Jackie Brown Movie
The story for Jackie Brown was lifted from an Elmore Leonard book called Rum Punch. Jackie Brown is an homage to 70s "blaxploitation" films. Pam Grier (the female lead and titular character) starred in several blaxpolitation flicks (namely Foxy Brown, Coffy, and Black Mama, White Mama) some of which were ripped off rather blatantly for the film and especially the movie poster. The opening scene of Jackie Brown is a mirror of the opening scene of The Graduate, replacing Dustin Hoffman with Pam Grier and using the same setting.
These are all facts about Jackie Brown, the third film from Quentin Tarantino, but none of them contain the cool beauty of what may be Tarantino's tightest and most commercial film.
Pam Grier Jackie Brown
Made just five years after his first film Reservoir Dogs, and only three years after his box office smash Pulp Fiction, is the story of an L.A. criminal portrayed by Pam Grier in Jackie Brown. Jackie Brown runs money for an arms dealer played by Samuel L. Jackson. Pam Grier's character, Jackie Brown, gets busted right at the opening of the film - but it isn't just cash that she's stowing . . . federal agents find cocaine in her luggage as well. Through almost stereotypically Tarantino machinations, Jackie is released to help Jackson's character claim a big chunk of cash so he can retire from the tiresome and dangerous gun running business. If you guessed that the plan goes terribly awry and a lot of people get shot and killed in the process, you're obviously familiar with the movies of Quentin Tarantino.
Jackie Brown Cinematography
Jackie Brown is the visual equivalent of a shot of morphine. From the film's opening credits you know you're in for a stylized treat. The titles are all done up in a font ripped straight from the 70s. There's a nice moment when the title hits the screen (practically dripping mustard yellow down the screen) and the old school "trademark" pops up underneath -- if you've seen a ton of movies from say 1968 through 1980 you'll recognize the trademark joke right off. Between a visual reference to The Graduate, opening song by Bobby Womack, and the sudden appearance of none other than Pam Grier, this film gets you in the mood right off the bat. Where Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs seemed to be about speed and shock, Jackie Brown depends on playful visuals and homage (not to mention a retro cast) to hook you. It does a fantastic job.
Tarantino Trademarks
There are some trademark Tarantino tricks to be found here -- a relatively small ensemble cast of both old and new stars (from Bob DeNiro and Robert Forster to Chris Tucker and Bridget Fonda) is paired up with fast-paced and witty dialogue. While there's not much in the way of a nonlinear storyline, you are often thrust into the action with little understanding of a character's motive, something that Pulp Fiction did well and often. At the same time, Jackie Brown displeases some Tarantino fans for being too conventional, too easy to swallow, almost too Hollywood. That didn't stop critics and fans alike from paying their respects to Tarantino's latest -- Jackie Brown earned $40 million domestically and earned an Academy Award nomination for Robert Forster. It's pretty clear that the studio didn't expect much from this quirky little film -- they opened on a Thursday in just over 1,000 theaters. Interesting side note -- Jackie Brown had the 16th best opening of all time for movies that opened on a Thursday. That list includes huge films like The Matrix Reloaded, Star Wars Episode III, Terminator Salvation, and Marley and Me. Good showing, Quentin.
I think what keeps Tarantino fans coming back to Jackie Brown is the oddness of this film when compared to his others. Even Inglourious Basters, his most recent and considered by some to be his most conventional film, takes plenty of liberties with film structure and composition in ways that Jackie Brown just doesn't. This is an homage film, through and through, and Quentin Tarantino went out of his way to make a seedy little crime drama fixated on seedy people and the seedy things they do. You won't find a lot of visual cut-ups, postmodern film techniques, or a narrative that really pushes the envelope. And that's why we love it -- Jackie Brown is to the movies of Quentin Tarantino what chicken soup is to a five-star chef's menu. Simple, yes, but more delicious and comforting than anything else you could order.
Audience Appeal
As some people have pointed out, Jackie Brown is kind of a stoner movie. Yes, there are a few scenes featuring reefer, and you could attribute some of the character's behavior to the old wacky weed, but bigger than that is the general "feel" of the film. Jackie Brown is marijuana to Pulp Fiction's heroin or Reservoir Dogs cocaine. And if you understood that sentence, you spent your college years much like I did.
Bridget Fonda Jackie Brown
Don't use "conventional" or "homage" as dirty words to slander Jackie Brown. There is much for fans of Tarantino to love here -- including a few neat little Easter Eggs to hunt for. Look for the car Bruce Willis hits Ving Rhames with in Pulp Fiction -- it makes a cameo. Look for a hilarious and sexy Bridget Fonda in Jackie Brown where she performs her first film role in years. And look for all the little touches Tarantino used to set a mood. In the end, this is what Jackie Brown does best. The dialogue isn't as snappy as in Pulp Fiction, and the violence isn't center stage like it is in Reservoir Dogs, but as an homage to an era of film that Tarantino worships, it is pitch perfect. If you can hang in there for the nearly two and a half hour running time, you'll find a new addition to your movie night rotation.