Submitted by cinemascope on Wed, 2007-05-09 14:02. :: This Week's Films
Movie title:
Jackie Brown
Starring:
Pam Grier, Robert Forster, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert DeNiro, Bridget Fonda, Michael Keaton, Chris Tucker
Directed by:
Quentin Tarantino
Written by:
Quentin Tarantino, from the novel Rum Punch, by Elmore Leonard
Genre:
Crime Thriller
Year:
1997
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Runtime:
2 hours 34 minutes
Imdb:
Rating:
Synopsis
Flight attendant Jackie Brown (Grier) becomes embroiled in an FBI and ATF plan to catch drug and gun dealer Ordell Robie (Jackson) after she is caught carrying drugs and cash for him through customs. Along with bail bondsman Max Cherry (Forster), she concocts a scam to play the two sides against each other and get away with the loot.
Flight attendant Jackie Brown (Grier) becomes embroiled in an FBI and ATF plan to catch drug and gun dealer Ordell Robie (Jackson) after she is caught carrying drugs and cash for him through customs. Along with bail bondsman Max Cherry (Forster), she concocts a scam to play the two sides against each other and get away with the loot.
Review
After the giddy excesses of Pulp Fiction, lauded critically and a huge hit commercially, Quentin Tarantino's next project was a less kinetic, more considered crime caper, although not without his trademark use of pop culture references, drugs, guns, and 70s movie references. As a director, one of QT's great un-commented on skills is his ability to draw the best out of his performers, and in particular, to cast superbly. Pam Grier brings a world-weary cynicism and earthy sexuality to a role a far cry from her outings as Foxy Brown and Coffy, while still showing the steel behind the eyes that made her a blaxploitation star, while forgotten B-movie actor Robert Forster is a revelation as the relaxed but quietly strong Max Cherry - what a shame that even this high-profile calling card didn't really lead to any more good roles for this talented and likeable actor. Sam Jackson is suitably reptilian and familiarly terrifying as Ordell Robbie, but on watching the movie again (and I hadn't seen it in a decade), it's Robert DeNiro's sleepy turn as monosyllabic bank robber Louis Gara that caught my eye - a fabulous transition from likeably shambolic to scarily strung-out, and a role that showcases his comic timing far more successfully (in my opinion) than the over-rated Meet The Parents franchise. Taking it's time to let a complicated plot play out, beautifully shot and edited, and as ever, boasting a fabulous soundtrack, it's a shame that this fine movie is often forgotten about in the light of the director's showier efforts.
After the giddy excesses of Pulp Fiction, lauded critically and a huge hit commercially, Quentin Tarantino's next project was a less kinetic, more considered crime caper, although not without his trademark use of pop culture references, drugs, guns, and 70s movie references. As a director, one of QT's great un-commented on skills is his ability to draw the best out of his performers, and in particular, to cast superbly. Pam Grier brings a world-weary cynicism and earthy sexuality to a role a far cry from her outings as Foxy Brown and Coffy, while still showing the steel behind the eyes that made her a blaxploitation star, while forgotten B-movie actor Robert Forster is a revelation as the relaxed but quietly strong Max Cherry - what a shame that even this high-profile calling card didn't really lead to any more good roles for this talented and likeable actor. Sam Jackson is suitably reptilian and familiarly terrifying as Ordell Robbie, but on watching the movie again (and I hadn't seen it in a decade), it's Robert DeNiro's sleepy turn as monosyllabic bank robber Louis Gara that caught my eye - a fabulous transition from likeably shambolic to scarily strung-out, and a role that showcases his comic timing far more successfully (in my opinion) than the over-rated Meet The Parents franchise. Taking it's time to let a complicated plot play out, beautifully shot and edited, and as ever, boasting a fabulous soundtrack, it's a shame that this fine movie is often forgotten about in the light of the director's showier efforts.
