UNLIMITED STREAMING
WITH PRIME VIDEO
TRY 30-DAY TRIAL
Home > Drama >

Jackie Brown

Jackie Brown (1997)

December. 25,1997
|
7.5
|
R
| Drama Thriller Crime

Jackie Brown is a flight attendant who gets caught in the middle of smuggling cash into the country for her gunrunner boss. When the cops try to use Jackie to get to her boss, she hatches a plan — with help from a bail bondsman — to keep the money for herself.

...

Watch Trailer

Cast

Similar titles

Reviews

Pjtaylor-96-138044
1997/12/25

'Jackie Brown (1997)' is plot-heavy but occasionally meandering, one of the only Tarantino flicks to be based on pre-existing material - which is probably why it contains more of a story than most of his other work. At times, it is too complex for its own good and long stretches of the piece are marred by seeming unimportance, but there is decent character work here and several stand-out scenes that make it worthwhile viewing. 7/10

More
Vonia
1997/12/26

Jackie Brown (1997) Choreographed art, Double cross, no triple cross, Mood storytelling. Uncommon Tarantino, Damned slow, but refreshing heart. (Tanka (tan-kah) poems are unrhymed short poems that are five lines long, with the 5-7-5-7-7 syllable format. #Tanka #PoemReview

More
seymourblack-1
1997/12/27

It's slick, witty and highly entertaining, but this money-spinning crime thriller's greatest asset is its colourful characters who, between them, take the art of deception to extraordinary heights. The plot inevitably gets convoluted by all its double-crosses, schemes and scams and the dialogue is wonderfully sharp and realistic. There's also a great deal of dark humour to enjoy and of course, the top class performances provided by the movie's exceptional cast.Jackie Brown is a flight attendant who works for a Mexican airline and tops up her modest income by smuggling cash into the United States for L.A. gun dealer Ordell Robbie (Samuel L Jackson). Her luck runs out one day when she gets arrested by ATF Agent Ray Nicolette (Michael Keaton) and LAPD Detective Mark Dargus (Michael Bowen) who had been tipped off about her activities by another of Ordell's couriers called Beaumont Livingstone (Chris Tucker). After being arrested, Beaumont had provided information to avoid doing time in prison but later, after being bailed out by Ordell, was shot and killed by his old boss. When Ordell arranges bail for Jackie, her prospects suddenly don't look too good.Max Cherry (Robert Forster) is the bail bondsman that Ordell had used to arrange the releases of both Beaumont and Jackie and when he meets Jackie, he instantly falls in love with her. When Ordell comes around to Jackie's place with the intention of killing her, she talks him out of it by suggesting a plan which would enable her to bring back from Mexico, all the money that he'd stashed away ($500,000) during his gun-dealing career. Ordell agrees to Jackie's plan and devises a way in which she could pass the money to his young mistress, Melanie Ralston (Bridget Fonda). She then goes ahead and makes a deal with Nicolette which would enable him to arrest Ordell and recover the $500,000.Jackie tells Max about her plan to con both Ordell and the cops so that she can make off with the money and he readily agrees to help. Everyone involved then knows that in order to achieve the outcomes that they want, the elaborate plan devised to transfer the money to Melanie will need to be carried out perfectly.Pam Grier is believable as the 44-year-old who, through having a criminal record, had been reduced to working for a third-rate airline and being very poorly paid. She conveys Jackie's combination of toughness and vulnerability really well and is a compelling presence throughout the entire movie. Samuel L Jackson is superb as the ruthless gun dealer and Robert Forster, in his Oscar Nominated performance, makes the bail bondsman a surprisingly sympathetic character. Bridget Fonda and Robert De Niro also do well in their supporting roles.Quentin Tarantino, whose screenplay is based on Elmore Leonard's novel "Rum Punch", directs the whole movie with some style and particularly excels during the sequence in which Ordell's money goes through the various exchanges needed in order for it to eventually be collected by Melanie. The soundtrack is also marvellous both because of the quality of the music and also the way in which it evokes the 1970s so well.

More
Python Hyena
1997/12/28

Jackie Brown (1997): Dir: Quentin Tarantino / Cast: Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Forster, Robert De Niro, Bridget Fonda: Quentin Tarantino's much awaited followup to Pulp Fiction. Pam Grier plays an airline stewardess caught with cash and narcotics. Robert Forster plays the bail bonds person who bails her out. Samuel L. Jackson sells weapons and put up the cash to bail her out so to eliminate her. She is forced to cooperate with police as well as survive against the sadistic nature of Jackson. One flaw is its finding humour in death, such as a sudden shooting scene in a parking lot. The solution seems to be death or corruption and it sometimes unfavorably distracts but perhaps there is no choice. Combines dark humour and violence but is also clever with wonderful dialogue and a conclusion that places Grier in a tight situation. Quentin Tarantino has fun with a bag switch sequences shown from many perspectives. Grier is all attitude and brains yet always recognizing the consequences that linger. Jackson delivers a gritty performance while Forster brings sincerity and bluntness while also falling for his client. Robert De Niro plays Jackson's sleazy sidekick whose intellect is tested to negative effect. Bridget Fonda is amusing as a dope smoking beach bunny residing with Jackson. Crime caper about trust and survival and playing one factor off of another. Score: 9 / 10

More