jackie brown ( 1997 ) rated r for language , sex , violence , drug use , and offensive dialogue . ---------- out of 4 stars : * * * 1/2 ( 3 1/2 stars ) starring : pam grier , samuel l . jackson , michael keaton , bridget fonda , robert de niro , robert forster , and chris tucker quentin tarantino seems to have a knack for giving his stars big careers . after his pulp fiction , many actors began receiving many offers for jobs . john travolta made his come-back and is now one of today's most bankable stars . bruce willis proved his acting chops and is now considered an actual actor . jackie brown , on the other hand , boasts quite a well known cast , except for the main lead : pam grier . most likely you have heard of her and seen her in films , but she's never really had a breakthrough performance ( her first film was in the roger ebert-written beyond the valley of the dolls ) . that is , until now . jackie brown is a highly anticipated feature film from quentin tarantino , whose last film was the huge hit pulp fiction . after mediocre acting jobs , tarantino returns to what made his name a household one : directing and writing . jackie brown is the result , and it is fantastic entertainment . despite excellent direction from tarantino , the cast steals the film , giving one good performance after another . pam grier gives a stunning performance as jackie brown , and she is supported by an incredible mix of talent--samuel l . jackson , bridget fonda , michael keaton , robert de niro , and robert forster . more than likely , you will see a few of these names in the oscar pool come oscar nominations . describing a quentin tarantino film is very difficult , as you really can't say much or you spoil it for everyone else . i will tread lightly . jackie brown opens with an impressive shot of jackie brown ( grier ) in a blue outfit walking through the airport . the camera tracks along with her , and ends up revealing her occupation . we are also introduced to ordell robbie ( jackson ) , who sells illegal guns to interested buyers . . . for a hefty price . ms . brown carries the money from buyer to ordell in order to keep the cops away . however , an fbi agent ( keaton ) and a local l . a . cop ( michael bowen ) are out to find ordell and catch him while taking the money . they try to reach him through beaumont livingston ( chris tucker ) , one of ordell's buyers , but he mysteriously ends up dead . they try again through brown , but she is hesitant to admit to any wrong-doing . but after unknowingly carrying some drugs for one of ordell's friends ( fonda ) , she is caught and sent to jail . ordell pays her bail through a bail bond agent , max cherry ( forster ) , and then wants to find out what she told the cops . after she claims to have said nothing , she reveals the fact that she will tell them about ordell in order to stay out of prison . ordell doesn't like this , but they both come up with a scheme to throw the feds and cops off their track . this scheme seems to be going as planned , but unexpected occurances may or may not foul up their goal . revealing more would spoil the fun of jackie brown , and that's the biggest reason to go see a tarantino film . tarantino seems to have a fascination with hitmen and unusual predicaments ( and slang terms ) , but they are always done very well and believably . his hitmen are normally cruel , but pleasant , in that nasty sort of way . they talk like normal people , except for when doing business , and they are rude to their girlfriends . of course , this is a tarantino film , and you know you can expect some awkward situations to arise . and perhaps the biggest flaw with jackie brown is the slow middle section in which the pace begins to drop . of course , tarantino fixes this by moving onto the climax of the film , adding a lot of his reservoir dogs-style storytelling to it . things are told from one person's perspective , and then from another , and then from another , each time learning more and more . this all leads up to a very interesting conclusion , which decides who is on whose side . on the technical side of jackie brown , quentin tarantino directs it with the same style as he did with his 1994 film . however , this time around it isn't as nearly as impressive or original . the writing , on the other hand , is quite good , although i do find tarantino's use of slang terms offensive . the story jumps back and forth in time as in pulp fiction , but it's much more easy to understand . his previous film needed a second viewing in order to understand the time differentiation , but jackie brown is very simply to follow , especially considering that the time is given during the " leaps " in time . perhaps this is a result of the screenplay being written from the novel " rum punch " by elmore leonard . the dialogue is pretty much intelligent , and all the characters are fully realized . the cinematography is very well done by guillermo navarro ( who has worked with tarantino on previous films ) and the editing is very good . and as with pulp fiction , the music is a highlight , bringing back memorable songs from the 70s and 80s . the acting side of jackie brown is unforgettable . the performances are incredibly rich , with hidden meaning behind every characters' actions . nothing is quite as it seems , and you can't really tell which side one person is on . the real treat , of course , is pam grier who gives an astonishing performance as jackie brown . her poor living conditions are superceded by her superior wits , which play an important role in the film . watching grieg , i could tell what was going through her mind , even if i didn't know what she was thinking . her face portrays a lot of emotion that you can tell when she is sad , happy , or in deep thought . bridget fonda gives a very good performance as a druggie couch potato . i didn't even realize it was fonda until i saw her name in the final credits ( her performance actually reminded me of heather graham's in boogie nights ) . michael keaton comes across very well , as does michael bowen . chris tucker has a small , but effective performance . samuel l . jackson is very good , but it seems to me that he was replaying his jules winnfield character from pulp fiction ( although much less cynical ) . but no matter . . . jackson is very strong in his role . robert de niro is actually a little annoying at times , but overall he does a good job as one of ordell's perspective clients and friends . robert forster gives one of the best performances in the film , as he has one of the most developed characters . he is present throughout most of the film , and he holds his own against jackson and grier . jackie brown is rated r for language , sex , violence , drug use , and some offensive remarks . as a film by itself , jackie brown is a terrific piece of entertainment , with a complex plot to draw viewers in . however , one can not help but compare it to tarantino's pulp fiction , and expect great results . when compared , it comes up short , but not that short . it's a worthy effort , with terrific acting and some impressive writing from elmore leonard and tarantino . perhaps the best thing about jackie brown is the discovery of pam grier as a major hollywood actress . i can't remember seeing her in anything ( except for a small role in mars attacks ! ) , but hopefully she will get many more roles from this one . expect to see her name floating around the oscar nominations ( and hopefully she will even be able to nab one ) . reviewed by respect ( <a href= " mailto : respect@aros . net " >respect@aros . net</a> ) <a href= " http : //www . aros . net/~respect/movies . html " >http : //www . aros . net/~respect/movies . html</a> 
