Tarantino's difficult 3rd movie

Rating: 10/10 (7 August 2009)

After the unforgettable twin strike that was Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, Quentin Tarantino did the only sensible thing he could and that was to make a solid third film. He couldn't possibly top his first two movies so, instead, made a less flashy character driven crime flick. Furthermore, he reigned in his style more by basing his film on another source (Elmore Leonard's Rum Punch) as opposed to another of his original screenplays, although admittedly much of the dialogue has been rewritten by Tarantino; the story, however, remains much the same. What emerges is the most mature work in the director's career. It isn't as good as the more personal Dogs or Fiction but it's definitely an excellent crime movie and a great adaption of the book.
Elmore Leonard's books are full of snappy dialogue and cool characters. They are prime material for a director like Tarantino, and so it proves here. Samuel Jackson returns from his star-making turn in Pulp Fiction to take on the role of Ordell, the charismatic gun dealer. He is ably supported by Robert De Niro in a very unglamorous role as Ordell's sidekick and Brigitte Fonda as his waster girlfriend. But the movie possibly belongs to the two less famous performers Pam Grier and Robert Forster. Both are sensational, contributing multi-layered performances. Where Forster gives the movie its heart, Grier is its driving force. It could be argued that the film as a whole is Tarantino's tribute to Pam Grier and the blaxploitation film genre. Grier certainly justifies QT's adulation and delivers the goods. It's also a great and unusual thing to see a relationship between a middle-aged man and woman being the core of a film directed by a hip young film-maker, or any film-maker for that matter.
As much as I enjoyed Tarantino's work since this movie, Jackie Brown proves that he can make a movie with more substance and character depth. While it may not have the sheer dynamism and fresh invention of his first two movies, it does feel more satisfying that the Kill Bills and Death Proof. I think it would be a good thing for QT to revert back to this style of film-making approach in the future, as the movies about movies approach that he has subsequently adopted can surely only end up at a dead end. Where nowadays he frequently lifts soundtracks from other films, and as a result takes you out of the movie, in his first three films he constructed his soundtracks from 60's and 70's pop songs; and this approach worked much better as this music was not solely associated with other films. Although in the case of Jackie Brown the music is sometimes taken from 70's blaxploitation films, it still doesn't seem quite so obvious. Jackie Brown comes recommended for fans of both Tarantino and crime thrillers in general. Like the book it may not have the greatest plot but its characters are well-drawn and well acted by the excellent cast. A very satisfying movie overall.