I waited a long time to see "Jackie Brown", because I heard it wasn't any good, and I didn't want to tarnish the memory of "Reservoir Dogs" or "Pulp Fiction", two of the most influential films in my personal cinematic history. Both films were kinetic, profane, daring, and truly visceral experiences. I loved every minute of them. "Jackie Brown" is a horse of a different colour, however. It is low-key, thoughtful, tender, and assured. And, I must say, just as good.

"Jackie Brown" is as much a blaxploitation film as "Reservoir Dogs" was a caper film, or "Pulp Fiction" was… well… pulp fiction. Tarantino has a unique ability to take the conventions of a favoured genre, mix them up in that encyclopedic blender of a brain of his, and pour something new, and fresh, and vibrant on to the screen. So despite the fact this is a Pam Grier film (queen of the blaxploitation genre; most notably in "Foxy Brown", "Coffy", and a series of woman-in-prison picks for genre auteur Jack Hill), it is more so Quentin Tarantino's homage to the genre.

One of the main criticisms leveled against it, that I've heard, is that it's too long and too slow. Well, compared to "Pulp Fiction", which is about the same length, of course you'd think it was too slow. But that's the way this story needs to be told, for one simple reason. "Pulp Fiction" was about young, experienced criminals, always on the go, always in control. They could afford to move quickly, and even maintained that high-power energy during the longer conversation scenes. "Jackie Brown"s criminals are a touch older. Jackie and Bail Bondsman Max Cherry even take a break from the plot at one point to have a conversation about what it means for men to get older (they lose their hair) verses what it means for women to get older (their behinds get bigger). It's actually kind of a touching, and very odd, moment to have in the middle of what should be a zippy little heist flick.

Another way it differs from "Pulp" or "Dogs" (which would lead people to believe that it's sluggish) is the lack of gunplay. Tarantino's earlier films were defined by the style and abundance of their shootouts. "Jackie Brown" has only six gunshots. And all are essentially off-camera, or off in the distance, producing little or no blood for the viewer to see. Now I'm not offended by violence in movies. Not at all. But it is kind of refreshing to see a director, especially one who's made his name off it, not rely on the showy exploitation of shooting someone. When he does show it, however, the torment and suffering and guilt of the shooter is always apparent.

Which brings me to the most intriguing thing about this movie. Tarantino, who the rap on in recent years has been that he's tormented by his early success and hasn't the confidence to make his next picture (not true; "Kill Bill" is already in production), actually shows a very assured hand in making this movie. Besides the above conversation between two aging characters, there are other places where he shows supreme confidence in his decisions. For instance, he's cast Robert DeNiro. Okay, a no-brainer, right? Wrong. Because he's cast DeNiro in a tiny, stoical role. Simultaneously, he's cast Robert Forster (I know he got an Oscar nod, but before that wasn't everyone asking "Robert who?") in a role that's very meaty, the tortured love-interest. A less-assured director would have switched the two actors, but Tarantino knows what he wants, and boy does he get it. DeNiro doesn't do more than he has to in creating his understated character. Louis is an ineffectual little cipher of a man, recently released from prison and just getting in touch with the real world, who only gains plot function once the movie is two hours old. Forster, on the other hand, steals the show with his laid-back, relaxed, but always conflicted Bail Bondsman.

And Forster's scenes with Jackie Brown are touching, chemistry-filled, and a joy to watch. Credit in this case should go to Pam Grier, as Jackie Brown, another Tarantino casting coup. Grier is asked to be maturely sexy, street-smart, tough, and vulnerable all at once. And she pulls it off without flaw. Tarantino has fantasized most of his life about casting Pam Grier in a movie, and might have eventually done so even if the role didn't suit her so. But this one does. It truly does. She carries the picture as not only the title character but also its emotional centre.

The rest of the cast are good in their own rights. Sam Jackson was born to speak Tarantino's dialogue, and doesn't disappoint. He makes Ordell a genuine badass, even through his ponytail and silly little beard (and Jackson, bless his heart, even throws in a nod to my home town basketball team, the Toronto Raptors). Bridget Fonda is actually quite sexy as a layabout surfer chick, whose big mouth is bound to get her into trouble. And Michael Keaton, who I've always thought of as a very underrated and interesting actor, plays his ATF agent with just enough faux-cool and indifference that you're always wondering if he's playing Jackie or if Jackie's playing him.

While talking about character, I'd like to give kudos to Quentin for a neat little-shorthand trick he uses to define them. Each character essentially has his/her own soundtrack. A scene near the end, which cuts between several different characters driving in their cars, shows this very well. Cut from Melanie's (Bridget Fonda) van, where faux-eighties punk is blaring, to Max Cherry's (Robert Forster) car, which features the laid back grooves of the Delfonics, to Jackie's car, which more often than not is playing Bobby Womack's "Across 110th Street". The music shifts so suddenly sometimes that it can be jarring, but it's an effective technique. And the Tarantino practice of having music originate from within the film, so that, say, when a car radio is turned off, the soundtrack goes dead as well, really gets you into the lives of these characters. Furthermore on the music front, Tarantino liberally uses the Meters' "Cissy Strut" near the beginning of the film, which quickly brought a smile to my face, and let me know that funky good times were ahead.

"Jackie Brown" is a fine addition to Tarantino's oeuvre. Sure, his fingerprints are all over it in some cases, such as his distinctive use of language, and his fondness for shifting time back and forth upon itself to show the same scene from several different perspectives (although both features can also be found in the Elmore Leonard novel, "Rum Punch", from which Tarantino adapted his script; of further note is the fact that he had the insight and the guts to change Leonard's middle-aged and white main character to a middle-aged black woman). But it's much more of a grown up movie. True, it's a tad too long. But just a tad. I can take excessive verbosity from Tarantino easier than I can from any other writer/director, because he's always fascinating, always moving, always trying to surprise, and always trying to tell a good story. "Jackie Brown" succeeds on all counts.


MY REVIEW OF THE MIRAMAX COLLECTOR'S EDITION 2-DISC DVD: "DIDN'T I (BLOW YOUR MIND THIS TIME)?" "YOU SURE DID, JACKIE?"

"Jackie Brown" was released to North American theatres on Christmas Day, 1997. The first ever "Jackie Brown" DVD, a Miramax Collector's Edition no less, was released to North American stores on September 3rd, 2002. Quick calculation tells me that's 1713 days. A long wait, sure. But when the package is this good, and this comprehensive, I'll let those holding the reins take their time getting the horse into the stable.

The first thing one notices is the slick black case holding the DVD, featuring a bullet-hole dotting the 'i', through which Pam Grier's steely gaze can be seen. Slide out the inner casing, and you'll find the slick black foldout, holding not only the 2-Disc set ('The Film' and 'The Perks'), but also a mini poster and a glossy booklet. The poster is a real hoot, an homage to the classic blaxploitation genre that made Grier famous. In form and style, it is almost a complete replica of her "Coffy" poster (notice how statuesque Pam towers over the action in both), except the characters represented are all older, and more weathered. The booklet is also lovingly done. It features a letter from "Rum Punch" author Elmore Leonard, a review of the movie by Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times, a soundtrack selection index (Want to jump to the "Long Time Woman" scene? Easy enough. It's track #4), a letter from Peter Bogdanovich (Tarantino must be the new Welles or Hitchcock, if Bogdanovich has got his greasy talons in him), and selected filmographies for Pam Grier and Robert Forster. All that, and we haven't even watched the movie yet!

Disc 1 features, besides the movie proper, an Enhanced Trivia Track. In the absence of an audio commentary track (usually, for me, the kiss of death for a DVD), this little feature fills in nicely. The omniscient text, like subtitles, appears periodically across the bottom of the screen. It plays like a cross between the Internet Movie Database's trivia section (sample tidbit: "Melanie, played by Bridget Fonda, is watching 'Dirty Mary Crazy Larry' on TV. The film stars Peter Fonda, who is Bridget's father.") and a pretentious film theory professor. The track is most amusing when it quotes Tarantino, opting to include his vocal mannerism of ending almost every sentence with the word "alright". If you've ever heard Tarantino speak, you recognize his 'voice' pretty quickly. Unfortunately, on my DVD at least, the track sometimes plays a couple of minutes ahead of the movie. So when talking about an event that it thinks has just appeared on screen, it is might be providing an unintentional spoiler for the viewer who hasn't yet seen the movie, of a moment that has yet to happen. You've been warned.

Disc 2 features an embarrassment of riches for the "Jackie Brown" fan, offering more worthy supplemental material than on any DVD I can think of.

"Jackie Brown: How it Went Down" is a 38-minute feature outlining how the film, and its impressive cast, came together. But it really only serves to whet the appetite for the second feature.

"A Look Back at Jackie Brown: An Interview with Quentin Tarantino" is solace for those of us bemoaning the fact that QT didn't provide an audio commentary track. It's a one-one-one interview, seemingly shot specifically for this DVD, conducted by a faceless and mostly voiceless off-camera interviewer. QT is seated in front of an enormous "Coffy" poster, and he expounds on subjects far and wide, in his trademark motormouth manner. The man only answers twelve questions over the 55-minute interview, but the viewer is left satiated. Amongst the notable topics he covers: a bold admission that he ghost-writ much of the dialogue for "Crimson Tide"; a pre-"Kill Bill" name check of David Carradine (indicating that he may be the next Travolta/Grier/Forster, i.e., a forgotten star brought back into the game by a choice Tarantino role); an explanation that he "wasn't trying to top 'Pulp Fiction'… [but] was trying to go underneath [it]"; and a great story about how Michael Keaton ended up in "Out of Sight", playing the exact same character. Tarantino-philes will have a field day with this.

"Chicks Who Love Guns" is seen quickly within the movie. Here, in all its glory, is the full 5-minute version, produced especially for "Jackie Brown". It has as much camp value as you'd think it would have, as well as a lot of useful information (useful, if you're a prospective gun runner, that is).

The "Deleted and Alternate Scenes" section is notable, in that the stuff cut out of the movie is just as good as the stuff kept in. That's usually not the case.

Next is the segment from the "Siskel & Ebert" show where they give "Jackie" two thumbs up. Would it have been included here if they hadn't? If anything, it's great to see Gene Siskel again (R.I.P.).

The "Jackie Brown on MTV" segment is kind of a fluffy little piece, detailing the post-release contest that promoted the movie to MTV's viewers. Included is a live segment with QT, Pam, and Fonda being interviewed by Ananda Lewis and -- ugh -- Carson Daly. The affection between Pam and QT is palpable, which is always nice to see.

The rest of the features are pretty standard DVD fare, except for the fact that there's just so much of them. You get 3 theatrical trailers, 8 TV spots, a boatload of still galleries (posters, production stills, behind-the-scenes stills, location scouting photos, production design sketches and photos, memorabilia, Pam Grier posters, Robert Forster posters, and Pam Grier movie soundtrack covers), 10 reviews of the movie, 8 articles on the movie, 12 trailers from old Robert Forster movies (27-minutes worth), 19 trailers from old Pam Grier movies (36-minutes worth), and 7 radio spots from old Pam Grier movies. A man could get lost under this mountain of ephemera. But it's all just icing on the cake for this stunning and well worth the wait DVD package.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD