Written & Edited by: Lee Fenton

Is Tarantino the best new-age director of our lifetime? 

Quite probably. 

Is ‘Jackie Brown’ one of his most underappreciated films – regardless of the cult status it’s gained in the years since its inception?

Also, yes.

One of the lesser known Tarantino classics – adapted from an Elmore Leonard novel of the same name, ‘Jackie Brown’ is a story about a woman who’s nearing middle-age and has landed herself in a heap of legal trouble.  With her wits, charms, and guile – will she get herself out of the jam? Well, when 70s grindhouse star Pam Grier is playing a character; “she ain’t nobody’s sucka”. 

See Grier’s other films ‘Coffy’ and ‘Foxy Brown’ for examples of this.

JACKIE BROWN

Directed & Written by: Quentin Tarantino 

Original date of Release: December 25th / 1997

STARRING PAM GRIER

The opening sequence of the film foreshadows the main focal point, the titular character “Jackie Brown”. A long tracking shot follows Jackie as she rides an airport conveyor track to the departure gate. A flight attendant that “daylights” as a drug mule and ends up becoming the fall woman for her boss’s illegal activities, Jackie is soon apprehended with a purse full of cocaine and tens of thousands of dollars in unmarked bills.

Something I love about this film is how much quieter it is than other Tarantino flicks. Don’t get me wrong, Tarantino’s other films are always an experience but it’s nice that one of his projects takes its time with pacing, delivering a much deeper narrative because of it. ‘Jackie Brown’ is a slow moving crime-drama with an emotional core that strikes at your heart. The direction is seamless; with subtle shots, brilliant acting, a refreshingly classic composition, and immersive sound design – incorporating a soundtrack consisting of retro soul and funk. 

Most of the characters are extremely well-rounded and have clear wants and desires. The writing is poignantly romantic; truly captivating the hearts and minds of those who watch it. 

THE CAST & CHARACTERS

‘Robert Deniro’ 

Deniro plays an aging jail-bird “Louis” – laconic as all hell – complete with a pot addiction, beer gut, and mutton chops. He’s struggling to re-integrate himself into the criminal underworld after a “lengthy stint in the clink”. Deniro plays Louis with an aloofness that could easily be mistaken for passivity, however by the end of the film – it’s very apparent that this character still fits into Deniro’s wheelhouse of violent anti-heroes.  

‘Bridget Fonda’

Fonda is a blast as “Melanie”, a surfer chick who happens to be Jackie Brown's boss’s main squeeze, lazing around his apartment and inserting herself into his gun-running business. She is an obvious opportunist, and spends the majority of her time bickering with “Ordell” in an attempt to play his associates off of him. She also comes equipped with a bong and a ridiculously high libido, to make matters even more outrageous. 

‘Samuel Jackson’ 

Jackson plays the antagonist of the film: “Ordell”. 

Ordell is Jackie Brown’s crime-boss, a successful gunrunner who exchanges his product for drug quantities that he then offloads in other countries through Jackie’s unvetted access to the airlines. Samuel Jackson plays this role boisterously; with vigor, psychopathy, and a sardonic sense of humour. Ordell Robbie is exceptionally likable – which is highly concerning, yet also a testament to Jackson’s prowess in acting.

‘Chris Tucker’ has a small role in the movie as a low-level hood that works for Ordell. His short appearance is marked by snappy banter and self deprecation – opposite ‘Samuel Jackson’ – he manages to hold his own quite well, and there’s plenty of on-screen chemistry between the two. Whenever watching this film, I wonder what was left on the cutting-room floor; in regards to Chris Tucker.

 ‘Robert Deniro’ and ‘Sam Jackson’ also have some very iconic scenes – each getting to flex their respective weight as “tough guys”. Out of all the supporting actors in ‘Jackie Brown’, Deniro and Jackson are the most seasoned and it shows. They both offer portrayals of criminals that go far beyond the regular stereotypes. Robert Deniro underacting his character vs Samuel Jackson overacting seems like a very smart choice. It wouldn’t have worked nearly as well if both of them delivered a bombastic approach, or both gave a reserved performance.

 In other words: they play well off of each \other. 

So, Bravo!

‘Michael Keaton’ 

Keaton plays Ray Nicoletta (a character that appears in another film adaptation of an Elmore Leonard novel, 1998’s Out of Sight) a DEA agent that apprehends Jackie Brown along with an ATF agent. This is actually a rather compelling performance by Keaton as well, so much so that he got to star in a movie based on the character only a year later. His back and forths with Pam Grier (Jackie) allow for an outside perspective into the heist story that develops in act two, which is a nice viewpoint for the audience to have – since it is similar to our perspective. Keaton has a final scene that really shines, when he’s attempting to deduce what happened similar to a classic fictional detective like Holmes, or Hercule Poirot. The exposition is tremendously written and delivered.

‘Robert Forster’

I love Robert Forster in this movie; he’s great. I’ve really only watched him in this; in his cameo from the ‘Breaking Bad’ series finale, and as “Arthur Petrelli” in Tim Kring’s ‘Heroes’. It would be great to write a bunch about him, but I’m going to “phone this one in” since it’s getting late – and this review has ended up considerably longer than planned.

This is what an article on Forster from Variety.com has to say about the actor:

“This was the face that Quentin Tarantino chose in the 90s, with some inspiration, to play bail bondsman Max Cherry, the villains’ low-level functionary who falls for the beautiful Jackie Brown (played by Pam Grier): it was an intensely sympathetic, very old-school and unshowy masculine performance which earned Forster an Academy award nomination for best supporting actor. “ Variety [2]

Pam Grier 

Here’s the star that shines the brightest.

I cannot stress how strong the emovere [LATIN: emotion] that you feel from this woman is; emotionality is key in Grier’s process, and it’s evident. The character is something that she purportedly empathized with – seeing as when Tarantino approached her for the role she was in a lull in her acting career. Indeed, Quentin had her in mind while writing the movie script:

“Tarantino wanted Pam Grier to play the title character. She previously read for the Pulp Fiction character Jody, but Tarantino did not believe audiences would find it plausible for Eric Stoltz to yell at her.[6] Grier did not expect Tarantino to contact her after the success of Pulp Fiction.[4] When she showed up to read for Jackie Brown, Tarantino had posters of her films in his office. She asked if he had put them up because she was coming to read for his film, and he responded that he was actually planning to take them down before her audition, to avoid making it look like he wanted to impress her.” [1] Jackie Brown: How It Went Down. Jackie Brown DVD Special Edition. Miramax Home Entertainment. 2002. -WIkipedia

She provides the viewer with someone to root for in this movie, and Grier’s approach allows you to fully understand why Jackie Brown chooses to look out for herself – first and foremost. It’s inspiring to see Jackie plan her climb from rock bottom all the way to becoming an independent and liberated woman. Her arc is a full one – and Grier gives a mesmerizing portrayal that showcases the complete evolution of her character. She’s often having to play a role-within-a-role; since Jackie Brown often hides her true intentions from Ordell and the various other players.

Pam Grier emotes expertly; little nuances in her body language, changes in her cadence, and superbly expressive facial acting are all utilized to the fullest extent. It really is one of the best lesser-known performances of all-time.

Her romance with Robert Forster is beautifully sensitive – logically unrequited, stupefyingly perfect – oh how it makes me cry, every damn time!

Their final moments together on-screen are award worthy.

(Forster was nominated for an Oscar; Grier for a Golden Globe)

Rating: 10/10

Food court burgers and fries, in addition – a bag of $550, 000 in Ordell’s drug money. Life’s good.

__________________________________________

Make sure to watch Pam Grier in ‘Coffy’ and ‘Foxy Brown’, her two breakout films; underground successes of the early B-movie era. She’s considered Hollywood’s first true female action-star – by many film insiders and film journalists alike.

 See here: 

“How Pam Grier became Hollywood's 1st female action hero — and what she thinks about the term blaxploitation

Exploitation films are generally low-budget B-movies characterized by their lurid content and formulaic plots. The blaxploitation subgenre emerged from this trend among the civil rights and Black Power movements as a way to describe exploitation films by, for and about communities of colour.

Grier says the term blaxploitation "was basically like a conspiracy" to keep her films out of theatres. "All the movies started being like mine because we were staying in the theatres too long," she says. "Coffy knocked James Bond out of first place [at the box office].” [3] CBC.ca

_______________

SOURCES:

[1] Jackie Brown: How It Went Down. Jackie Brown DVD Special Edition. Miramax Home Entertainment. 2002.

-WIkipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie_Brown#cite_ref-Documentary_4-1

[2]https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/oct/12/robert-forster-a-coolly-charismatic-character-actor-jackie-brown-mulholland-drive

[3]https://www.cbc.ca/arts/q/how-pam-grier-became-hollywood-s-1st-female-action-hero-and-what-she-thinks-about-the-term-blaxploitation-1.7125607