A Much More Mature Tarantino

Rating: 10/10 (13 October 2005)

Taken out of Tarantino context, this film is, well....excellent. Tarantino has grown up. He has cut back on his espresso and made a much more even paced, mainstream (realistic) movie. Unfortunately this maturity hasn't boded well with some of his hyped up fan base. Since Jackie Brown doesn't reflect his previous frantic, disjointed style, it hasn't done as well as expected, or hyped. And that is too bad! The characters in this movie have much more depth than say a Vincent Vega or a Larry Dimmick. They are portrayed excellently by the cast. I had little regard for Pam Grier or Robert Forster before this movie. I now highly respect both of these individuals as actors, and anticipate watching all of their subsequent films. Quite a few critics have panned this movie as being too slow and or missing the mark. I agree with the slow part, but that is not all bad. Certainly, when you compare a Ferrari (Pulp Fiction) to a Rolls Royce (Jackie Brown) you will have some critical words regarding speed. However, that should not take away from the Rolls.
Jackie Brown is a great movie. Yes, I said great. The soundtrack is right on. Sam Jackson does an excellent job portraying Ordell Robbie, a totally different character from Jules Winnfield. He is very convincing as a dumb, small times arms dealer wannabe. Forster is excellent (his AA nomination was a testament), and what can I say about Pam Grier! I love that lady after this movie.
I highly recommend Jackie Brown to anyone. Just don't expect the usual Tarantino with this movie.