Jackie Brown Director: Quentin Tarantino Starring: Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Forster, Robert De Niro, Brigette Fonda and Michael Keaton Approx Running Time: 150 min.
The problem that "Jackie Brown" will face is that it will always be compared to "Pulp Fiction", and that's a battle "Jackie" will lose.
Tarantino's first full-feature directorial effort since "Pulp" is a well acted and well written crime caper. But through the brilliantly developed characters, the realistic and gritty dialogue, and the signature of one of America's newest hotshot directors lies a dull and uninteresting story. As I sat through "Jackie Brown", I realized how much I liked the characters, and cared about them, but hated what they were doing.
Tarantino seemed to involve himself so much in developing Elmore Leonard's characters (the film is based on Leonard's novel "Rum Punch") that he lost sight of the fact that the story he drags out over the two and a half hour time period is mundane to say the least. Every time I got lost in the intensity of any given character, it seemed that the storyline whacked me in the face with something too common to be in a Tarantino film.
Before I get to the good stuff, one last complaint must be brought up. Michael Keaton was terribly miscast in the film and brought down each scene in which he appeared. The problem was that his character was too ordinary for such a recognizable star to be overplaying him. Keaton was the only character flaw in the film.
Now, for those of you that can't get enough of "Pulp Fiction", rest assured, Tarantino lets you know that they guy who directed that one, did this one. There are a number of things in "Jackie Brown" that reminded me of his last film. Some were distracting, some weren't. Just as in "Pulp", Tarantino makes brilliant use of one of the screen's best actors, Samuel L. Jackson. His character, Ordell Robbie, is almost like Jules decided not to walk the earth , but instead decided to be a "badder muther fuc*er" and ended up here. Both Ordell and Jules have striking similiarities, but this guy is ten times the tyrant. Jackson is unforgettable in this film and has some of the funnies lines as well as the most chilling glares.
Music plays a big part in the film. At times it seems destined to be a top- selling soundtrack comprised of songs that are popular again because they were in a Tarantino film, but he manages to capture the mood of so many scenes that the music fits the scheme perfectly.
Pam Grier did a smart thing by letting Tarantino cast her. Though it may or may not do for her what "Pulp" did for Travolta, Grier, at the very least, has shown people that may have forgotten about her that she is a good actress, and that she deserves more recognition than she has gotten in the past twenty years. She plays Jackie Brown, a flight attendant who runs cash from Mexico to LA for Ordell. The film losely focuses on her struggle to keep Ordell happy, the FTA happy, the cops happy and herself alive. She seems to have deals going in all different directions that culminate in a sadly unsatisfying ending.
Robert Forster is also a man who is being brought into the spotlight as Max Cherry, a bailbondsmen who gets wrapped up with Ordell and Jackie. He gives a very strong performance which , though deserving of recognition, will probably be overlooked come awards time. He has a tough look, but we see how normal and lonely he is. He is never a fun guy, but for some reason (and by some reason I must mean the script and the actor) we really care about him. At times, he is the central part of the film.
Both De Niro and Fonda turn in exceptional performances as completely lame people. Fonda's character is a life-long pothead and slut; she excels at it. De Niro's character, Louis, is quiet and has few lines but uses them effectively. He plays a man who has just been out of prison for a few days, and he really looks and acts like it. Watching De Niro is still a thrill after all these years.
Tarantino has left his mark, and "Jackie Brown" will command its portion of discussion and respect, but will most likely suffer in the long run from a lack of newness. The only way someone like Tarantino can continue to be fresh is by writing his own material. Though he breathed fantastic life into these characters, it was, above all else, merely an adaptation of someone else's work. On the strength of this film, I look forward to his next screenplay. He seems to have shed the "one hit wonder" label with "Jackie". And I think Tarantino learned one other important thing; he doesn't have to be in all his films. He wisely chose to stay out of this one and let the other actors do their jobs.
Three stars Copyright (C) 1997 Nick Amado
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