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Film Review #3
Jackie Brown (1997)
Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction were my first two Quentin Tarantino films that I watched and I instantly fell in love with him, I watched Jackie Brown with high hopes and I wasn’t disappointed. If you are going to compare the Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction to Jackie Brown then they are totally different films and unlike Tarantino's first two films that are filled with fast-paced, bizarre and 'cool' scenes filled with pop culture references and flashy violence, Jackie Brown appears to be a more mature effort from the director with focuses more on the story's substance as he gives us a well-paced tale filled some brilliant performances from the likes of Samuel L. Jackson, Pam Grier and Robert Forster. For Jackie Brown the characters within the film are key as they each devise their own plans in order to benefit themselves, the story of the film revolves around criminal boss Ordell (Samuel L. Jackson) who uses Jackie Brown (Pam Grier) in order to smuggle a large amount of money in to the country, as we watch the film we eventually see the individual plans from each character combine as the film reaches its climax.
Although different in style, Jackie Brown has some similarities to Tarantino’s other films, first of all it has a crime based plot and we are familiar with the lifestyles of some of the characters. The film also uses chapters to clearly distinguish between parts of the film but unlike Pulp Fiction the story is showed in a linear way which is more suited to the story and the unfolding plans of the characters. The main character of the film is of course Jackie Brown who is portrayed by the brilliantly Pam Grier who is able to hold her own up against ruthless criminals, one of the best scenes that shows her strong character takes place in a bar when she has a discussion with Ordell over the percentage of money she should get from the deal. Ordell Robbie is portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson and he provides another memorable performance a clever guns dealer following his famous performance in Pulp Fiction.
The film lasts almost two hours and a half and this can certainly be felt, some will complain this is too long however I fell that it works well as the story slowly unfolds and the plan becomes more complex as more layers are added by each individual character, I enjoyed the way the film was set out and felt the time allowed the extremely interesting characters to develop, in Jackie Brown there are only a handful of key characters in which we see their own angles, a good decision by Tarantino as he allows them to develop their own personalities and clever ideas unlike Pulp Fiction in which we see double the characters and less character focus. As mentioned earlier the interlinking plots from different perspectives come in to play during the money exchange chapter as each character plays a different role in Jackie Brown’s plan to fool the police and also capitalise on the money available for her own benefit, the majority of the film (at least the first half) is spent building up to this chapter, when we finally reach it the film ups it pace, giving us an exciting and dramatic finale with sudden and unpredictable plot twists resulting in the consequences of each characters' actions being felt. Much like the rest of Tarantino’s films, Jackie Brown has a distinctive soundtrack, this time instead of focusing on a mixture of classic pop we hear a mixture of Soul and R&B that has been chosen to suit the feel of the film and atmosphere, we also see Tarantino work his magic in terms of dialogue, although perhaps more normal he allows the characters to interact naturally and spontaneously based on their own personalities that we have seen developed.
Aside from Jackson and Grier the film sees a number of other great roles played out throughout the film, one of the best performances is Robert Forster as a bail bonds seller Max Cherry who becomes involved in an unlikely relationship with Jackie Brown. Pulp Fiction is famous for reviving the career of John Travolta and Tarantino has seemingly had the same affect on Forster who's career improved after a great performance in Jackie Brown. One man who's career didn't need reviving was Robert De Niro who brilliantly plays the role of one of Ordell’s friends, an ex-convict stoner with a short temper, he becomes mixed up in the money exchange events and becomes increasingly key to the film as it progresses.
After the initial success of Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, Tarantino was not always praised for his style, often being criticised for his use of violence and lack of substance, instead focussing on style. Jackie Brown completes a trio of great films and a great decade for Tarantino who has proven his maturity and ability as a director with the film.
RATING:
Jackie Brown (1997)
Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction were my first two Quentin Tarantino films that I watched and I instantly fell in love with him, I watched Jackie Brown with high hopes and I wasn’t disappointed. If you are going to compare the Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction to Jackie Brown then they are totally different films and unlike Tarantino's first two films that are filled with fast-paced, bizarre and 'cool' scenes filled with pop culture references and flashy violence, Jackie Brown appears to be a more mature effort from the director with focuses more on the story's substance as he gives us a well-paced tale filled some brilliant performances from the likes of Samuel L. Jackson, Pam Grier and Robert Forster. For Jackie Brown the characters within the film are key as they each devise their own plans in order to benefit themselves, the story of the film revolves around criminal boss Ordell (Samuel L. Jackson) who uses Jackie Brown (Pam Grier) in order to smuggle a large amount of money in to the country, as we watch the film we eventually see the individual plans from each character combine as the film reaches its climax.
Although different in style, Jackie Brown has some similarities to Tarantino’s other films, first of all it has a crime based plot and we are familiar with the lifestyles of some of the characters. The film also uses chapters to clearly distinguish between parts of the film but unlike Pulp Fiction the story is showed in a linear way which is more suited to the story and the unfolding plans of the characters. The main character of the film is of course Jackie Brown who is portrayed by the brilliantly Pam Grier who is able to hold her own up against ruthless criminals, one of the best scenes that shows her strong character takes place in a bar when she has a discussion with Ordell over the percentage of money she should get from the deal. Ordell Robbie is portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson and he provides another memorable performance a clever guns dealer following his famous performance in Pulp Fiction.
The film lasts almost two hours and a half and this can certainly be felt, some will complain this is too long however I fell that it works well as the story slowly unfolds and the plan becomes more complex as more layers are added by each individual character, I enjoyed the way the film was set out and felt the time allowed the extremely interesting characters to develop, in Jackie Brown there are only a handful of key characters in which we see their own angles, a good decision by Tarantino as he allows them to develop their own personalities and clever ideas unlike Pulp Fiction in which we see double the characters and less character focus. As mentioned earlier the interlinking plots from different perspectives come in to play during the money exchange chapter as each character plays a different role in Jackie Brown’s plan to fool the police and also capitalise on the money available for her own benefit, the majority of the film (at least the first half) is spent building up to this chapter, when we finally reach it the film ups it pace, giving us an exciting and dramatic finale with sudden and unpredictable plot twists resulting in the consequences of each characters' actions being felt. Much like the rest of Tarantino’s films, Jackie Brown has a distinctive soundtrack, this time instead of focusing on a mixture of classic pop we hear a mixture of Soul and R&B that has been chosen to suit the feel of the film and atmosphere, we also see Tarantino work his magic in terms of dialogue, although perhaps more normal he allows the characters to interact naturally and spontaneously based on their own personalities that we have seen developed.
Aside from Jackson and Grier the film sees a number of other great roles played out throughout the film, one of the best performances is Robert Forster as a bail bonds seller Max Cherry who becomes involved in an unlikely relationship with Jackie Brown. Pulp Fiction is famous for reviving the career of John Travolta and Tarantino has seemingly had the same affect on Forster who's career improved after a great performance in Jackie Brown. One man who's career didn't need reviving was Robert De Niro who brilliantly plays the role of one of Ordell’s friends, an ex-convict stoner with a short temper, he becomes mixed up in the money exchange events and becomes increasingly key to the film as it progresses.
After the initial success of Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, Tarantino was not always praised for his style, often being criticised for his use of violence and lack of substance, instead focussing on style. Jackie Brown completes a trio of great films and a great decade for Tarantino who has proven his maturity and ability as a director with the film.
RATING: