Jackie BrownJackie Brown (Pam Grier) is a flight attendant working for a small Mexican airline, who gets picked up by the police and ATF for transporting undeclared money across the border. Ordell Robbie (Samuel L. Jackson) is the gun runner who Jackie is transporting this money for. When Jackie gets picked up and there's the possibility that she will give up his name to get out of prison, Ordell bails her out, but just to get her out of police custody and into his hands. Max Cherry (Robert Forster) is the good-natured (but not naive) bail bondsman who Ordell uses, and who develops a crush on the lovely Jackie Brown. And the lattice of connections gets even more intricate from there...
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Adapted from Elmore Leonard's novel, "Rum Punch", Jackie Brown weaves a rich tale with multiple plot threads and character perspectives looping in on one another. Fundamentally, the story builds to a big "triple cross", with the unassuming (but deadly sharp) Jackie at the epicenter of this storm pitting cops and criminals against one another, Jackie playing both sides against the middle to keep out of jail, get rich, and get a nice suit out of the deal. Without giving too much away, much of the enjoyment is trying to decide just for sure who Jackie is working for, and when. Jackie Brown is--like many films by filmmaker Quentin Tarantino--an homage to a genre of film unceremoniously relegated to the virtual dustbins of cinematic history. In this case, the film recalls the ethnic subgenre of "blaxploitation", especially Foxxy Brown, a title in the genre also staring Pam Grier. But as is frequently the case with Tarantino's trademark style, rather than ape the source material, he emboldens it and like a legendary mechanic, dismantles the machine and rebuilds it into a high-caliber film both accomplished and rich in content and vision. Another trademark of Tarantino's movies that fit like one of Ordell's gloves is the choice selection of music to accompany the film. With artists prominently displayed and mentioned in the film like the Delfonics, and Bobby Womack's "Across 110th Street" (another nod to the subgenre), the film establishes a tone that is consistent with the crime drama and world it encapsulates, and adds definition to the key players.
One of the best things about Jackie Brown are the characters, and how the ensemble cast brings each character to life with distinct personality and identity. For instance, as Ordell Robbie, Samuel L. Jackson initially portrays the arms dealer as slick and dangerous, a real gangster from Compton. Initially smooth and menacing, he lures his less mentally agile cohorts under his sway, manipulating them into serving his ends, disposing of them whey they pose a threat. However, when confronted with Jackie's gusto and cunning, Ordell gradually unravels under his own fear of getting caught, and his own incompetence at managing his allies--Louis Gara (Robert De Niro) and Melanie (Bridget Fonda) prove to be anything but reliable--reveals him to be far less imposing than he would like others to perceive him to be. Another excellent stylistic choice is the absence of "stylized" action; instead, the settings are mostly all real--or at least highly convincing--natural locations, from LAX airport to the courtroom where Jackie is tried for possession of narcotics. Using the setting of Del Amo mall for the ultimate hand-off is inspired, as it allows for so many wonderful problems to arise in the climax, a key factor which Tarantino (and Jackie Brown by proxy) exploit with aplomb. Jackie Brown seems an unlikely heroine for a traditional movie; fortunately for Jackie, she continues to exploit others' expectations of her, and her triumphs over those expectations empower her as one tough lady you don't want to mess with.
Recommended for: Fans of a well-crafted crime drama that hearkens back to classics from the '70s, while being far from dated. You'll spend every minute wondering/hoping if Jackie can get away with her big plan.
One of the best things about Jackie Brown are the characters, and how the ensemble cast brings each character to life with distinct personality and identity. For instance, as Ordell Robbie, Samuel L. Jackson initially portrays the arms dealer as slick and dangerous, a real gangster from Compton. Initially smooth and menacing, he lures his less mentally agile cohorts under his sway, manipulating them into serving his ends, disposing of them whey they pose a threat. However, when confronted with Jackie's gusto and cunning, Ordell gradually unravels under his own fear of getting caught, and his own incompetence at managing his allies--Louis Gara (Robert De Niro) and Melanie (Bridget Fonda) prove to be anything but reliable--reveals him to be far less imposing than he would like others to perceive him to be. Another excellent stylistic choice is the absence of "stylized" action; instead, the settings are mostly all real--or at least highly convincing--natural locations, from LAX airport to the courtroom where Jackie is tried for possession of narcotics. Using the setting of Del Amo mall for the ultimate hand-off is inspired, as it allows for so many wonderful problems to arise in the climax, a key factor which Tarantino (and Jackie Brown by proxy) exploit with aplomb. Jackie Brown seems an unlikely heroine for a traditional movie; fortunately for Jackie, she continues to exploit others' expectations of her, and her triumphs over those expectations empower her as one tough lady you don't want to mess with.
Recommended for: Fans of a well-crafted crime drama that hearkens back to classics from the '70s, while being far from dated. You'll spend every minute wondering/hoping if Jackie can get away with her big plan.