1997 | Dir. Quentin Tarantino | 154 Minutes
"Well, that's what you do to go through with the shit you start, you rationalize."
A middle-aged flight attendant who smuggles money for a gun runner on the side is caught between the homicidal crook and a pair of persistent lawmen. More wary of having to start over than fearing for her life, she teams up with a smitten bail bondsman in a dangerous gambit to play both sides of the law and make it out on top.
Based on Elmore Leonard novel Rum Punch, writer/director Quentin Tarantino's follow-up to Pulp Fiction is a less fantastical crime drama that's just as thematically rich and aesthetically pleasing. Unlike most Tarantino films, Jackie Brown is made up of more meditative character moments than shocking acts violence, and the bloodshed portrayed in the picture is far less gratuitous than in the filmmaker's other works. While the heist at the heart of the story is suspenseful and brilliantly realized, presented from three different points of view in Tarantino's distinct style, the narrative as a whole rolls along at a decidedly relaxed pace. Between the elaborate setup of Jackie's plot to make off with Ordell's retirement fund, the film contemplates what it means to age and the inherent difficulty of moving on.
Jackie Brown is populated with characters who refuse or fail to restart their lives for one reason or another. The titular heroine rejects the lawful path as it would set her back too far in her lifelong struggle against poverty, opting to control her own destiny by treading down a more perilous road. As bondsman Max Cherry falls for Jackie, he begins to question his career but is ultimately a slave to his stalwart sense of duty. Leading to their collective downfall, Ordell and the fresh-out-of-prison Louis fail to accept that they've both seen better days and are laid low by their wounded egos.
It's easy to fall in love with Pam Grier's Jackie, as the legendary blaxploitation star is a natural fit for the beautiful, strong, and resourceful heroine. Robert Forster is also perfectly cast as the mild mannered duty-bound everyman Max. Delivering a performance that swings between whimsical and menacing, Samuel L. Jackson truly shows off his range as Ordell. Bridget Fonda is convincing as the aggravatingly brash and insolent Melanie. Unfortunately, Robert De Niro fails to leave much of an impression as Louis in one of his least memorable performances playing the addled criminal. Michael Keaton and Michael Bowen are an entertaining duo respectively portraying a straight-shooting ATF agent and an overbearing LAPD detective putting on the old good cop/bad cop routine. Chris Tucker also appears in a bit role as Ordell's associate who runs afoul of the law, effectively setting the story in motion.
His most grounded and stylistically subdued feature, Jackie Brown is an often-overlooked entry in Quentin Tarantino's filmography, but an excellent picture in its own right. The film is a showcase of auteur's strengths in storytelling and character work without the over-the-top carnage so prevalent in his repertoire.
THE STORY BEHIND THE TITLE
In Elmore Leonard's Rum Punch the main character is named Jackie Burke, but Tarantino changed her name to Jackie Brown in honor of his leading lady, referencing the 1974 blaxploitation hit Foxy Brown also starring Pam Grier in the title role.
QUENTIN TARANTINO AS...
- The unconvincingly robotic voice of Jackie's answering machine
FOOT STUFF
- The camera overtly lingers on surfer girl Melanie's bare legs and feet
CASTRATION WITH A BANG
- Though she doesn't pull the trigger, Jackie presses a gun she lifted off Max against Ordell's privates when he confronts her at home
NOTABLE NEEDLE DROPS
- Bobby Womack's excellent theme song for Across 110th Street is intrinsically tied to this film, playing over the opening sequence and closing out the film
- "Strawberry Letter 23" by the Brothers Johnson makes for an unexpectedly chilling theme tune for Ordell
- The Delfonics' classic love ballad "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)" serves as a cute theme for Max's crush on Jackie
FRAGMENTS
- Steven Soderbergh's 1998 adaptation of Elmore Leonard novel Out of Sight features Michael Keaton reprising the role of ATF Agent Ray Nicolette
- Ordell, Louis, and Melanie are also featured in Daniel Schechter's 2013 film Life of Crime, an adaptation of Elmore Leonard novel The Switch, in which they are played by Yasiin Bey, John Hawkes, and Isla Fisher
MCU CONNECTIONS
- Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury in Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity War, Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and The Marvels)
- Michael Keaton (Adrian Toomes in Spider-Man: Homecoming)
