Jackie Brown (1997)

I see Tarantino's three films in the 90's, not including Four Rooms, as a crime trilogy of sorts, and Jackie Brown is the one that is considered to be the most underrated or by others as the weakest of Tarantino's catalog. I never really had high hopes for this film, because for one it just doesn't have that wit and charm that Pulp Fiction has or the unique style that was demonstrated with Reservoir Dogs. I have now seen this film a couple of times and even from my first viewing I thought this film was great and got even better the subsequent times I came around to it.

Jackie Brown is definitely a left turn from Tarantino's films as it wasn't an original idea but rather he adapted Elmore Leonard's novel, other notable work include Out Of Sight and 3:10 To Yuma. This choice of not adapting an original story is strange but it doesn't matter anymore after you have seen it, because it's still an entertaining film. I haven't read the source material but I have read reports that this film adapts the novel accurately and that Leonard's novel is filled with dialogue. This film indeed has that element, which works in favor of Tarantino as he has a complete understanding of how to make dialogue look and sound interesting. This may be dismissed by many due to the fact that it lacks the style and charm that was found on his previous two films, the film instead takes a conventional approach to it's storytelling but personally this isn't really an issue for me as the story is still entertaining to watch unfold and Tarantino doesn't completely lose his touch with this film. True, the film relies on the story in developing it's characters rather than having them spill out words that collectively will shape their personalities, but Tarantino's dialogue and style isn't the star of the film but rather the motivations and intentions of the characters.

Looking at Quentin Tarantino's career, his films differ from one another and the director is starting to walk the same lines as Kubrick in not repeating oneself. Jackie Brown is the director's heist film and he has achieved in not grounding the film on the same style and level as the other heist films it is now compared to. The film may not scream out Tarantino but it does at the very least experiment. The heist itself was a genius in execution, how difficult it must be to have us see the same heist and not feel repetitive and tiresome. There are also moments in the film where it uses a split screen showing two moments at the same time, and the film also has unusual choices of transitions. This is the first time we get to see Tarantino's ability to let the audience gain introspection of the characters.

In order to get that dark and gritty style that the film needed, Tarantino opted for a change in cinematographer and hired Guillermo Navarro. Navarro is now known as a frequent collaborator with Guillermo Del Toro and those films usually have this murky black tone to it and the credit goes to Navarro's photography. This is also one of the main reasons that it doesn't have that look that is prevalent on the director's previous two films. Jackie Brown's look is definitely one of the reasons that the film has personality and it does allow us to perceive the story with seriousness that it demands. The film's dark tone does lose that humor that Tarantino was known for but that aspect isn't truly necessary here to engage the audience, though there are moments where it does get you laugh

Fmovies: 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.

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.

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.

Jackie Brown fmovies. What a film! Amazing ensemble, serpentine plot, all based on an Elmore Leonard novel. I enjoyed the film when it first came out but I didn't appreciate its complexity and the caliber of its acting as I did when I saw it the other day.

A tired airline stewardess (Pam Grier as the eponymous character) sees a slim window through which she could escape to a more leisurely life. However, she will have to steal money from a nasty small-time arms dealer and convince the Feds she is trying to help them get the dealer. Can she make it work? On her side is bail bondsman Max Cherry (Robert Forster) who, we think, might want to squeeze out that window with her.

However, she has to outwit the venal Ordell Robbie (Sam Jackson) who we see is not the nicest guy in the world. Robbie is assisted by the dim-witted pothead ex-con Louis (Robert DeNiro) and his possibly-smarter-than-she-looks snow bunny Melanie (Bridge Fonda).

On the other is the law, in the person of Mark Dargus (Michael Bowen) and Ray Nicolette (Michael Keaton). She has to convince the Feds she is complying with the terms of her agreement with them and she has to convince Ordell that she is not scamming him. It's a hell of a balance. Can she do it?

Great music, typically a-bit-too-clever dialogue as one might expect from Tarantino. Tarantino features LA's grittiness in a way that those of us Angelenos who know that the Southland isn't all Beverly Hills and Hollywood really appreciate. The acting is fantastic. You've never seen Robert DeNiro act like this. He's dopey with a lot of repressed anger. DeNiro gets the essence of a conflicted ex-con. Robert Forster is competent and confident. The chemistry he has with Grier is smoldering. Sam Jackson eats up the screen in his scenes. It's like shooting fish in a barrel for him.

Pam Grier is phenomenal as Jackie Brown. You don't know just how honest Jackie is but you have sympathy for her from the get-go. Grier makes her gorgeous, smart, hard-working, sexy, confident, and diligent. It really is a shame that she hasn't had another role even APPROACHING one of this richness. It truly is a great role though and Pam Grier delivers in spades.

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.

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 co-wrote 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.)

Tarantino has a flair for raw energy in all of his films, and "

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!