"Jackie Brown" Doesn't Exactly Shoot-em Up by Homer Yen (c) 1998
Many times when I watch a movie, I'm very interested in knowing what's going through the minds of the characters up there on the movie screen. What makes them tick? What motivates them? What makes them do the things that they do? Character development is one of the key ingredients to a good movie when, after sitting through a 2-hour movie, we finally get to the payoff. Hopefully, everything will wind down to a congruously satisfying ending.
Gangsters and hoodlums are an interesting breed. What fuels their day? Is it the money? Is it loyalty among the underworld? Is it the power that comes from sidestepping the laws that are in place? The strength of "Jackie Brown" lies within it's writing (thanks to Quentin Tarantino), in which an in-depth exploration of the minds of several twisted low-lifes are examined. Early on, we meet up with the woman from the title of the movie (Pam Grier), and learn that she transports dirty money between the US and Mexico for her gun-running boss, Ordell Robbi (Samuel L. Jackson). Robbi seems to be the typical crook who makes his living selling guns to the highest bidder, with the possible exception that he's an intelligent thinker, is verbally eloquent, and is consumed with his personal safety. For example, if one of his associates is arrested, he rationalizes that his associate must be killed to ensure his freedom.
Robbi's world is truly chaotic, and skeptically relies on his dim-witted, right-hand man, Louis Gara (Robert De Niro), and a trio of women (including Bridget Fonda as a bitchy, opiate-addicted surfer girl) whose places he uses as hideouts. His true friend, however, is only himself, and Jackie Brown knows that. So, she works on a plan, with the help of her bail bondsman, Max Cherry (Robert Forster), to find a way to stay ahead of the police that want to keep her in jail and to stay ahead of Robbi, who would feel better if she were dead. These are all smart people, and it will be the smartest one among them all that will emerge victorious. Add in $500,000 of dirty money that's up for grabs and an intense effort to outmaneuver each other, and the result should wind down to a congruously satisfying ending, right? Well...
This movie is rich with character development. We see Jackie's cool and collective nature. Displaying toughness and poise, Grier successfully carries the movie through it's various twists and turns. We understand Max Cherry's involvement and attraction for Jackie. And we see the ineptitude of Robbi's situation, who is basically a short-tempered captain of a ship of fools. I especially liked Bridget Fonda, who, despite her character's lassitude, seemed to be the smartest of the bunch. Indeed, we are treated to some nicely shot scenes filled with witty banter in a cloak and dagger atmosphere. But what we don't get is the great payoff that makes us say "I'm glad that I sat through that 160-minute movie." Eventually, the slow pace killed the sense of urgency, which I felt should have been the reward, at least for this particular critic.
Yet, I want to applaud Tarentino's texturally rich adaptation of Elmore Leonard's novel Rum Punch. He has a good eye behind the camera and proves that he has an uncanny capability to engross us with odd chatter in bizarre situations. "Jackie Brown" certainly had some of the intoxicating effects of rum, but ultimately lacked the punch.
Grade: B-
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