Jackie Brown Movie Review

Jackie Brown, 1997
Rated R for strong language, some violence, drug use, and sexuality
Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson, and Robert Forester
Running Time: 154 Minutes



Jackie Brown is another “stereotypical” Tarantino movie, albeit lesser known. I am almost afraid to describe it as such, however, as it implies that it is something that many have seen before. While Jackie Brown is a large collaboration of themes and ideas that are shared in most of Tarantino’s movies, they blend to create an entertaining and captivating film. The plot of the movie is simple and straightforward - there is half a million dollars being moved to the U.S. and everyone wants it.

Pam Grier’s constant scheming, Samuel L. Jackson’s violent rage, Robert Forester’s cool disposition, and Robert De Niro’s general sense of oddness give a great variety to the characters and make the interactions and dialog between them interesting. Character interactions and development are key themes in any Tarantino movie, and Jackie Brown succeeds in doing both of those. The movie is nearly void of quasi-philosophical or metaphorical conversations (“Superman” speech from Kill Bill Vol. 2 or Samuel L. Jackson’s “Diner Speech” in Pulp Fiction), instead focusing the dialog on small talk and scheming. This works because unlike previous characters written by Tarantino, these do not appear to have any hint of philosophical ambition, they all have worldly desires. However, some of those conversations were my favourite part about Tarantino movies and I was sad that there were none in Jackie Brown. The characters are all focused on the present and on the money, which helps contribute to keeping the audience focused as well.

I enjoyed all actors/actresses performances, but I particularly thought that Forester and De Niro gave great performances. A short scene with Chris Tucker adds some darkly hilarious comedy that Tarantino is so good at making. My one gripe with the movie comes from the ending, which I felt didn’t fit with the rest of the movie and, in my opinion, was a let down. Overall, this is a film worth viewing. Although it is long, it does a good job of keeping the audience focused. Just as a viewer might be getting bored, the film has “oh shit” moment and instantly grabs the viewer back.

Recommended Audience
As there is a great deal of heavy swearing and violence, I wouldn’t recommend this movie to anyone under 15. Jackie Brown definitely earns its R rating. This is not a family movie.

Pros
+ Great cast, great acting all around
+ Samuel L. Jackson says “motherfucker” about once a sentence
+ Easy to follow plot

Cons
- Ending

WTF?
? Samuel L. Jackson’s hair

My rating: 8/10