Jackie Brown (1997)
I am pretty sure I saw this around the time it came out and probably didn’t like it, because I haven’t seen it since. As most other teenage boys at the time I thought Tarantino was the coolest shit, with all the raunchy dialogue and violence. Jackie Brown is something different and really glad I took the time to watch it now decades later.
It is probably Tarantino’s most “normal” film. Fairly straight forward narrative, the world seem more real and most of all - the characters don’t all talk like Tarantino. Character development and story matters more than style here, which is just refreshing to see. Kind of makes me wonder what Tarantino could have made if he had takes this approach to his other movies.
While the plot keep things interesting, it is really more of a hangout type movie with a group of varied characters and their little interactions. I was surprised of how I came to like DeNiro’s character - because I have seen some people say he is underused here, but I don’t agree. He is perfectly relaxed into his role. He is just there doing nothing most of the movie, until things go haywire at the end. The relationship and cooperation between Jackie and Max was in a way the best part of the whole movie. Not quite a romance, but more than just using each other for selfish reasons. I got a little tired of Samuel L. Jackson in the end, probably because he always reminds me it is still a Tarantino movie. Pam Grier is the real star here.
Rating: 4