Jackie Brown

Director: Quentin Tarantino
Written by: Quentin Tarantino
Year: 1997
Genre: Crime comedy-drama
My rating: 4 and a half out of 5

Like many a great crime film, "Jackie Brown" involves the characters all deceiving each other. However, not many great crime films have the capacity for both comedy and intelligent characters. Ordell Robbie (Samuel L. Jackson) is a smalltime gun dealer about to hit $1,000,000 and retire. When he learns that one of his workers, Beaumont Livingston (Chris Tucker), has been arrested and may agree to become an informant, he arranges for his bail with bail bondsman Max Cherry (Robert Forster). Ordell goes by Beaumont's place later and convinces him to help with a deal in Koreatown, but instead murders him. He confides in his old friend and cellmate who was recently released, Louis Gara (Robert De Niro). However, Ordell was too late. Beaumont had given information to the police, allowing A.T.F. agent Ray Nicolette (Michael Keaton) and L.A.P.D. Detective Mark Dargus (Michael Bowen) to catch flight stewardess Jackie Brown (Pam Grier), who smuggles Ordell's money into California from Mexico. She initially refuses to make a deal with them, and is sent to prison immediately when they discover a bag of cocaine that she didn't know of with the money. Ordell arranges for her bail and attempts to kill her as well, but she turns the tables on him and they make a deal to get him $500,000 of his money by pretending to help the authorities. With Nicolette and Dargus she arranges a sting, but will actually pass the money off to the woman Ordell lives with, Melanie Ralston (Bridget Fonda, performing a billion times better than she did in "Monkeybone"). Meanwhile, she plots to keep the money for herself with the help of Max Cherry, who struggles to mask his attraction to her.

Having not seen the old blaxploitation films that Tarantino had on his mind while working on "Jackie Brown," I may be missing another important aspect of the film, especially given the fact that in the novel, Jackie is white. However, what I did pick up on was definitely above average. I noticed that Tarantino ventured a bit away from his style in some ways. For example, the dialogue is often less indulgent than in his other films in favor of being more realistic. When the characters do open their mouths it's a long ways off from boring, but he implements more moments of silence and fewer monologues than usual. Speaking of which, Samuel L. Jackson does not find room for any Ezekiel-like speeches, yet still manages to show us a colder and greedier version of "Pulp Fiction"'s Jules. What Tarantino has really honed his skills at here is timing. Everything is perfectly choreographed and falls into place without us knowing where it will land until it does. Pam Grier's career-revitalizing performance helps with us, as we are sometimes completely unsure who she is really helping. Every scene is so consistently convincing that we want to believe whatever she does at any moment. Another example of the expert timing can be seen in how Tarantino saves Robert De Niro's lines for later in the film, knowing that for the first half he can get some smiles by just sitting there. Robert Forster's Oscar-nominated performance, also career-revitalizing, is one of those performances that is so subtly flawless that most people often overlook it. And they clearly did, as he was not nominated for a Golden Globe. However, the Academy, in one of its brave and shining moments, acknowledged him for the freshly original chemistry between Max and Jackie. It's a shame they did not acknowledge the film for its other accomplishments.


Structure/Form:
What does the title mean in relation to the film as a whole?
Tarantino changed the title to "Jackie Brown" as a reference to "Foxy Brown," in which Pam Grier starred.

Why does the film start in the way that it does?
The opening sequence is similar to that of "The Graduate."

Are there any repeated scenes, images, dialogue, etc.?
The money exchange is seen from three different perspectives, so some moments and dialogue are repeated to help line it up chronologically.

Is sound used in any vivid ways to enhance the film?
Soul music is played prominently.

Are there any striking uses of perspective?
Not as much as in other QT films.

What specific scene constitutes the film's climax?
Max brings Ordell to his office, telling him the money is there.

Why does the film conclude on this particular image?
I'm not quite sure, actually. It's not as unexpected as Tarantino's other endings. Even if it's how the novel ended, I don't think he was afraid to change it.


Theme:
How does this film relate to the issues presented or developed? What questions are evoked by the film? Does the film present a clear point of view on an issue? How?
The film is an homage to 1970s blaxploitation films. It's similar to Tarantino's other films in that it doesn't have a distinct message and is more about the experience of watching.


Mise en Scene:
Louis and Ordell argue while sitting in a parked van after the money exchange.

Dominant: Where is our eye attracted first?
Ordell, whose face we can see. We can only see the back of Louis' head.

Lighting key: High key? Low key? High contrast? Some combination of these?
Mostly low key, but it's pretty bright outside the van.

Shot and camera distance: What type of shot? How far away is the camera from the action?
The camera sits almost in the center of the back seat.

Angle: Are we (and the camera) looking up or down on the subject? Or is the camera eye level?
Eye level.

Color values: What is the dominant color?
Ordell's yellow jacket stands out.

Subsidiary contrasts: What are the main eye-stops after taking in the dominant?
We may look at Louis in case he turns his head.

Composition: How is the two-dimensional space segmented and organized?
Louis is in the driver's seat on the far left looking out the windshield, and Ordell in on the right in the passenger's seat looking across at Louis.

Framing: Tight or loose? Do the characters have no room to move around or can they move freely without impediments?
Tight.