Accept no substitutes!

Rating: 9/10 (8 January 2006)

Quentin Tarantino's third movie is his first literary adaptation, based on a novel written by his favorite author, Elmore Leonard (QT was actually offered the chance to direct another Leonard story, Get Shorty, which would have been perfect for him). The movie is Jackie Brown, and it's Tarantino's most mature effort so far (N.B. By "most mature" I don't mean "best", as I still prefer Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill, particularly Volume 2), with real characters who feel real emotions and speak as they would in real life (the trademark speeches are awesome, but honestly, who talks like that at home?).
At the center of the story is Jackie Brown (Pam Grier), an air hostess who also works for gangster Ordell Robbie (Samuel L. Jackson). She gets caught by two federal agents (Michael Keaton and Michael Bowen) who force her to cooperate if she wants to keep her job. A new who-gets-what game is about to start...
As usual with Tarantino, a lot of the movie's strength lies in the writing: the realistic dialogue is a joy for the ear, and in terms of plot structure, every single character is important, from Keaton's cop to Chris Tucker's unlucky crook, and no one is there to merely serve the script; they're all interesting, human beings we will remember. And the actors who bring those people to life are extraordinary: former blaxploitation star Grier is of course the best, and her character's romance with bail bondsman Max Cherry (the Oscar-nominated Robert Forster) is one of the most convincing ever filmed. In the villain department, Sam Jackson shines as gun expert Ordell ("AK-47. When you got to absolutely, positively kill every motherf**ker in the room, accept no substitutes."), and Robert De Niro (cast against type) makes a believable sidekick.
Not as weird, innovative and fascinating as QT's other works, but absolutely, positively worth watching.