Across 110th Street

September 14, 2010 by Editor
Filed under Film Reviews

Jackie Brown (1997)

Directed By: Quentin Tarantino

Review Written By: Justin Bozung
Mondo Film & Video Guide Editor
IMDb.com Link

I love this movie. I have, ever since I saw it initially at the theater back in 1997. It’s obvious Tarantino chic. But if you take a look at Jackie Brown, and pretend that Tarantino’s name isn’t on the credit sequences, you’ll see that it’s really a brilliant film. It’s got this amazing, very un-Hollywood structure to it, it has this amazing all star cast, and it’s a beautiful love letter to 70′s genre filmmaking on a massive level…

Pam Grier steps into the title role, as Jackie Brown. An over 40, Buddy Holly plane airline stewardess that’s smuggling in money for a local Los Angeles gun runner. In typical Tarantino fashion, the structure is genius, and we start out in the middle of her story. The DEA has been tipped off, and they bust Jackie at the airport. Then they’re Ordell Robbie (Samuel L. Jackson). The gun runner, who’s big time…but only in his head. He’s got several safe house’s of women all around Los Angeles, and he’s just brought in an old friend, Louis (Robert DeNiro) to help. Let’s not forget about Bridget Fonda. Tarantino’s love letter, to 70′s exploitation actress, Candice Rialson (Pets, Chatterbox). Throw in a great cameo by Michael Keaton and add in Robert Forrester as Max Cherry, a local bail bondsman. He gets involved when Ordell recruits him to bond out Jackie and another of his associates, Beaumont Livingston (Chris Tucker). Who’s now dead. Sound confusing?

: Hello Darkness, my old friend…

Based on the best selling book, by legendary Detroit novelist, Elmore Leonard – Rum Punch, Jackie Brown is a modern classic. It’s a intense crime caper, told through a story structure, that rival’s Stanley Kubrick’s The Killing. What makes this story so much fun, is it’s intense originality. It’s very nostalgic.

Doing what Tarantino did for Travolta with Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown revived the film career’s of Pam Grier and Robert Forrester. Forester being nominated for an Academy Award for his performance. Grier and Samuel L. Jackson where both nominated for a Golden Globe for their efforts.

While entertainingly complex in structure, the plotline of Jackie Brown is quite simple. Jackie Brown is a character driven film. All the performances are unforgettable, and the chemistry between Grier and Forrester is cinematic gold. Their kiss in the final moments of the film, is as beautiful as that of Grace Kelly and Jimmy Stewart in Hitchcock’s Rear Window.

AK-47 accept no subsitutes!

Pam Grier is amazing in Jackie Brown. She’s one of the most beautiful women in film history. She delivers the performance of her career in Tarantino’s film. Grier is a exploitation film legend, often shedding her clothes for director, Jack Hill. Here in a cameo as well with fellow exploitation legend, Sid Haig. If you look closely in the Pam Grier intercom scene outside of Sam Jackson’s “blonde hair’d little surfer girl” apartment, you see on the directory inside the building, that the following people reside, C. Rialson, and S. Haig. Look for a voice cameo by Tarantino as well, as the voice of Pam Grier’s answering machine.

The film was Tarantino’s feature length follow up to his uber milestone, Pulp Fiction (1994). Jackie Brown was a critical success, and did reasonably well at the box office. The film was budget’d at 12 million dollars, and ended up grossing a total of 72 million dollars.

Another amazing aspect of this film, is that of it’s soundtrack. With all Tarantino film soundtracks, Jackie Brown delivers an awesome collection of rare blaxploitation themes, and other audio rarities. Included here is Pam Grier’s vocal on “Long Time Women” as well as an impossible cut by The Vampire Sound Corporation, which QT “borrowed” from the soundtrack to the classic euro lesbian-vampire sploitation flix, Vampyro’s Lesbos. The soundtrack as well as the film are home runs on all levels.

Go back and revisit this film again, it’s time for it to gain the notice among film fans that it rightfully deserves. Ever been tempted?

Justin Bozung is the Editor for the Mondo Film & Video Guide. Currently, he’s also a free lancer writer, working directly with such print publications as College News, and Whoa Magazine. Additionally he’s also a content writer for Patch, a division of AOL. You can contact him directly at justinb@mondo-video.com