Jackie Brown (1997)

Rating: 8/10 (4 January 2012)

This feels like a mellow breather between the sensation of PULP FICTION and the epic KILL BILL. It doesn't really push a lot of boundaries, or crackle with snappy monologue, or provide much tension or action. It's a bit on the slow side and except for the title character, the personalities aren't especially memorable. But it's still a good movie with some style. I hadn't seen it in a long time and had forgotten most of it, so I enjoyed getting wrapped up in the story all over again. Pam Grier is terrific, and although I rarely think about him, I realized that I always like seeing Michael Keaton at work. Maybe this is too "P.C." of me (never mind how much I hate that term) but I do feel a little uneasy about how comfortable Tarantino is with the n-word. I don't think having Samuel L. Jackson say it or being a blaxploitation aficionado necessarily makes it okay. I guess I have this image of QT thinking he's being "real" or "edgy" or something by sprinkling it so liberally throughout his scripts. But perhaps I'm just projecting. It's a nitpicky complaint, anyway. While the film doesn't reach the dizzying heights of Tarantino firing on all cylinders, it's one I like watching more than RESERVOIR DOGS.