Sunday, 27 March 2016

Jackie Brown (1997)

Genre

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Director

Quentin Tarantino

Country

USA

Cast

Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Forster, Bridget Fonda, Michael Keaton, Robert De Niro, Chris Tucker, Michael Bowen, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Tommy "Tiny" Lister Jr., Hattie Winston, Sid Haig, Aimee Graham, Diana Uribe, T'Keyah Crystal Keymah, Denise Crosby, Quentin Tarantino

Storyline

When 44 year old stewardess Jackie Brown (Pam Grier) gets caught with gun dealer Ordell Robbie's (Samuel L. Jackson) money by agents Ray Nicolette (Michael Keaton) and Mark Dargus (Michael Bowen), she is proposed a deal to help them arrest Ordell in exchange of her freedom. Meanwhile Ordell asks the fifty-six year-old Max Cherry (Robert Forster), who runs a bail bond business, to release Jackie Brown with the intention of eliminating her. Jackie suspects of Ordell's intention and plots to steal half a million dollar from Ordell.

Opinion

I'm a huge fan of Tarantino and I should probably be ashamed of myself because I have seen "Jackie Brown" yesterday for the first time. Since many were disappointed with it, I wasn't sure what to expect. Though a guy I know told me, since I loved "The Hateful Eight" I would have loved it because of all the talking. He couldn't be more right.

Definitely more "normal", unlike other Tarantino films, and unfairly underrated, "Jackie Brown" is a solid, mature, less showy and never boring heist film.

Tarantino has already proven multiple times what an excellent storyteller he is, and he does it again here. Based on Elmore Leonard's novel "Rum Punch", the plot is a solid crime thriller, well-structured, made even more enjoyable by an unusual linearity from Tarantino. The film still features several plot twists, intersecting story lines very reminiscent of "Pulp Fiction", and has room for a little love story. And the generous running time is filled pretty well, and time flies by.

A little flaw? The title suggests that Jackie will come out on top from the story, and from a genius like Tarantino I would have never expected such an obvious ending.

However, Tarantino makes amend for that with interesting, clever, witty dialogue and great character development of the main characters, yet there is not a dragged scene in the whole film.

One of the reasons I love Tarantino is the always spot-on and superb soundtrack that features each of his film, and he couldn't do otherwise in this film, could he? Indeed it is excellent, and introduces us to may Afroamerican musicians.

Last but not least, the performances. Pam Grier is phenomenal as Jackie Brown, combining human warmth and coolness, and lot of charm, and you just can't help but have sympathy for her, even though you're doubting her honesty. Samuel L. Jackson kills it as superficial but not dumb gangster Ordell Robbie, but it is Robert Forster who gives the standout performance here, and he got an Oscar nomination for it, a well-deserved nomination. Robert De Niro and Michael Keaton both have some moments but are wasted as Jackson's partner the first, and ATF agent Ray Nicolette the latter.

In conclusion, unlike other Tarantino films, "Jackie Brown" is not a graphic crime story, nor a revenge story, but it's definitely worth the time.

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