'Jackie Brown' Will Please Anyone Who Watches Her (It). * * * * (Out Of 4)

Rating: Null/10 (15 August 2004)

Three years after the huge success of the pop-culture phenomenon "Pulp Fiction", Quentin Taratino serves up a quiet little success named "Jackie Brown", which I found, is more pleasing in substance the "Pulp Fiction", and many other films. On a slight homage to blaxploitation films of the 70's, he gives us a drab, seedy region in California, where we meet the most complex and colorful characters, including Ms. Brown. What really hits you hard is the interest in these character, their emotions, their behaviors, their life. It's one amazing film.
The main character, as you already know, is Jackie Brown, a stewardess who works in California. In her mid-40's, Jackie knows a man by the name of Ordell Robbie (Samuel L. Jackson) who is an illegal gun merchant. Jackie and Ordell are connected to the same bail-bondsman by the name of Max Cherry (Robert Forster in an unbelievable performance). With Ordell's wealth of cash from his sell's, he hires Jackie to import them into California from Mexico (Where her flights come and go). The police however, are catching on to Ordell, and one cop by the name of Ray (Michael Keaton), is on Jackie's trail. Along for the ride is Ordell's ex-con friend Louis (Robert DeNiro) and one of Ordell's stoned-out-of-her-mind girlfriends, Melanie (Bridget Fonda). These six players are all on the trail of Ordell's half a million dollar profit, and like the DVD box exclaims "The only questions are...who's going to get played...and who's going to make the big score?".
Quentin has a habit of resurrecting aging star's careers, such as Travolta's with "Pulp Fiction", but this time around he does it twice, with extraordinary performances from Pam Grier and Robert Forster. There's even a subtle romance between Jackie and Max. Even Ray, the cop, has an eye on Jackie. And it's within these subtle hints of the script that we get into these characters and feel for them. It's amazing what Quentin can do with them, and how each speech between two characters has such immense importance.
What's a great shock is the feel of how the movie takes it's time and does not rush to it's ending. It takes in as much as it wants, and so do we. The film is a long film, about 2 and 1/2 hours long, and yet we don't mind how long it takes, because we're not looking for the end. We're studying each scene with precision, admiring the character development. The ending is a cool, classy, laid-back approach. No startling revelations, but a very satisfying feel.
The soundtrack features the soul and sound of the 70's with featured bands like The Delfonics. The opening and closing will give you a great smile, and it's because of how Quentin chooses his musical arrangements. I could not have been happier to hear the music being played for the ending. I savored every moment of Jackie Brown and you should too.
My Ratings: * * * * (Out Of 4) A+ (A+ Being The Highest, F Being The Lowest) 10 (On the IMDb.Com's scale, 1 being the lowest)