Excellent camerawork and acting, but lacking a little something

Rating: 8/10 (15 July 2000)

"Jackie Brown" is Tarantino's third movie, but without as much fanfare as "Resevoir Dogs" and "Pulp Fiction". Taratino doesn't put quite as much magic into this movie as he seemed to in the others. The movie sports an excellent cast, and some beautiful camera shots, however, and there really is quite a bit of life in the acting. The movie is about a bunch of back-stabbing and scum-bag Los Angeles criminals, and Jackie Brown (Pam Grier), the woman who gets caught up in all of this. Brown works for San Cabo Air, the worst airline to be a stewardess for in the business, Brown says, and traffics drugs and dirty money over the border. She is caught with some of the money by federal agents, though, and is forced to stop her illegal scheme. This is where Ordell Robbie (Samuel L. Jackson) comes in. He is the international gun smuggler who employs Jackie, and wants to recover his money from Mexico, before he gets busted as well. There is a huge part of the movie then (which is almost three hours total) devoted to trying to get the $500,000 back. There are all sorts of betrayals, double-crossings, murders, and alliances, that you get confused. The movie comes out well-worth waiting through in the end, despite a few minors flaws.