Jackie Brown (1997)

Director:

Quentin Tarantino

Writers:

Elmore Leonard (novel)
Quentin Tarantino (written by)

Release Date:

25 December 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

This Christmas, Santa's Got A Brand New Bag

Plot:

A female flight attendant becomes a key figure in a plot between the police and an arms dealer.

Plot Keywords:

Double Cross | Bikini Girls | Drug Trade | Bikini | Gangster

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 4 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Pam Grier	...	Jackie Brown
Samuel L. Jackson	...	Ordell Robbie
Robert Forster	...	Max Cherry
Bridget Fonda	...	Melanie Ralston
Michael Keaton	...	Ray Nicolette
Robert De Niro	...	Louis Gara
Michael Bowen	...	Mark Dargus
Chris Tucker	...	Beaumont Livingston
Lisa Gay Hamilton	...	Sheronda
Tommy 'Tiny' Lister	...	Winston (as Tommy 'Tiny' Lister Jr.)
Hattie Winston	...	Simone
Sid Haig	...	Judge
Aimee Graham	...	Amy - Billingsley Sales Girl
Ellis Williams	...	Cockatoo Bartender (as Ellis E. Williams)
Tangie Ambrose	...	Billingsley Sales Girl #2

Also Known As:

Rum Punch (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

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

Runtime:

154 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Canada:14A (Alberta) | Iceland:14 | Netherlands:12 | Philippines:R-18 | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Brazil:18 (DVD rating) | Iceland:12 (video rating) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | USA:TV-MA (TV rating) | USA:R (certificate #35732) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Belgium:KNT | Canada:14A | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:18 | Japan:PG-12 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:R(A) | South Korea:18 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Carson, California, USA

Company:

Miramax Films

Trivia:

Early in the film Ordell tells Louis (Robert De Niro) that "he's as serious as a heart attack." De Niro used the same line in The Fan (1996) when threatening another character.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The movie is set in 1995 but when Jackie enters the mall a sign on the door says "July 4th, Friday, hours..". July 4 was a Friday in 1997, when the movie was shot.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Girl at Security Gate: Flight 710 to Cabo San Lucas, now boarding Gate 103, first class only. Flight 710, Cabo San Lucas, now boarding Gate 103. First class only.
Jackie Brown: [greeting passengers] Buenos dias. Welcome aboard. Welcome aboard.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne (2003) (VG)

Soundtrack:

Baby Love

Less showy than Pulp, but a more mature story that is just as enjoyable

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 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 rejuvenate 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 middle-aged 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.