A WORK OF CINEMATIC ART! (Medium spoilers below)

Rating: 9/10 (4 April 2005)

Quentin Tarantino took his art of film-making to the next level with JACKIE BROWN. After a ton of success with PULP FICTION, Tarantino matured, cut down on the violence and proved he could still make AWESOME films. The story tells of a flight attendant (Pam Grier) who was to bring money to a gunrunner (Samuel L. Jackson), but is stopped by two ATF agents (Michael Bowen and Michael Keaton). From there, we meet more characters and more plots. Two of the best characters in the film are Max Cherry (played to perfection by Robert Forrster) and Louis (Robert DeNiro, who wanted the role of Max, but he is perfect in this role).
Taking a cue from old robbery/ripoff films, Tarantino asks the question to you, "Who is playing who?", and it is a confusing twist. Until the finale of the film, you will not know who works with who.
Many think this is Tarantino's weakest film, but I disagree. Though I hold all his films on a separate scale than most, this is probably the best, not my favorite, but a pinnacle of film-making. By assembling an all star cast, using a superb novel from Elmore Leonard, and adding Tarantino's special brand of direction, this film succeeds on so many levels.
It should also be noted that this film has an AMAZING soundtrack, and the pieces are awesome. Probably the best soundtrack I've heard in a long while . 9.5 of out 10.