played by Robert Forster and Pam Grier, are both in their late 40s or early 50s. They're a charming couple and though their relationship never quite turns romantic, their attraction is always implied, sparks flying whenever they're together.

4. DeNiro, Pam Grier and Robert Forster, all play very worldweary and disillusioned characters. They aren't as selfconsciously hip as Tarantino's characters usually are, content to simply shut up and watch as things unfold.

5. "Jackie Brown" is more subtle and tasteful in its content than Tarantino's other films. Watch how the director gives his character's room to breathe (it feels at times like a Wenders movie), filling the film with lots of quieter moments.

6. Tarantino captures the atmosphere of Elmore Leonard perfectly. This is a graceful film with real emotional resonance, each moment flowing melodiously into the next. It's the perfect mix of pulp fiction, blaxploitation aesthetic, and film noir. One

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can easily imagine a Humphrey Bogart or a late career Robert Mitchum in the Robert Forster role.

7. Unlike Tarantino's other films, in which characters are disposed of without a second thought, deaths and murder are not taken lightly.

8. When was the last time you saw a major Hollywood movie starring a black women pushing 50?

9. Rewatching all of Tarantino's film recently, this is the only one that isn't annoying. While his other films bristle with tongue-in-cheek post-modernism, "Jackie Brown" is really a sad romance about desperate people trying to survive. As the intro and outtro songs state, they're all "trying to get out of the ghetto alive", "doing whatever they have to do to survive." Smooth.

10. There are a lot of "homages" here. Tarantino inserts nods to "Black Mamma White Mamma", "Vampyros Lesbos" and "Bucktown". Tarantino also turns the hero of Leonard's novel from a blonde Caucasian to an African American woman called Jackie Brown, a nod to Pam Grier's blaxploitation classic, "Foxy Brown". The song "Longtime Woman" was itself sung by Grier and is a nod to "The Big Doll House", a 1971 film in which she starred. Quentin Tarentino's finest work yet., 8 October 2009

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Author: Sirus_the_Virus from United States *** This review may contain spoilers ***

I have seen most of Quentin Tarentino's films. But of all of the ones I have seen, I thought Jackie Brown was the best. This one wasn't even written by Tarentino. his one was written by Elmore Leonard, who wrote Get Shorty, 3:10 to Yuma, and others. You can tell because this film is genius.

Jackie Brown is an incredibly smart film. Almost all of the characters are likable and there are a ton of great performances. The best are from Bridget Fonda and Robert Forster. Fonda plays Melanie, who lives with a gun runner(Samuel L. Jackson) on a beach. She also sort of lives with Louis(Robert De Niro) who has just gotten out of prison.

I'll get back to the characters in a second. The film mostly revolves around Jackie Brown(Pam Grier), who is caught with money in a bag that isn't hers. She is put in jail, and she is soon the key figure in a plot between the police and Ordell(Samuel L. Jackson).

I can't really tell you anything else about the film. The film is funny and has a lot of brains. You see some incredibly surprising things in this film. You see Robert De Niro smoking a bong and having sex. Yes, I told you it was surprising. The dialogue in the film is smart and the plot is interesting. I was engaged

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throughout all of this film. I have to read the book some time.

This film has it all. It's got laughs, fantastic performances, and a little bit of romance. I forgot to mention another great performance in the film. Robert Forster's performance as Max Cherry, a bailout dealer, is so cool and nice. There is a somewhat romance between him and Jackie. Almost all of the characters in the film are likable. The film has a cameo of Chris Tucker, who, to me, made the Rush hour films. I like Chirs Tucker, but I wanted to see more of his character. This is Tarentino's best, and that is saying a lot. Quentin Tarentino is a fantastic director. I wish to see more of him in the future. I saw his most recent film, Inglorious Basterds, and loved it. I haven't seen a bad Tarentino film yet. I doubt I will. Jackie Brown is without a doubt, and great, entertaining film, filled with laughs, and is Tarentino's best.

Jackie Brown:****/****

Disappointing copy of Pulp Fiction, 18 September 2009

Author: peapulation (peapulation@hotmail.com) from Ireland After Pulp Fiction, Tarantino was solid gold. Much like Peter Bogdanovich before him, it seemed like everything he touched was gold. However, he did something that even the biggest Tarantino fans won't quite forgive him for: Jackie Brown. This film, unlike Pulp Fiction, is not so inventive, is slow paced, the

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characters are much less interesting and apart from a few interesting moments, the film just drags on. However, it is just another version of Pulp Fiction. While it would have been wiser to changing style completely, Jackie brown showed the world that he was human, and that perhaps his success had limited his abilities. Much like Bogdanovich.

"Jackie can tell me any story that comes into her pretty little head, just so long as at the end of that story she hands me my motherfucking money."

Tarantinos Best: Pure Genius Film-making, 1 September 2009

Author: ArneyStone from United States Without any doubt, Pulp Fiction and other nonlinear films from Quentin Tarantino have been groundbreaking and magnificent to say the least, but Jackie Brown shows the brilliance of Tarantino in all colors. His endowment in writing and directing simultaneously in films is pure bliss, and is shown extremely well in this film.

The character development from every single major role is brilliantly put together, even with the small amount of nonlinear events, they all coincide in amazing manner. The development in the roles of main characters Jackie Brown (Pam Grier), Ordell Robbie (Samuel L . Jackson) and Max Cherry (Robert Forster), are much more accessible if there is previous knowledge

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on Tarantino's style, but even without it can be appreciated by all cinema-lovers. Not only with those characters, but with all. Not left out is the struggle and hard earned validity of each role, which encapsulates many different personalities of charisma, and also much exigency when handling situations that this movie absolutely encases.

Once again, Tarantino absolutely nails the edge-of-the-seat viewer detail, capturing the ins and outs of human nature in crime fighting, gangster fueled situations. It is hard to pinpoint a favorite, or best Tarantino film ever made, but Jackie Brown is absolutely a candidate.

The conventional wisdom of "Jackie Brown", 28 August 2009 Author: freedomFrog from United States Adapted from a novel by Elmore Leonard, Quentin Tarantino's follow-up to his classic "Pulp fiction" is another crime movie, paying tribute to the blaxploitation movies of the seventies, starring blaxploitation icon Pam Grier along with Robert Forster, Samuel Jackson and Robert de Niro.

One of the most annoying clich you can read in a review of a Tarantino movie is some kind of pompous statement about "Jackie Brown" being his best/most mature work to date, usually meant to imply that everything went down hill from there. Well, let me respectfully disagree It's not that "Jackie Brown" is not a great movie. It is. But it is also a very conventional one by Tarantino standards. Like it or hate it, you have to admit

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that a Tarantino movie is unlike anything else you watched in a theater. They don't follow the codes of other movies; they don't unfold as you would expect them to do. They have their own rhythm, their own groove. That is, except if the Tarantino movie in question is "Jackie Brown".

It follows the template for "serious film-making by serious film-makers" to the letter. For an audience uncomfortable with the non-conformism and the chaotic creativity of other Tarantino movies, this might be reassuring. They are on known grounds there. This is conventional film-making. For once, a Tarantino movie is walking the line, talking the talk, going the way it should go. This is what a good movie by a great director should look like. So, be a good boy, Quentin. Do what everybody expects you to do and just shoot another "Jackie Brown". Who knows? You might even win an Oscar in the process!

Except that Tarantino is not a good boy. He does not care about what people expect him to do. He just follows his own path, without compromising, and this path leads him far away from the standards of conventional film-making, although he demonstrated in "Jackie Brown" that he mastered those standards as well. It's almost as if he did "Jackie Brown" just to prove that point. Yes, if only he wanted, he could be a "serious" filmmaker making a "serious" "mature" movie. But a Tarantino movie is not about following the conventions: it is about inventing new ones! There are wild territories off the main road and it is where he wants to be.

This is this gung-ho take-no-prisoner attitude that makes him 151

without a doubt the most brilliant and interesting director currently working. And that's why "Jackie Brown", although an accomplished work by any standard, cannot be considered in any way as the apex of his movie output.

"I'm serious as a heart attack...", 23 August 2009

Author: adrongardner from USA Jackie Brown is Quentin Tarantino's best film. There is not a single note wrong here from beginning to end. Dogs was a rough start, Pulp was a crowd pleaser, but with Jackie Brown, there are characters who are more than pawns in a game of "Guess what movie I ripped off..."

The awesome cast is firing on all cylinders to give the movie a real backbone. Surprisingly only Robert De Niro's presence comes off out of place in his nearly wordless role.

The film works better on more levels than any other Tarantino. Why? Three main reasons;

He is working from a completely realized story from Elmore Leonard. Tarantino has never shown himself to be much with a singular story over 2 hours, Leonard's Rum Punch gave him a solid foundation to work from.

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He is free of gimmicks dealing in black and white suits, glossy guns or samurai swords. There are almost no way to quantify his filmic references here, but they are all completely in sync with the story and characterizations, not for flamboyance. The story and characters rule here. What little violence there is in Jackie Brown, it actually has power and doesn't feel gleeful like in Pulp or Kill Bill.

Most importantly...

He is hopelessly in love with almost every character in this film and it feels as if he KNOWS each of these people. The personal touches for each of the players here are well done by the actors, but Tarantino simply worships them with his words, his camera and his soundtrack. This film could easily be called "Reverence."

More than 10 years on, Jackie Brown feels fresher and far more mature than a re-watch of his other films, which by comparison come off as wind up toys or forced. On the other hand, Jackie Brown is a true love song to Pam Grier, the 70s and Blaxploitation and movies in general.

But above all that, Jackie Brown is solid and just a damn good movie on any level. I doubt he'll ever make one as good. Few people could.

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Tarantino's difficult 3rd movie, 7 August 2009

Author: Mondo_Giallo from Edinburgh, Scotland, UK After the unforgettable twin strike that was Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, Quentin Tarantino did the only sensible thing he could and that was to make a solid third film. He couldn't possibly top his first two movies so, instead, made a less flashy character driven crime flick. Furthermore, he reigned in his style more by basing his film on another source (Elmore Leonard's Rum Punch) as opposed to another of his original screenplays, although admittedly much of the dialogue has been rewritten by Tarantino; the story, however, remains much the same. What emerges is the most mature work in the director's career. It isn't as good as the more personal Dogs or Fiction but it's definitely an excellent crime movie and a great adaption of the book.

Elmore Leonard's books are full of snappy dialogue and cool characters. They are prime material for a director like Tarantino, and so it proves here. Samuel Jackson returns from his starmaking turn in Pulp Fiction to take on the role of Ordell, the charismatic gun dealer. He is ably supported by Robert De Niro in a very unglamorous role as Ordell's sidekick and Brigitte Fonda as his waster girlfriend. But the movie possibly belongs to the two less famous performers Pam Grier and Robert Forster. Both are sensational, contributing multi-layered performances. Where Forster gives the movie its heart, Grier is its driving force. It could be argued that the film as a whole is Tarantino's tribute to Pam Grier and the blaxploitation film genre. 154

Grier certainly justifies QT's adulation and delivers the goods. It's also a great and unusual thing to see a relationship between a middle-aged man and woman being the core of a film directed by a hip young film-maker, or any film-maker for that matter.

As much as I enjoyed Tarantino's work since this movie, Jackie Brown proves that he can make a movie with more substance and character depth. While it may not have the sheer dynamism and fresh invention of his first two movies, it does feel more satisfying that the Kill Bills and Death Proof. I think it would be a good thing for QT to revert back to this style of filmmaking approach in the future, as the movies about movies approach that he has subsequently adopted can surely only end up at a dead end. Where nowadays he frequently lifts soundtracks from other films, and as a result takes you out of the movie, in his first three films he constructed his soundtracks from 60's and 70's pop songs; and this approach worked much better as this music was not solely associated with other films. Although in the case of Jackie Brown the music is sometimes taken from 70's blaxploitation films, it still doesn't seem quite so obvious. Jackie Brown comes recommended for fans of both Tarantino and crime thrillers in general. Like the book it may not have the greatest plot but its characters are well-drawn and well acted by the excellent cast. A very satisfying movie overall.

one of a kind, 5 July 2009

Author: cosmogirl_185 from Canada

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i came across this film while researching films similar to Pulp Fiction. What i found was a more mature, realistic, and less "showy" plot but is still certainly enjoyable. The characters really make the movie what it is. They are relatable and interact like people would in real life. They struggle, they are scared, they are defensive of themselves, they succeed and sometimes they are not so lucky. Unlike many films i think this is not so much about whats happening, but how the characters react to events that occur, which makes it a more interesting story that really pulls you in. All considered i give it an 8/10 for its impressive character development. i recommend this movie to drama/action lovers, and is a must see for Tarintino fans.

Pedestrian writing, fantastic acting and directing, 24 June 2009

Author: knucklebreather from United States I think Jackie Brown has two interrelated problems: it has a pedestrian plot and it's from a director who, especially in 1997, was known for his unconventional plots. Jackie Brown has a snazzier intro and better written characters than you might expect from a typical Hollywood suspense flick, but while a few of the twists are directed in a more bold and confident style, it's hardly surprising that in a movie like this there are doublecrosses, people playing both sides, and unexpected problems coming up for people's carefully planned schemes. Ultimately, Jackie Brown's story is a pretty generic "scramble for the cash", nothing to get very excited about. In some ways the plot is actually handled more poorly than your in your typical summer blockbuster with its by-the-books suspense building. Justifiably, most people were disappointed with the core plot of Jackie Brown, and I think that's why it's so widely considered 156

an inferior film to Tarantino's other work.

That said, it's hardly a bad movie. The music is exciting, the acting is spectacular (especially Jackson and Forster) and the directing is clever and engaging. The script isn't exactly bad, it's just an average Hollywood script from a guy who, three years earlier, had delivered a script that was revolutionary.

A good movie but not as good as it's director's reputation!, 27 March 2009

Author: axismladen from Croatia Jackie Brown is a fine movie.Well adapted,well acted and well directed.It's interesting and not predictable,which is most important.However,i do feel that it misses that Tarantino's style.As we watch it it's obvious that this is not Tarantino's original work.His original screenplay.There are no dialog's and scenes which mark Tarantino as an outstanding director and a writer.

It's a good movie,there is no question about it.It's just that...I don't know.It's just very noticeable that this is not his original writing.That's the main flaw in this movie.It just doesn't look's like it's his.

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But here is something to cheer you up,Robert De Niro was great as usual!He was really brilliant in this movie.

I can tell you right now that you wont regret watching this movie.At least not as long as you forget the fact that it's Tarantino's!

7/10.Enjoy!

Tarantino Surpasses Himself Again!!!, 22 February 2009

Author: Van Roberts (zardoz@bellsouth.net) from United States *** This review may contain spoilers ***

If you're expecting more of "Pulp Fiction" from writer & director Quentin Tarantino in "Jackie Brown," the cult moviemaker's first full-fledged cinematic opus since "Pulp Fiction," you may feel sorely let down by this extreme chick flick. Neither as sadistic nor as sexually bizarre as either "Reservoir Dogs" or "Pulp Fiction," "Jackie Brown" represents something of a departure for Tarantino. Indeed, an initial viewing may leave you with the impression that "Jackie Brown" suffers from a sketchy plot and lackluster action. Nothing could be farther from the truth. While "Jackie Brown" covers familiar "Pulp Fiction" ter-

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ritory, Tarantino emphasizes characterization at the expense of ultra-violence and implausibility. Furthermore, "Jackie Brown" may be Tarantino's most accomplished film in its visual storytelling and the performances are simply unforgettable.

Veteran African-American actress Pam Grier, who acquired a name for herself during the 1970s with blaxploitation epics such as "The Big Doll House" (1971) and "Coffy" (1973), plays the eponymous heroine. As a 44-year old woman, Jackie works as a flight attendant for the worst airline, a shuttle that flies between the United States and Mexico. Life has not exactly been rosy for Jackie. She resorts to smuggling large sums of U.S. currency into the country that belong to Ordell Robbie (Samuel L. Jackson of "Pulp Fiction")a treacherous arms dealer, who stashes his cash in Cabo San Lucas. As the film unfolds, prickly ATF agent Ray Nicolette (Michael Keaton of "Batman") busts Jackie for sneaking $50-thousand past customs. Nicolette and his LAPD partner Mark Dargus (Michael Bowen of "Iron Eagle") put the squeeze on her, especially after they discover a two ounce baggie of cocaine hidden in with the bucks.

Jackie finds herself in jail, and Robbie posts her bond. Robbie hires bail bondsman Max Cherry (Robert Forster of "Medium Cool") to spring her. Robbie follows an unmistakable pattern. Paranoid about going back to jail, Robbie ices any of his cohorts who come into contact with the law. Jackie got busted thanks to a tip the cops squeezed out of Robbie's low-life henchman Beaumount (Chris Tucker of "Rush Hour"). After Cherry gets Beaumont out of jail, Robbie kills Beaumont and hides the corpse in the trunk of an abandoned car. Robbie is so leery of his buddies that he brings in an old-time convicted bank 159

robber, Lewis Gara (Robert De Niro of "Goodfellas") and uses him for his latest scheme.

Once out of jail, Jackie cooperates with the ATF. She plans to bring in more of Robbie's dough and be a part of a sting against him. She tell Robbie what the law wants her to do and then presents him with a deal that will get him the rest of his money. She'll bring in all his money at once when the cops aren't expecting it, and they'll pull a switch before the fuzz could figure it out. Robbie is leery again, but eventually he agrees. Meanwhile, Jackie pulls a fast one not only on the cops but also Robbie and get away with a fortune in cold cash. She devises another plan with Max Cherry.

While there are no overlapping plots, "Jackie Brown" is Tarantino's best job of writing. He lays the story out in clear, simple terms and never needlessly complicates the action as he did in "Pulp Fiction." You won't get lost in the middle of this action comedy. Of course, the language is as corrosive as all get out. The F-word is used at least 131 times, and the S-word is heard as many as 69 times. Tarantino's fans will appreciate the usual profane, inane dialogue that he writes so well, especially Robbie's instructions to Gara about how to unlock his car.

Written and directed by Tarantino, "Jackie Brown" is based on best-selling novelist Elmore Leonard's novel "Rum Punch," published in 1992. Surprisingly, Tarantino removed two major shoot-outs that add bang-bang action to Leonard's book. Robbie wants to kill a Nazi skin head and heist his huge arsenal of firearms. What might have made for a distinctively "Pulp Fic160

tion" moment, however, Tarantino scrapped. Tarantino also eliminated a gunfight between Nicolette and Robbie's gunmen. Usually, Hollywood filmmakers go out of their way to beef up Leonard's novel. Consider the horrendous misfire that Burt Reynolds produced from Leonard's entertaining novel "Stick." While "Stick" boasted the trademark Leonard dialogue (he c0scripted), the movie featured violence that the book did not contain. Although Tarantino doesn't capture the quirky Leonard dialogue, he does a better job of transferring "Rum Punch" to the screen than either Reynolds did with "Stick" or Barry Sonnenfeld with "Get Shorty." As Jackie Brown, busty Pam Grier is ideally cast. Originally written for an AnnMargret type (in "Rum Punch" she was named Jackie Burke), Tarantino has changed the racial composition of the heroine but retains the spirit of Leonard's heroine. "Jackie Brown" is one of those pictures where the heroine isn't fresh out of a Playboy centerfold, though Grier has the obvious endowments. Instead, Tarantino uses her as a woman caught in the middle that wants and deserves to get out of a bad situation. Compared with previous Tarantino efforts, "Jackie Brown" represents a definite feminist turn of the screw.

The supporting cast is both diverse and fantastic. Although Robert Forster has almost vanished from the screen, his performance as Max Cherry is so good and straightforwardin a poker-faced waythat you forget that Forster is acting. Cherry may qualify as one of the few tough-guy male heroes who could serve as a role model. Meanwhile, Robert De Niro brings his customary thespian skill to his bank robber thug and delivers a fastidious performance that relies on his physical presence.

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"Jackie Brown" lasts over two hours, but nothing obstructs the straight ahead plotting. If you're counting, only three characters get shot, and Tarantino stages each shooting incident off-screen or is shown from an angle that prevents the viewer from seeing much gore and violence.

Tarantino's complex, funny, psychological mini-masterpiece, 2 January 2008

Author: galileo3 from United Kingdom Jackie Brown (1997)

It was hard, if not impossible to top 'Pulp Fiction', instead Tarantino went beneath his masterpiece to craft a different, more mature motion picture.

Jackie Brown involves a web of characters each trying to get their share of $500,000. The film stars, Pam Grier, a popular 1970s actress with an authoritative, gritty character. A supporting cast includes Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Keaton and Academy Award winner Robert De Niro.

'Jackie Brown' is an interesting film. It's got character and style.

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Appropriately selected music, good camera-work, acting and a complex plot that keeps you hooked for 150 minutes of Tarantinian cinema.

7.5/10

Try to forget this is a Tarantino flick going in, 14 July 2007

Author: TimothyFarrell from Worcester, MA Try to forget the fact that "Jackie Brown" is a Tarantino flick going in. When originally released, it seemed to have disappointed a lot of his fans expecting another "Pulp Fiction". "Jackie Brown" is a much more subtle and low-key crime film, almost similar to what was produced in the 70s. It lacks the flashiness and impact that his previous two films had, but overall its a more mature film with emphasis placed on character development. It also seems pretty much free of Tarantino's trademark pop culture references, and is much more leisurely paced (which will turn some people off, but doesn't really matter to me).

The film works so well because, in addition to the superb screenplay and direction, the acting is truly accomplished. Pam Grier, best known for various 70s blaxploitation cult classics, turns in a revelatory performance, easily her best to date. Equally surprising is Robert Forster, playing one of cinema's most sympathetic characters, a middle aged man who seems to

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not know what to do with his life. The supporting performances are great as well. As usual with Tarantino, there's no clear cut good guys and bad guys. All the characters have a layer of depth rarely seen in modern crime thrillers.

So why isn't this considered a classic? Well, while the more low key style was a step forward for Tarantino as a filmmaker, it also lacked the impact that "Reservoir Dogs" and "Pulp Fiction" had. It lacks the bite that those films had, and while "Jackie Brown" has better characters, his earlier films just seemed more energetic. My advice - forget this is a Tarantino film. You'll enjoy it more. (8/10)

Jackie Brown is an Intelligent woman who seems to always know what's going on, 10 July 2007

Author: PeterWilliamson from Australia *** This review may contain spoilers ***

Although it was different from the typical Quentin Tarantino movie, I'd say, Jackie Brown gave Quentin another of what I'd call a success. As always Quentin Tarantino had a great cinematography and an astonishing cast. I think the best scene is after when Jackie (Pam Grier) had been taken in and questioned by the F.B.I. Ordell Robbie (Samuel L. Jackson) who had known Jackie from business, had approached and entered her house wearing the same gloves and holding the same gun

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that he used to kill his former client who he had bailed out of prison, just so he could get rid of him. The way the screen had the thick black line in the middle of the screen showing that the bond bailsman getting home to realise Jackie was borrowing his gun.

Ofcoarse the only other scene that met the standard of that one was the end when Jackie had organised the F.B.I agent (Michael Keaton) to hide in the back while Ordell walked into the trap; Jackie lying. Claiming that he had a gun. So the only witness who would testify was shot on the spot. Jackie Brown is a very good movie, definitely worth buying.

Black Sheep of the Tarantino Herd, 2 July 2007

Author: OttoVonB Small-time gangster Ordell (Jackson) runs guns. He also has the nasty habit of using a legit bail bondsman (Forster) to haul any captured associates out of prison and kill them before they can talk. When hostess Jackie Brown (Grier) is arrested for smuggling Ordell's money into the US, she persuades Ordell to let use her to con the feds and smuggle his entire fortune under their noses, while deceiving the police into thinking she is helping them nail Ordell. But who's is Jackie Brown really on? After his "masterpiece" Pulp Fiction, a bloated film that wasn't really about anything, Tarantino adapts an Elmore Leonard novel. The slick double-crossing and elegant narrative is pure Leonard, but the dialogue and humor remain vintage Tarantino, and the union works wonders. After an opening shot that bodes 165

ill by shamelessly copying "The Graduate", Tarantino plays things subtly with a laid-back and elegant direction, comprised mostly of long shots and steady-cam camera-work (thank you longtime Del Toro collaborator Guillermo Navarro), allowing us to focus on the actors. Robert Forster received most of the praise at the time of release for underacting to a tee, but if any turns are to deserve particular mention, praise should go to Samuel L. Jackson's larger than life Ordell and Robert De Niro's half-wit convict Louis. In truth, this is a group effort, and everybody delivers, from Pam Grier to Michael Keaton (in a role he reprized a year later in "Out of Sight", also adapted from a Leonard novel).

Jackie Brown was not fully appreciated when it came out ten years ago, and Tarantino went down the road of excess with the pointless Kill Bill duo, before finding himself again with the playful Deathproof. This might be less showy and hard-hitting than Reservoir Dogs, but it remains his most sensitive film to date. One can only hope he will explore such territory again soon.

Solid and entertaining, 17 June 2007

Author: kmillervir from United States It almost feels like Jackie Brown was made before Pulp Fiction. It feels like you are watching a young Tarantino movie, a less developed director. Don't get me wrong, its a very good movie, good acting, good story, the script is nicely put together. It just didn't pack quite the same punch as Pulp Fiction. I'd 166

say its below reservoir dogs and pulp fiction on the list of Tarantino movies but better than the kill bill series. But any Tarantino fan should get this movie, and fan of a good, oldfashioned, fun caper movie. Samuel L. Jackson has a very cool character with a few memorable lines and scenes, and robert deniro adds a nice little flavor to the movie. All in all, not tarantinos best work, but definitely a good movie. 8 out of 10 from me,

One of the best on-screen chemistries of all time, 15 June 2007

Author: cosmorados from United Kingdom Jackie Brown is an air stewardess who is paid by Illegal weapons supplier Ordell Robbie to bring his stash of money which is kept in storage by his silent partner in South America. After someone tips off that Jackie brings the money in she is arrested by the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agency and has to make a deal that will see her out of jail and get her as far away from Ordell Robbie as possible.

You hear people constantly comparing Pulp and Jackie so if you want to read someone do that, please look at someone else's review. Jackie Brown is a masterclass in character driven movie making. There are numerous stand out scenes and everyone in this film has their moments (Apart from Robert Deniro, as the stoned up ex-con who cannot cope with the changes in the world upon his return.) But the real story in this film is with Jackie Brown and Max Cherry. Robert Forster's portrayal of Max is arguably one of the best performances by a support167

ing actor you will ever see. As Jackie's unrequited Lover he seethes pent-up emotion and the scene where he watches her in her apartment is like liquid silk pouring onto the screen. Also for Movie lovers everywhere that notice these things, do watch his face when he turns round in the mall and sees her sat down, it is the look of love that is virtual impossible to fake as his entire face lights up. Simply for Max Che ..., I'm sorry, Robert Forster's performance alone this is a must see, but add Pam Griers, unfortunate Oscar-overlook, outstanding performance and this film is a real treat.

Although I loved pulp fiction, as many film fans are finding out, it is this baby that has legs.

"...and that my friend, was a clear cut case of him or me.", 29 April 2007

Author: classicsoncall from United States *** This review may contain spoilers ***

OK, so how did Jackie Brown get the half million dollars out of Mexico? She's an airline hostess, not a stewardess, and she's never shown making a flight. I also missed the part where someone writes a withdrawal slip for all that cash. But aside from that glaring plot hole, and if you don't think about it too much, you can have a pretty good time with "Jackie Brown". But don't expect the reckless abandon and frenetic fury of the

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two films that put Quentin Tarantino on the map, you know the ones I'm talking about. What you have here is a more controlled pace and a linear approach that's easier to follow than Tarantino's signature moves. That gives the viewer a little more time to anticipate what might come next, but even then you're caught off guard by certain scenes. You might have expected Beaumont (Chris Tucker) to get whacked, but having Louis (Robert De Niro) waste Melanie (Bridget Fonda) was a left field stunner. Which brings me back to the suspension of disbelief necessary to pull this one off. You have a broad daylight shooting in the parking lot of the 'world's largest indoor mall' and not one other person is in the vicinity?

What I don't want to do is talk myself into not liking this film, which I see now might be easy enough to do. Instead I'll focus on the characters, with De Niro delivering a sublime performance as a small time hood to Samuel L. Jackson's bad a-- self confidence. Pam Grier's Jackie was in total control, with a range that gave the film a lot of it's energy. The surprise though might have been Robert Forster's character Max Cherry, flying so far under the radar as an actor that I can't believe he's garnered over a hundred film credits, and I can't picture him in even one. Round it out with Fonda and Michael Keaton and you've got a lot of talent keeping things just near the boiling point.

With the movie now hitting the ten year mark, it's interesting to see how director Tarantino goes back to the well for his latest effort in the two part "Grindhouse" feature. "Nothing gets between me and my A-K" could have been a trailer for that one, and who can miss the connection between Max Cherry and Cherry Darling? 169

slow paced but on the whole decent, 13 January 2007

Author: atletico_moonbridge from United Kingdom As a fan of all QT's work up to this point, back in 1997 I eagerly anticipated Jackie Brown's release. It didn't live up to the high expectations but in fairness you cant expect all his work to be five star classics.

This movie was made at a time when all of Hollywood were falling over themselves to be in a Tarantino film and Jackie Brown certainly has a star studded and able cast. Robert Forster and Keaton in particular stand out in their supporting roles. Jackson gives his usual consistent performance as the villain of the piece but one thing that really Irked me about This film is the number of time Samuel L mentions the N-word. Here we must be talking treble figures and in this instance I found it really annoying and unnecessary. Pam Grier gets the lead role and makes a commendable fist of it. De Niro gets in on the act as a low-life career criminal-scumbag type character but we don't see much of him, ditto Bridget Fonda who is mostly seen lounging around her apartment in a bikini smoking weed.

Good marks for an elaborate & original storyline and wellexecuted script throughout. I felt some of the scenes were overly slow and ponderous in places, but all things considered there is enough here to keep the viewer captivated. I give Jackie Brown a solid 6/10.

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"Jackie Brown" was the first Tarantino film I ever saw. I saw it on an edited for television thing, so a lot of it was cut out. I also remembered I didn't enjoy it. I thought it was boring and dull to watch. But then I watched "Reservoir Dogs" and "Pulp Fiction". They are in my top five favorite films of all time. So I decided to give "Jackie Brown" another try. It must have been because it was edited or something. I loved it the second time.

Tarantino has always had a great deal of respect for actors. This is obvious because of all of his films. The casting of John Travolta was a stroke of genious. Hollywood had long given up on him, but Quentin new no one could be Vincent Vega quite like he could. And he was right. And now in this, the casting of Pam Grier, one of the pioneering blaxploitation stars of the early 70's, now to star as an aging gangster. That was casting genious.

There is a moment in "Jackie Brown" that I find incredible. It is not a talking scene, or violent scene. It is the scene where Ordell (Samuel L. Jackson) is sitting in a car with Robert De Niro. Ordell is so mad about an issue (I'll never tell) a vain just bulges out of his head. It is so creepy and Samuel L. Jackson proves why he is one of the greatest actors out there right now. The intensity in his eyes is so real and powerful.

I am also a huge fan of the scene that is shown three times. To anyone who hasn't seen the film, that might not sound right. But believe me it works so well, it is scary. Amazing directing 171

by Tarantino.

I cannot reccomend this film enough. I think everyone should watch and enjoy this film. 10/10

no adrenaline kick, but a good caper movie, 20 June 2001

Author: (hanse.man@12move.nl) from Amsterdam, Netherlands Since both Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction are my favorite pictures ever, of which many dialogues are imprinted in my brain, I was very curious how Tarantino had filmed Pam Grier. She featured in one of the unforgettable dialogues in Reservoir Dogs and she is obviously an 'old' (pardon me the adjective) hero of Tarantino. 'Jackie Brown' does remind us of the seventies, and the age of the cast helps to bring it about: it is convincing to believe the seventies were good days for them, and that they have held on to the music of those days. Unlike the music of RD and PF, this was not my music, regrettably. Most of it just didn't ring a bell for me. For days I sang 'Little Green Back'(RD) or had the saxophones of PF in my mind and I can go on about this for a while. I can see that if you're a fan of the music in Jackie Brown, this adds a great extra quality. I didn't get the adrenaline kick out of it that I had hoped for. Be this as it may, I still thought it a good movie. The theme of ageing which each character (except maybe the cops) had to deal with assured that I empathized with them. The plot about the money and the question where Jackie's loyalty lied had me in their grip too. I agree with what others have written here about the rela172

tionship between Jackie and Cherry: it kept me curious how it would develop. Many images will stick to my mind too. DeNiro rocking his chair while Simone does a Diana Ross act to me is a classic, and thinking back, most of his scenes are. However, I read here that the dialogues were as good as in Tarantino's other movies. This is insane. E.g.,if I compare Jackson's character with his in PF he was good watching here, but in PF his lines (the pre-execution speech, the coffee shop dialogue, the foot massage, etc) were magic. All in all I think the movie is good: 8.5 out of 10. To me Tarantino stays the best director since Hitchcock. With JB he rode two hobby horses (Grier and the music) that are not mine, nor were the dialogues as great as in his 2 classics, but it was a feast for the eyes and a very enjoyable movie nonetheless.

Great movie... Keaton's excellent!, 16 June 2001

Author: Paul Muscat (p.muscat@excite.com) from Maryville, TN This is a GREAT Tarantino movie. possibly better than 'Reservoir Dogs'. But someone answer me this... WHY does practically everyone describe my hero Michael Keaton's character as goofy and stupidly hilarious? They make his Ray Nicolet character out to be some moron, when in fact he's quite intelligent and the moronic one (IF that!) is his partner! Apart from Keaton's once again excellent performance, great work from and plaudits for De Niro, Sam Jackson, Grier and to a lesser extent Fonda... not to mention a very believable performance by Robert Forster and a hilarious turn by Chris Tucker. GREAT!

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Ignore the negative comments here - PLEASE!, 16 June 2001 Author: critical1 from Fullerton, CA I guess a few 'critics' here didn't get enough violence from 'Jackie Brown' to satisfy their blood lust. So they shared their thoughts here and just may have dissuaded some viewers from seeing a great movie. Of course, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Just please keep it to yourself when you're wrong.

There isn't anything in this movie that I didn't like. It's not of award caliber, but still quite enjoyable. Trouble is, you just might have to think a little bit, not just sit there waiting for some guy to get his head blown off. If you want that, watch something like 'Pulp Fiction' instead.

But if you like a good story (done in a truly entertaining technique) with great acting (De Niro as an excon toker) and can follow a plot that requires a little thought, 'Jackie Brown' just may end up in your movie collection as it has in mine.

Tarantino's best, but not necessarily for Pulp or Dogs fans, 11 June 2001

Author: necrodemion from Toronto, Canada

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This movie was the best Hollywood flic I've seen in a long while.

The film marks Pam Grier's triumphant return to centre stage after years of neglect following the end of her early career in Blacksploitation pics. Still looking knock-out gorgeous in middle-age, Grier proves to all naysayers once and for all with this film that she definitely can act. Clearly Tarantino's tribute to one of his favourite actresses, the film's soundtrack (another excellent Tarantino soundtrack, this time with an appropriate focus on 70s funk and soul) even features one song sung by Grier, and another by Bobby Womack, the singer Grier first began her showbiz career as a back-up singer for.

As equally brilliant as the the casting of Grier in the main role is the casting of Robert Forster as Jackie Brown's bail bondsman. The on-screen chemistry between Grier and Forster works perfectly, and the two's final scene together is the moving pinnacle of the entire inspired film.

But those Tarantino fans looking for the graphic violence of Reservoir Dogs or the snide cynicism of Pulp Fiction will be disappointed with this film, which is a much deeper, quieter and more mature work. A good crime tale told with a nice plot twist, but more than this a deeper probing into the issues of aging, life and intimacy, this work satisfies in ways that Tarantino's previous works could not.

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With this film, Tarantino has made me into a fellow Pam Grier fan, and has left me waiting to see more from both of them.

Tarentino puts more than one cherry on top for us (possible spoilers), 24 May 2001 Author: Fiona-39 from Belfast, N.I *** This review may contain spoilers ***

This is a truly brilliant film. It is hard to know where to start in praising it. I enjoyed Pulp Fiction, but this was in a whole other league - the gangster movie done from the point of view of an ageing black woman. What a stroke of genius! So I will go through what I loved about it:

music - Tarentino knows exactly what to play and when. The Delfonics track just tells you Max has fallen in love with Jackie. Also, Jackie lip synching to Street Life at the end - both incredibly affirming about how strong this woman is, yet you realise also that she's still alone..

mood - again, wonderful. It has the excitement of the money swap, but also wonderful slow scenes - especially those between Max and Jackie. The gentle kiss at the end - what a heartbreaker!I loved the whole 70s feel to the decor, cars, and even the choice of drinks - vodka and orange

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theme - how unusual to see a perceptive commentary on growing older and wiser in a film about gangsters. Clothes - Jackie just looks 'too cool for school' in that suit.

Humour -it was also dead funny, in an unnerving kind of way. The usual Tarentino instant classic quote dialogue.

Pam Grier - makes an excellent sassy heroine, to place alongside those Sex and the city girls or Bridget Jones (book version obviously!) in the girl power canon, but she is far more affecting - she really has lived on the wrong side of the tracks for so long, and reading between the lines, that pilot husband of hers was a right (insert rude word here that imdb editor would not allow!)To answer the question, what do I think Jackie is doing now that one of the comments posed, well I hope she loved her trip to Spain, and was able to come back to the States, pick up her vinyls, take Max out for a slap up dinner, and then move to Brazil and party all night with men half her age. Although it would have been a happier ending if her and Max had got it on, it is all the more romantically bitter sweet that they didn't - and so they never should!

The true Tarantino masterpiece; delivered deftly, 23 May 2001

Author: JawsOfJosh from Chicago

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Who could predict that Quentin Tarantino would shrink the filmmaking skills he displayed in "Pulp Fiction" - arguably the most influential film of the 1990's - by releasing the decaffinated masterpiece "Jackie Brown"? This is simply his best film yet. Sure, Q-Heads were expecting another wild "Pulp" ride, but Tarantino is too savvy to repeat himself. Set in L.A. in 1995, the eternally sexy Pam Grier stars in the title role; a struggling, middle-age flight attendant who earns extra income as a cash courier for Ordell Robbie, a loathsome gun dealer (portrayed with usual excellence by Samuel L. Jackson). Michael Keaton - in an unusually dry but great performance - is an ATF agent who intercepts one of Jackie's deliveries and threatens her with prison if she doesn't agree to help catch Ordell in action. Reluctantly serving as an open ear for Jackie's fears is Robert Forster as Max Cherry, her bail bondsman. Meanwhile, Ordell is coordinating one last transaction with his newly paroled partner, Louis Gara, played with stone-faced reticence by Robert De Niro. Unknown to Ordell, his last big deal is the one Jackie is banking on to help catch him, get herself out of trouble, and fatten her wallet with half-a-million dollars in the process.

This is clearly Tarantino's most realized film, and it took guts for him to adapt an Elmore Leonard crime novel (Leonard has cited "Jackie Brown" as his favorite film adaptation). After all, like Scorsese, crime is his cinematic canvas. The film doesn't serve solely as another crime epic from Tarantino, but it doubles as his valentine to blaxploitation movies. It's so evident in the slow, 70's style pacing, obviously Tarantino's favorite era of filmmaking - once you take away the cell phones & pagers the settings, cars, music, and wardrobe smack of the 70's completely. Casting blaxploitation queen Pam Grier was an obvious hint, as well as the fact that half the music in the

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film was lifted directly from Pam Grier's 1973 classic "Coffy" (Tarantino also used blaxploitation regular Sig Haig in a cameo as Jackie's judge). Like Scorsese's crime films, as well as in "Pulp Fiction", themes of redemption are abound. However, in this film there is a heavy regard towards aging. Jackie's fears throughout the film center heavily on adversities she's overcome that would be nullified if she doesn't pull herself out of this mess alive. A question she asks early on in the film - "How do you feel about getting old?" - seems to be running over in her mind the entire time.

I've saved the best part for last. The best element of this film has got to be the performance of Robert Forster. He, without a doubt(!), steals the film as the world-weary Max Cherry. Max knows all too well of life's trappings & pitfalls, but still tries to get ahead when possible, never forsaking the straight & narrow. Only Burt Reynolds' performance in "Boogie Nights" could rival Forster's for best performance of 1997. Probably the best scene in the film is the morning coffee table scene where Max & Jackie share their feelings on growing old. It is a slow scene, played out to wonderfully lingering effect by Tarantino and I cherish his desire to focus on this couple every time I see it. Not to spotlight Forster alone, the entire cast is wonderful. This may be Jackson's most malevolent character ever, and De Niro never seems to bore us despite him looking comatose throughout the entire film. Bridget Fonda is quite sexy as Ordell's dense, pot-smoking surfer girl, and the brief appearance of Chris Tucker brings uncomfortable laughter. The soundtrack, Tarantino's usual stew of funk, country, R&B and surf music, is his best ever - a complex mix of styles. Maybe people were turned off by this film because of its lack of visceral impulses. An "art-house popcorn" movie it ain't! This is a grown-up movie, for ADULTS. The 2 1/2 hour length may test

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some viewers, particularly given it's so dialogue driven while you're expecting ear-slicing, adrenaline-shooting, fingerchopping fun. But, if you're willing to give Tarantino your due patience and accept his proposed journey, you'll be rewarded with a great story and masterful performances. Tarantino's best film. highly entertaining, 16 February 2001

Author: (timtindy) from United States Jackie Brown is a real treat: a movie chock full of interesting and diverse characters that manages to be alternatingly funny and suspenseful while remaining even throughout.

I won't ruin the movie for anyone who hasn't seen it, but if you like twisty and cleverly convoluted crime capers, then rent this one. You won't be disappointed.

The acting is stellar from everyone, and the soundtrack and screenplay are standouts as well.

Calm, 8 February 2001

Author: Mort-31 from Vienna, Austria Like in the Pulp Fiction` segment with John Travolta and Sa180

muel Jackson, we experience a certain, deplaced calmness here. The movie runs two and a half hours and singular scenes are longer than usual. There are hardly any violent scenes in the movie, no bloodshed; language is the only reason why I couldn't watch the movie before I was sixteen. The music is from the seventies and also quite slow and melancholic. Pam Grier was famous in the seventies and Robert Forster himself even looks like coming straight from a twenty-year old TV series. This calmness that is the result of all these facts had a great fascination on me. It produced a fantastic suspense and if the dialogues were not typical for Tarantino I would say, it's a very Hitchcock-like film.

If there was an Oscar for casting, this film would have won it. That unusual mix of well-known and coming-back actors, all together doing a great job, makes the film most interesting from the start. 9 stars out of 10.

Actually, there is nothing to complain about, as long as you see the film only once. When I saw it a second time, the dialogues started to get a little tiring and I asked myself: Do they really have to be so long each? So don't watch it twice one after the other.

A Good Long Movie..., 25 January 2001 Author: (lrc67a11@students.loucoll.ac.uk) from Leicestershire, England Jackie Brown is a long movie. If you really like the movie then

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you can endure it and if you get the plot. But, sadly, if you don't then this movie is not for you. One could say that it is an over long film, however for Tarintino to get it all in he needed the full 2.5 hours. You will enjoy this movie for it it initially a very good movie with a great plot and great characters. It wasn't as good as Reservoir Dogs but the film is nothing like it. You like the sound of this movie watch it, if you do not then don't!!

Quentin's Come Back, 3 January 2001

Author: unagie (unagie@hotmail.com) from Adelaide, Australia overall: Quentin Tarantino hits a high once again after four major flops since the classic PULP FICTION, (From Dusk Till Dawn, Four Rooms, Desperado, Girl Six).

Stand Out Performance: Pam Grier, Samuel L Jackson, Robert Forester

Final: A must see for all. Jackie Brown will have you remembering all the quirky one liners, and repeating them all day long to your friends.

Entertaining., 29 November 2000

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Author: DancingPotato from Jonquiere, Canada Jackie Brown is Quentin Tarantino's followup (of sorts) to the sucesses of Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and,arguably,From Dusk Till Dawn. The movie has all the right ingredients: A-1 cast, pedigree of director and name recognition (the plot is based on the Elmore Leonard book Rum Punch). The plot follows Ordell (Samuel L. Jackson) a two-bit weapons dealer. Ordell hangs around with an ex-con,Louie (Robert DeNiro) and his "girlfriend" Melanie (Bridget Fonda). He gets sucked into a money-smuggling affair with Jackie Brown (Pam Grier) and a guy who takes money to get people out of jail (Robert Forster). Forster and Jackson meet at Forster'S office where Ordell has come to pay for Beaumont (Chris Tucker). Anyone who goes into this movie expecting the usual Tarantino violence is going to be sorely disappointed. Depending on how you view it, this can be a very good thing or a bad thing. The movie is a lot more talky, especially with a running time of more than two and half hours. Tarantino took a chance when casting Grier in a lead role, what with her career consisting of exploitation movies in the 80's. However, Grier gives a great performance, as do all the actors in this movie. Jackson (who won an award in Berlin) is almost as good as his performance in Pulp Fiction. Forster, a until then unknown actor, won himself a Academy Award nomination for his role. DeNiro, although good, is sorely underused. The script is intelligent,sometimes funny. The strength of the performances carry this movie high, even for a talky and,dare I say, boring movie. 8/10

A terrific and mature character study, 1 October 2000 Author: Kabult from Mexico 183

People who keep comparing Jackie Brown to Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs are completely missing the point. Pulp was an opera, this is a character study, the fact that we have familiar settings and character types is irrelevant; he's Tarantino, and this is his style.

It's very noteable how Jackie Brown is much more intersted in the characters than in the plot, since the plot, at one point is just too complicated. The bottom line here is how charactersbehave and react to each other, and Tarantino does it perfectly, by the end of the film, we Know this people, we lived with them for a while.

It's hard to point out a best performance since everyone here is perfect, but the surprises are from Pam Grier and Robert Forster. Samuel L. Jackson is amazing as usual, his Ordell Robbie is just like I imagined while reading Elmore Leonard's The Switch. The much critized casting of Robert De Niro as Louis Gara is, I think, the best note in the movie, this is the most different role this great actor has played in decades, a pot-headed ex-con with no direction in his life, but as dangerous as the cold-blooded smart ass Ordell. He provides some really funny moments, and probable the one more disturbing, cause is really unexpected. Finnally,Bridget Fonda and Michael Keaton have smaller roles but equally juicy.

This is a living proof of Tarantino's maturity as a director, not any filmmaker can attempt this kind of film and pull it off, specially after only two movies. The fact that this is not pulpy, doesn't mean is not as good, this is more serious,and it's com184

pletely faithfull to the author of the story, and that's all.

The one thing I didn't liked: in the soundtrack he included a hip hop song totally out of place, I just don't get that...

Tarantino Does it Again, 18 August 2000

Author: nehpetstephen from Washington, DC In my opinion, Jackie Brown had more entertainment value than Reservoir Dogs and was more believable--if not better-than Pulp Fiction. Currently, I'm going through my Tarantino phase and have seen three of his movies (four if you count Natural Born Killers--a waste of film) in the past week. Jackie Brown, with its complex crime plot and detailed characters, is a must-see for anyone who is a fan of the genre.

What really holds this film together is the fabulous acting. Pam Grier was wonderfully cast as the middle-aged, lower class, clever stewardess, and Samuel L. Jackson, as a tough gun dealer, were both wonderful choices.

Overlong, maybe, but with the terrific acting, delightful screenplay, and solid direction, it manages to keep your attention throughout. 9/10

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A Good Movie But Not As Good As Pulp Fiction, 20 July 2000

Author: ciaobox2k (ciaobox2k@hotmail.com) from Belfast, N.Ireland Quentin Tarantino`s Jackie Brown was a good movie , But not as good as Pulp Fiction. Jackie brown is all about a street tough gun runner (Sam Jackson) A stewardess (Pam Grier) A bail bonds man , A shifty ex con , An over ambitious cop(Keaton) and a beach bunny all have in common ? they are all after half a million dollers. Again as we often see in Tarantino movies we have the time thing going on again where it jumps back and forward so you need to pay close attention, It does not jump back and forward in time half as much as it did in Pulp fiction.. People who are expecting it to be as good as Pulp Fiction will be disappointed. the acting is top class as always in Tarantino movies. Sam Jackson and robert Deniro where top class.. If you are a Tarantino fan its a movie worth seeing.

Excellent camerawork and acting, but lacking a little something, 15 July 2000

Author: robsellke from Illinois "Jackie Brown" is Tarantino's third movie, but without as much fanfare as "Resevoir Dogs" and "Pulp Fiction". Taratino doesn't put quite as much magic into this movie as he seemed to in the others. The movie sports an excellent cast, and some beautiful camera shots, however, and there really is quite a bit

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of life in the acting. The movie is about a bunch of backstabbing and scum-bag Los Angeles criminals, and Jackie Brown (Pam Grier), the woman who gets caught up in all of this. Brown works for San Cabo Air, the worst airline to be a stewardess for in the business, Brown says, and traffics drugs and dirty money over the border. She is caught with some of the money by federal agents, though, and is forced to stop her illegal scheme. This is where Ordell Robbie (Samuel L. Jackson) comes in. He is the international gun smuggler who employs Jackie, and wants to recover his money from Mexico, before he gets busted as well. There is a huge part of the movie then (which is almost three hours total) devoted to trying to get the $500,000 back. There are all sorts of betrayals, doublecrossings, murders, and alliances, that you get confused. The movie comes out well-worth waiting through in the end, despite a few minors flaws.

(possible) spoiler alert!, 11 July 2000 Author: marc hendriks (marc_hendriks_2000@yahoo.co.uk) from Nijmegen, The netherlands *** This review may contain spoilers ***

I saw Jackie Brown when it came out in Dutch theatres in the summer of 1998. I didn't come back to it until last weekend and what I saw was a much better movie than I remembered.

We're living in times of quick-fix; easy answers; rages; and getting (and wanting) predictability (in the movies). Director

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Quentin Tarantino has been treated rather superficial. When he raised interest with Reservoir Dogs and proved he wasn't a one hit wonder with Pulp Fiction, books were written on him as if he already could look back on a thirty year career in the movies. And when his new film Jackie Brown came out, not only people were disappointed, they said that Tarantino was already on his way down. Boy, we sure love (NEED) to label people, don't we? Why wait with writing a person's epitaph until he or she is dead?

Lets take a look at some of the criticisms on Jackie Brown: It lacks the comic book look of Pulp Fiction; it lacks the action of Pulp Fiction; it lacks the humor of Pulp Fiction, it lacks the grandness of Pulp Fiction; it lacks the great dialogue of Pulp Fiction. Wow, people sure expected a Pulp Fiction 2, now, didn't they? The only way these people could have been pleased was by showing them Pulp Fiction again when they paid admission for Jackie Brown. Another complaint from a lot of people: They could have told the same story in an hour and a half. Sigh. Gee, people, a lot of you out there are really stuck to a certain way of watching movies and being confronted with the same kind of storytelling, aren't you? A lot of you out there don't want to experience something new or different. You want to get what you expected, even if it means the same old superficial, predictable thing. Jackie Brown isn't about the story. The story is an alibi to look at a bunch of interesting people. In the end, there IS a crime to be solved, but Tarantino takes his time to work things up to the climax. Normally, a crime movie uses its characters as pawns that are placed and re-placed on the board. Everything that happens has got to do with the plot (or the old romantic or comic subplot). Not here. We get to watch people. We get to listen to people. We stay with them for quite a while, watching them as they have a drink in a bar; are shop-

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ping for CD's; or talk about themselves; we slowly start to fear that isn't going to happen to people who are falling love with each other. We really slow down to look at them. We sometimes stay close on a character's face when he or she is silently thinking. In one scene, Max comes to jackie to collect his stolen gun. We already know that he has a crush on her, so we figure: they screw and we cut to next scene, going on with the plot. No. Jackie sits Max down, makes coffee for him, puts on her favorite album and they talk. They talk about getting old, about not have gotten out of life what they hoped or expected. Tarantino isn't trying to make the dialogue cool. But it's interesting and well-acted. In another scene, bikini bombshell Melanie and Louis are left alone by Ordell. We expect sex, and, indeed, they do have sex, but not before they have chit-chatted and talked about their pasts in a natural, unconstrained manner. Is that grandness per se? A change is always for the better? No. But it DOES work here, causing a double whammy. Tarantino did a new take on pulp fiction with his movie of the same name. Here, he tries to do his take on a genre that is usually driven by action and plot. Tarantino lets it be driven by characters. It works because Tarantino is a great director. It works because tarantino loves these people and makes the audience care about them too.

Some folks say deNiro('s talent) is wasted, as he spends most of the film hanging on a couch with a dumb expression on his face. But look what happens in the finale. His character Louis may have started to come off as a harmless log; we discover that he can't function when under stress and the transformation from a seemingly harmless guy to a extremely dangerous looking individual who you'd better not say one more word to, is flabbergasting and yet totally believable. Would this have worked with a lesser actor? Louis not only changes drastically

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near the end but he is also responsible for the

most shocking thing that happens in this film. This shock gains impact from the fact that we spend so much time with this character acting harmless and even sort of pathetic. Another great example. Tarantino can't be labelled; his characters can't be labelled. Not until the end.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Todd Van Buskirk was born in 1970. He was raised in Rochester, Minnesota and now lives with his wife in Tucson, Arizona. He has a Bachelors degree in animation. He is the author of over 50 novels, including the infamous False barnyard. He writes novels on his iPhone.

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