"I'm serious as a heart attack."

Rating: 8/10 (31 May 2016)

Tarantino is able to make great movies no matter what, and this movie is another testament to why I love this guys movies. Sure, he isn't entirely original, but his movies are entertaining, and you don't need to understand such hopelessly trivial "deep" themes to understand. The reason you should watch movies is the entertainment value, that's what matters so much. Themes are there in real life, so you really don't need them in movies. Sure, themes and social commentary make good movies, but liking movies even though they have a lack of meaning doesn't (of course, it helps to know, however, many mindless movies are actually more boring than movies with subtle meaning). Just to be sure, Jackie Brown is a bit restrained but still has the Tarantino trademarks that we all know and love.
Bridget Fonda is so absolutely perfect as gun-runner Samuel L. Jackson's sassy "surfer chick" that you are convinced that this is who Bridget Fonda really is. Robert De Niro was given a long leash in his portrayal of a dim-witted, recently-paroled bank robber (not exactly a typecast for him... and he nails it. And the other characters that spice up the plot are all well-formed and well-acted. But it's the improbable relationship between Jackie and Max that grabs you and won't let you go. Like a swirling, cool, evening fog by the waterfront on a steamy, summer evening, it is hard to define and even harder to grasp, but you know you like it. Music and dialogue carry this movie and are the two ingredients that make it such a pleasure to take in. The film's been described as "slow-moving," but people who say that don't realize that the pace is purposefully done slow so one can enjoy each characters' interactions. Sam Jackson's character, for as messed up as he is, is a piece of art. Charismatic dialogue. Jackie Brown is the Tarantino film that mostly goes over lot's of people's heads, but it is no less entertaining in many ways (although it's not as good as Pulp Fiction, obviously). Don't be fooled by Jackie Brown's different approach and black sheep persona of the Tarantino canon, it's just one of his charms that his movies seem to be black sheeps when compared to certain others. In any case, ignoring this fine work would be kind of futile.
Overall rating: 8 out of 10.