Being a young film buff I haven't seen the supposedly masterful "Pulp Fiction". But I've heard the stories and criticisms of Tarantino and what a master of dialogue and characters he is. Coupled with an Elmore Leonard novel and a talented cast I decided I must see "Jackie Brown". Now, I will admit to not being totally familiar with Mr. Tarantino, but I do know Elmore Leonard, and this is not it.
Since they're written by the same man and similar in many ways, I would compare this film to the best Leonard adaptation, "Out of Sight". Both have a lot of interesting characters and great dialogue. There's a big heist with a "crook with a heart of gold" type as the hero and a nasty rival criminal as the villain. The cops are just side characters, used sparingly to just sort of add color and a problem for all these people.
The story involves Jackie Brown (Pam Grier), a stewardess who retrieves money for LA drug and weapons dealer Ordell Robbie (Samuel L. Jackson). Robbie is aided by his entourage which includes Louis (Robert DeNiro) and Melanie (Bridget Fonda). Jackie gets taken in by the feds led by Ray Nicolette (Michael Keaton) and is forced to help bring down Robbie. So she then, with the aid of bail bondsman Robert Forster plays both sides constantly keeping the viewer guessing as to which side she's on.
The problem comes in with Tarantino. The caper becomes so completely secondary that by the end we don't care. He gives us the quirky characters and strong dialogue and performances that are promised with the Tarantino name. But without enough emphasis on what these people are actually doing the film feels empty. It drags on to 154 minutes when the plot only requires about two hours. It simply gets boring, there's not a more eloquent way to say it. "Out of Sight" had the perfect medium and more logical direction. We got to see Steve Zahn and Don Cheadle in the car and Ving Rhames and Clooney at Rhames's house. But it never became more important than the caper that they were doing. Soderbergh employed the same unique direction and camera work, but the plot always came first. Tarantino has some very interesting techniques such as showing flashbacks leading to events and the event from different points of view but it just doesn't effect us.
The performances of Jackson and DeNiro are great however and the only reason to watch the movie. Jackson is very sinister in his role and great to watch. He's a sleazy guy, but dangerous. He's funny then harsh. DeNiro goes completely against type for this role. He's a stoner who dresses like a lazy bum. He never gets too excited and always seems to be extremely laid back. Wen he loses it at the end of the film we feel his nervousness and his transformation is complete, an admirable thing for such a famous and revered actor. The rest are sadly uninteresting. Forster and Greir are key characters to the plot, but since the plot is shortchanged so are they. They don't get to go off on wild tangents like Jackson and Deniro and fail to make an impression. It's one of the film's biggest problems, the two characters we have to sympathize and be interested in for the film to work are just boring. Michael Keaton is given little to do but is entertaining, making the most of the most shortchanged role in the film.
"Jackie Brown" suffers from attention deficit disorder. The plot and caper is key in an Elmore Leonard film but Tarantino pushes it into the background in favor of letting his actors run wild with dialogue. The movie just can't keep its focus on what is actually important, in effect alienating the viewer. I can see the glimmers of genius, but this is just an incomplete film.
What do a stewardess, a gunrunner, a bailbondsman, an ex-con, a federal agent, and a beach bunny have in common? They're all chasing a half million do...More at HotMovieSale.com
Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino and based on Elmore Leonard s bestseller Rum Punch, Jackie Brown is at once a comic crime caper and a story ...More at Buy.com
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