Entertaining but not a Masterpiece

Rating: 8/10 (3 May 2004)

My Rating: *** out of ****.
When it came out there was no doubt that people would be disappointed by Jackie Brown, Quentin Tarantino's follow up to his masterpiece, Pulp Fiction. People thought by some miracle that Jackie Brown would be the masterpiece that Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction was. Sadly, it was not the case and Jackie Brown did not receive half the critical praise or the box office that Pulp did.
Unfortunately, while Jackie Brown is entertaining in its own right, has a brilliant performance by Samuel L. Jackson, and has some great lines of dialogue, it is not a masterpiece. The good news is that it is a good film and definitely worth watching. It was just unfortunate enough that it would be compared to Pulp Fiction.
The difference between this and Tarantino's other films is that this is an adaptation of the Elmore Leonard novel, Rum Punch. Admittedly, I have not read the book so I can't compare the two. Leonard is supposedly famous for the snappy dialogue he writes. Tarantino admits that he is somewhat influenced by Leonard. So its kind of hard to tell if the dialogue here is Tarantino's or if its Leonards but there are some great lines here. Theres actually a conversation that really stands out. Its a conversation about hiding in a trunk, whether this is Leonards or Tarantino's, its got classic written all over it. Unfortunately, while there are some great lines here, theres not nearly as much as there was in Pulp Fiction.

Samuel L. Jackson has always been one of my favorite actors. I have yet to see him turn in a bad performance. His work as Ordell Robbie ranks with the best I have seen from him. Its a compelling, mesmerizing performance that rivals his performance in Pulp Fiction as his best work.

No one in the cast matches Jackson's performance but they give solid support. Many people have said that the best performances given in the film were done by Pam Grier and Robert Forster. While I thought that both did solid jobs, I didn't find anything remarkable about their performances. Despite being somewhat underused, Robert De Niro gives an entertaining performance. Bridget Fonda is also well cast as a pothead.

Stylistically, this is a toned down Tarantino film. The film moves at a slower, deliberate pace. Tarantino does use a split-screen but only once and briefly. The most intriguing thing Tarantino does is show a crucial sequence in the film from three different perspectives. I am not exactly sure of the reason behind this but it was interesting.
Overall, Jackie Brown is an entertaing film that even though its not a masterpiece I would still like to see it again. I did think it could have used a little trimming towards the end but perhaps its because I saw it on TV and it was with all those damn commercials. I may review this film again after I watch it on DVD. So if I do feel different in anyway expect a changed review.