Jackie Brown

The opening shot of Quentin Tarantino’s “Jackie Brown” (1997) shows the character of Jackie Brown--played by Pam Grier--dressed in a deep blue suit. The camera stays halfway through, capturing her facial expressions. We know what she is thinking at that moment; she will go home, make herself a drink, and probably relax. However, none of this happens, and she is soon stopped by two Federal agents, as she is a prime suspect in aiding a drug dealer. But there is something that attracts us in this opening montage, and we are completely fixated by a gorgeous-looking Jackie Brown. Grier’s entry couldn’t have been better. As much as we are stuck by Jackie’s beauty, the characters in the plot are also magnetized by Jackie, without realizing what she has in store for them. Furthermore, the segment reveals Jackie’s qualities. She is quick on her feet; she exhibits calm composure; she is a smooth talker; and she has natural beauty to draw people to her. Indeed, Tarantino composes a perfect shot that reveals intricate character and plot details. Unlike “Pulp Fiction” (1994) and “Reservoir Dogs” (1992) where plot builds up gradually, in “Jackie Brown” Tarantino immediately set things in motion right from the opening segment.

The opening segment, in fact, makes “Jackie Brown” a relatively distinctive experience when compared to Tarantino’s “Reservoir Dogs” and “Pulp Fiction.” Fans had high expectations from Tarantino, especially after the soaring success of “Pulp Fiction.” In “Jackie Brown,” we don’t get testosterone-driven entertainment, nor do we get gun-wielding guys. Instead, “Jackie Brown” is a subdued work that is driven by a female protagonist. Fans longing for another masterpiece high on the heels of “Pulp Fiction” were left somewhat disappointed. But over the years, fans of Tarantino’s work have appreciated “Jackie Brown” more now than at the time of its release. Pam Grier, who appeared mainly in black-themed movies in the ‘70s, was simply the perfect choice to play the character of Jackie Brown. Being a famous figure in the ‘70s, Grier was hailed by a few critics as the best of the female action actresses. With its theme, “Jackie Brown” is rightly pegged in the Blaxploitation genre. As one character in the film speaks to Ordell, played by Samuel Jackson, “What kind of nigger are you? You won’t do this to another nigger.” This is precisely how the film’s plot revolves, whereby Jackie outwits Ordell with her flawless plan.

Just as in “Pulp Fiction” and “Reservoir Dogs,” the plot of “Jackie Brown” also centers on money. If “Pulp Fiction” had a nonlinear narrative, then “Jackie Brown” has a conventional plot structure. There are no intertwined stories, and the movie marches along in a linear fashion. After being questioned by the agents for a stash of cash and drugs, Jackie Brown devises a plan to steal money from Ordell. Jackie persuades Ordell that the only way for them to stay out of jail is to help each other. Ordell agrees with Jackie’s plan to smuggle half-a-million dollars, thereby giving an impression that Jackie is helping the authorities. Ordell is assisted by an ex-con, Louis (Robert DeNiro), and a woman named Melanie (Bridget Fonda) to carry out the money transfer. Meanwhile, a bondsman, Max (Robert Forster), feels attracted to Jackie and decides to help her, too.

Tarantino uses an ageing blend of criminals for his story. Jackie, Max, Ordell, and Louis are all at the end of their game. They feel tricking the agents is their last shot for a happy retirement.  Their personalities are different, too, as these guys are a silent lot when compared to the characters in earlier Tarantino films. The violence is used as an expression of how a few people were pushed to their limits, and the gun remains their last resort. There are no grand shoot-out exposes, and the plot hinges on how the characters play their cards in a deadly cat-and-mouse game. Of all the characters in the film, DeNiro’s character, Louis, is a passive aggressor who doesn’t like to talk much. Louis is confronted with a situation to use his persuasive skills, but, instead, in a fit of anger uses a gun. On the other hand, Ordell is a thinking type, possessing the qualities of a businessman. After all, he is running a drug business, and anything that fails to meet the profit equation is rightly eliminated. Ordell analyzes every situation, studies the motives of everyone around him, and fully understands the ramifications. He is not afraid to do the right thing if a situation warrants an immediate action. Fully aware of Ordell’s sharp skills, Jackie knows it would be difficult to outsmart Ordell.

Even though the film’s narrative is straightforward, Tarantino develops the money-transfer scene from multiple perspectives. We see the shot played multiple times through the eyes of Mike, Louis, and Jackie, which begins when Jackie arrives at a shopping mall. Somehow the shot feels nonlinear, but Tarantino shows the timeline of the events happening at the mall. After the shot ends, we are taken directly to the third act. The story arranges all the players in an interesting fashion, and when everything seems direct, we see characters double-crossing each other. There is a moment of clarity for Ordell when he thinks hard about what happened to this money, and after a long pause, he utters, “It’s Jackie Brown.” Ordell’s revelation is, in fact, a metaphor for a writer who feels elated at creating a perfect script with a simple story. Indeed, Tarantino’s deft screenplay manages to successfully mix many things, without major plot holes.

Just like “Pulp Fiction,” Tarantino created another ensemble piece. The casting is brilliant, and Jackson and Grier are superb in their roles. The film is an entertaining tribute to the Blaxploitation cinema of the ‘70s and ‘80s. Running under two-and-half hours, “Jackie Brown” feels long, and I felt the film’s pace slowed down in the middle act. Still, the film features entertaining performances, along with a witty, layered story, thereby making “Jackie Brown” one of Tarantino’s most accessible films ever. 

Video:

As one of the most-anticipated titles on Blu-ray, “Jackie Brown” appears on Blu-ray in a gorgeous-looking 1080p transfer. Lionsgate presents the film via an AVC encode, framed in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The clarity and sharpness stands out right from the opening segment. The transfer is clean and warm, devoid of any abnormalities marring the print such as specks or dust.  The film’s color palette is lively and packed with deep colors; Jackie Brown’s outfits are beautifully rendered in HD. A number of close-up shots are smooth, with nice detail. Similarly, the blacks are uniformly solid. Finally, the skin tones are realistic and warm looking.

Audio:

“Jackie Brown” features a lively mix in the form of a lossless 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track. Mainly a dialogue-driven drama, the film shines in the audio department with its R & B soundtrack. The dialogue is clean and audible for the entire duration, and the front channels remain active throughout. The film’s music activates the rear channels, providing a full surround effect. The gunshots are loud and heavy, packing in a good amount of bass. Also, the film can be viewed in English and Spanish subtitles.

Extras:

This Blu-ray edition ports all the bonus features from the previous two-disc DVD edition. In addition, Lionsgate has included new retrospective interviews for this release.

First, we get “Breaking Down Jackie Brown,” which shows several film critics discussing the work of Quentin Tarantino, specifically “Jackie Brown.” According to one critic, Stephanie Zacharek, “Jackie Brown” is Tarantino’s only movie she connects to. She talks about the opening shot in the film, while the others talk about Grier’s character.

“Jackie Brown: How it went down” shows new retrospective interviews with Tarantino and the cast. The cast talks about the script and characters. Following this, “A Look Back at Jackie” is an interview with Quentin Tarantino. Next, we get a video called “Chicks with Guns” that was played in the background in one of the scenes. Up next, “At the movies” shows Roger Ebert and the late Gene Siskel discussing their thoughts on “Jackie Brown.”

“Jackie Brown on MTV” is divided into two segments: a promotional clip and a contest segment.

Finally, we get theatrical trailers, TV spots, an enhanced trivia track, a stills gallery, and soundtrack chapters.

Parting Thoughts:

For people who were repulsed by the profusion of violence and profanity in “Reservoir Dogs” and “Pulp Fiction,” “Jackie Brown” offers an accessible story and interesting characters, even though the profanity is a norm in Tarantino’s screenplays. It features a sexy Pam Grier, whose on-screen persona manages to captivate the audience from the moment she steps from an airplane. Grier’s ability to entice us into the world of Jackie Brown makes this film thoroughly compelling and entertaining. The Blu-ray edition is definitely a step-up from the previous DVD release, and it’s worth an upgrade, especially considering its affordable price point.