Jackie Brown

Jackie Brown is one of those movies that have improved every time I watch it. The first time I saw it left me unsatisfied, probably because of the high expectations that I brought to that initial viewing. Now that time has passed my appreciation level for the performances, specifically Sam Jack, has lifted the entire movie. It may not be in the upper echelon but it is a definitely has a place in Tarantino's resume.

The number one reason to watch Jackie Brown is to bask in the glory of one Samuel L. Jackson. Ordell Robbie is a creation that deserves admiration. Let’s begin with the hair. And there lies the manliest sentence I have ever written. You have 3 items to choose from; the ponytail, the string hanging from his chin, or the mane he was rocking during the final scenes. Of course the correct answer is the glorious long hair. When you combine the hair with the clothes, this may be the most memorable visual Sam has ever provided. After wasting all that time on his look let’s cut to why this is a great performance, when Sam is saying Tarantino’s dialogue it becomes damn near poetic. At times it felt like this entire movie existed just so Samuel L. could talk. And thank god for that. Naturally since this a Quentin Tarantino movie all of the spoken words were top notch. Jackie Brown is different than the rest of Tarantino’s flicks. It is taken from an Elmore Leonard novel so the characters are definitely Leonard’s but at the same time they speak QT’s language. And these words are like notes from the pied piper to me. I will follow them wherever they may lead. On top of the characters being purely Elmore Leonard, you can smell this is his plot from a mile away. Stuff is getting stolen, people are being double crossed, and everyone thinks they are in control; yeah that’s a Leonard story. The first time around the plot almost distracts the viewer from all the great character moments. You feel like more should be happening but in actuality that was the whole point. The long stretches of talking and hanging out is what the film is all about. That is your chances to sit back and appreciate SLJ, Pam Grier, Robert Forrester, Robert De Niro, Bridget Fonda, Michael Keaton, and even Chris Tucker. Everyone is given a chance to shine. Yes that’s right, I included Chris Tucker. This was before he did Rush Hour and decided that he had accomplished everything he ever wanted to in film. And really do ya blame him? Friday, Money Talks, and Rush Hour, anyone would kill for that to be their resume. This was also one of the last great Michael Keaton performances before he disappeared for nearly a decade. Can’t complain about half-dead to the world ex-con De Niro. And of course since it is Quentin, we get the resurrection of Grier and Forrester. And of course they look and sound better here than they have in decades. There is plenty to enjoy here.

It is just damn impressive that when you list Quentin Tarantino’s films, Jackie Brown ends up at the bottom of the list. That is working at such a high level that it is crazy that he hasn’t dropped the ball yet. This time around though, I think a majority of the credit belongs to Sam Jackson. Ordell Robbie may be the best performance of his career and that includes Deep Blue Sea, The Great White Hype, and even xXx (but not xXx: State of the Union that will never be topped). And the best part of Jackie Brown is that once you get past it, there is nothing between you and Kill Bill.

8 out of 10