Tarantino's most mature film yet

Rating: 8/10 (25 August 2011)

Tarantino's massively hyped follow up to pulp fiction doesn't disappoint, and stands as his smartest and most mature movie to date.
The film follows the story of an air hostess (Pam Grier) who gets arrested for trying to smuggle money out of the country, and she gets caught up in the middle of the gangster world as her old partner Samuel L Jackson tries to get her to work with him again, while she also falls for Bail-bonds man Robert Foster. The plot works well as it is filled with twists and an always moving narrative, while the performances are the real highpoint: Jackson, Foster and Grier all do well but its Robert DeNiro and Bridget Fonda who give the standout performances as Jackson's friend and girlfriend respectively.
As you'd expect from a QT movie, the film is filled with well written chunky sections of dialogue, with all the characters getting fleshed out very well. But what sets this apart from Tarantino's other work is that the film feels more mature and professional: there's no messed up chronologically, no weird unrealistic events and there's not an endless list of connections between this and other films with no star cameos. Don't get me wrong, I still feel Pulp Fiction is his best film, but Jackie Brown proves QT can create a smart yet normal movie.
Something some people might not like is the film is very slow burning and at the beginning its unclear where the plots going, but give it a chance and the film really picks up. My one major criticism of Jackie Brown is that the films final quarter is a bit boring and all of the things that happen feel very dragged out for no reason, although the films ending is a satisfying end. But I don't find JB as re-watchable as QT's other film, mainly due to its more realistic story and pacing.
Overall I'd heavily recommend Jackie Brown as its a slow but heavily rewarding film that once again shows Tarantino's talent as a filmmaker. 9/10