note : some may consider portions of the following text to be spoilers . be forewarned .
during the three years since the release of the groundbreaking success pulp fiction , the cinematic output from its creator , quentin tarantino , has been surprisingly low .
oh , he 's been busy -- doing the talk show circuit , taking small roles in various films , overseeing the production of his screenplay from dusk till dawn , making cameo appearances on television shows , providing a vignette for the ill - fated anthology four rooms -- everything , it seems , except direct another feature - length film .
it 's been the long intermission between projects as well as the dizzying peak which pulp fiction reached which has made mr .
tarantino 's new feature film , jackie brown , one of the most anticipated films of the year , and his third feature film cements his reputation as the single most important new american filmmaker to emerge from the 1990s .
things are n't going well for jackie brown ( pam grier ) .
she 's 44 years old , stuck at a dead - end job ( " $ 16 , 000 a year , plus retirement benefits that are n't worth a damn " ) as a flight attendant for the worst airline in north america -- and she 's just been caught at the airport by atf agent ray nicolette ( portrayed with terrific childlike enthusiasm by michael keaton ) and police officer mark dargus ( michael bowen ) smuggling $ 50 000 from mexico for gun - runner ordell robbie ( samuel l . jackson ) , who has her bailed out by unassuming bail bondsman max cherry ( robert forster ) .
the loquacious ordell , based out of a hermosa beach house where his horny , bong - hitting surfer girl melanie ( bridget fonda ) and agreeable crony louis gara ( robert de niro ) hang out , operates under the policy that the best rat is a dead rat , and he 's soon out to silence jackie brown .
meanwhile , the authorities ' target is ordell , and they want jackie to help them by arranging a sting to the tune of a half - million dollars .
only through a series of clever twists , turns , and double - crosses will jackie be able to gain the upper hand on both of her nemeses .
although jackie brown marks mr .
tarantino 's first produced screenplay adaptation ( based on the elmore leonard novel " rum punch " )
, there 's no mistaking his distinctive fingerprints all over this film .
while he 's adhered closely to the source material in a narrative sense , the setting has been relocated to los angeles and the lead character 's now black .
in terms of ambiance , the film harkens back to the 1970s , from the wall - to - wall funk and soul music drowning the soundtrack to the nondescript look of the sets -- even the opening title credit sequence has the echo of vintage 1970s productions .
the opening sequence featuring ms .
grier wordlessly striding through the lax , funky music blaring away on the speakers , is emblematic of films of that era .
the timeframe for the film is in fact 1995 , but the atmosphere of jackie brown is decidedly retro .
of course , nothing in the film screams 1970s more than the casting of pam grier and robert forster as the two leads , and although the caper intrigue is fun to watch as the plot twists , backstabbing , and deceptions deliciously unfold , the strength of jackie brown is the quiet , understated relationship developed between jackie and max ; when they kiss , it 's perhaps the most tender scene of the year .
tenderness ?
in a quentin tarantino film ?
sure , there 've been moments of sweetness in his prior films -- the affectionate exchanges between the bruce willis and maria de madeiros characters in pulp fiction and the unflagging dedication shared by the characters of tim roth and amanda plummer , or even in reservoir dogs , where a deep , unspoken bond develops between the harvey keitel and tim roth characters -- but for the most part , mr .
tarantino 's films are typified by manic energy , unexpected outbursts of violence , and clever , often wordy , banter .
these staples of his work are all present in jackie brown , but what 's new here is a different facet of his storytelling -- a willingness to imbue the film with a poignant emotional undercurrent , and a patience to draw out several scenes with great deliberation .
this effective demonstration of range prohibits the pigeonholing of mr .
tarantino as simply a helmer of slick , hip crime dramas with fast - talking lowlifes , and heralds him as a bonafide multifaceted talent ; he 's the real deal .
this new aspect of mr .
tarantino 's storytelling is probably best embodied in a single character -- that of the world - weary , sensitive , and exceedingly - professional max cherry , whose unspoken attraction to jackie is touching .
mr .
forster 's nuanced , understated performance is the best in the film ; he creates an amiable character of such poignancy that when he gazes at jackie , we smile along with him .
much press has been given about the casting of blaxploitation - era icon pam grier in the lead , with the wags buzzing that mr .
tarantino may do for her
what his pulp fiction did to bolster john travolta 's then - sagging career .
as it turns out , ms .
grier is solid in the film 's title role , although nothing here forces her to test her range .
i do have to take exception to the claim that this film marks her career resurrection , though -- she 's been working steadily over the years , often in direct - to - video action flicks , but also in such recent theatrical releases as tim burton 's mars attacks !
and larry cohen 's original gangstas ( where she first teamed up with mr . forster .
)
of course , it 's true that her role here was a godsend -- a meaty a part as this is rarity for * any * actress , let alone one of her age and current status in the industry .
while jackie brown may disappoint those looking for another pulp fiction clone , it marks tremendous growth of mr .
tarantino as a director whose horizons are rapidly expanding , and whose characterizations have never been better .
and while the film 's narrative does n't really warrant a running time of 155 minutes , it 's filled with such sumptuous riches , ranging from the brashness of the vivid soundtrack to entertaining , inconsequential conversations between the characters , that there was n't an unengaging moment .
with an impressive trio of feature films under his belt , it 'll be interesting to see what he tries next .
Output: P