Absorbing

Rating: Null/10 (23 January 1999)

Jackie Brown is proof positive that Quentin Tarantino is all he's hyped up to be. I think with Jackie Brown, Tarantino has also found out who his true fans are, and shaken off those that were merely drawn in by the hype surrounding Pulp Fiction.
Jackie Brown, even more so than 'Pulp' is sustained by conversations. Tarantino is not afraid to let his characters just 'be'. Nothing much happens in the first hour of the film plot wise, he just introduces us to the characters. And what a great collection of characters they are, superbly acted by an unlikely cast mix. Robert De Niro having a smaller part than B-Movie star Robert Forster? Middle-aged Blaxploitation star Pam Grier headlining an 1990's A-list movie? Tarantino has again proved his skill of spotting unlikely talent, and then getting the best out of them.
Grier and Forster both do a great job. Samuel L Jackson and Robert De Niro are also predictably flawless. Bridget Fonda is surprisingly great as beach bum Melanie, both with her pitch perfect performance and with her unexpected sexiness.
Other's have talked about Tarantino's obvious love for his characters. But he also has an obvious love for his plot. Take a look at the care and length he goes to to show us every angle of the money swap.
Jackie Brown doesn't have the same inventiveness or visceral thrill to stand up next to Pulp Fiction, but it may very well be Tarantino's coolest film.
9/10