Following a cultural revelation like Pulp Fiction was never going to be an easy task, but with Jackie Brown, Tarantino delivers one of his most well rounded and mature films to date. Tarantino doesn't try to outdo himself in terms of the violence or the tension which Fiction made him famous for. Instead he flourishes in creating even deeper characters with incredibly rich dialogue and an entanglement of relationships on par with the great Robert Altman. Tarantino is said to have intentionally aimed to "go under" the success of Pulp Fiction by delivering a more low key venture but in many ways it's just as successful and living in the immediate shadow of Pulp Fiction, definitely stands out as his most overlooked picture.
Quentin is first and foremost, a fanboy. There's no getting around it. So with the endless opportunities a smash hit like Pulp Fiction brought to his fingertips, it's no surprise that he would use the chance to cast his childhood crush in an homage to the blaxploitation films that made her a star in the 1970's. But Pam Grier never feels exploited here, more so vindicated. Tarantino is offering her the substantive role he always thought she deserved. It has a lot of the same themes as her earlier films Foxy Brown or Coffy, just way more polished and skillfully developed. The way Jackie uses both sides of the law against each other to make a clean getaway from a bleak situation is absolute blaxpoitative perfection. It makes the story all the more resonant to add that layer on top of an already brilliant crime caper. Because at it's core, Jackie Brown is about struggling through the middle grounds of society and trying to escape the day to day grind of the working class. In many ways, it's the middle aged counterpart to True Romance. Instead of a couple of hopeless romantics trying to buy their way out of middle America with a haul of stolen cocaine from a slain pimp; it's an "I'm too old for this shit" flight attendant turned drug mule snatching a bag of cash for herself from the gun smuggler she works for. It's a brilliant heist film and the marriage of Elmore Leonard's novel and Tarantino's visual style make for a movie lover's dream.
And yet again, we get the non linear storytelling of Tarantino enhancing the plot beautifully by seeing the final hand-off from every possible angle. With each new perspective of how the events unfold, a new layer is peeled back in such a satisfying way that I'm not sure any other film since has been able to replicate. It may be one of Tarantino's finest sequences of his career. And while many complain that the story moves too slow or has too much dialogue, that payoff in the mall exchange doesn't work without all the character development that proceeds it. Because the strong ensemble of characters is easily Jackie Brown's strongest asset.
Jackie herself is an incredible protagonist and her prominence in the story is really the largest difference between Quentin's film and Leonard's book. But it's the staggering ensemble that makes this film so lovable. Each time you revisit it, it feels like you're catching up with old friends. Ordell is certainly the villain but you spend so much time with him hanging out on his couch, you can absolutely sympathize with his view of how the events all went down. Samuel L. Jackson plays the role absolutely perfectly, balancing a cutthroat intensity with a laid back vulnerability that can easily have you rooting for his success one moment and scared shitless of him the next. When he finally catches up with Jackie and starts to untangle the web of lies he's been fed, it's easy to find yourself rooting for and against him at the same time. Michael Keaton and Chris Tucker are phenomenal in their limited screen time while Robert Forster gives an outstanding performance as well. The dialogue is so well crafted that you really get a feel for all of these characters incredibly well.
But the standout to me is Robert De Niro as Louis. His role symbolizes what the film is all about so perfectly that despite his minimal dialogue and fairly reserved performance, it conveys exactly what Jackie Brown is about. On top of the escapism revenge fantasy of robbing your boss and escaping to a worry free life of luxury - Jackie Brown is about aging. Ordell and Louis are caught up trying to stay young; still chasing younger women and easy money with half brained schemes. Meanwhile Jackie and Max are both at the point where they feel like giving up the charade. Max just feels like he's going through the motions and wants something more while Jackie is way past the average age of a flight attendant and doesn't want to be used by anyone anymore - Ordell (who is constantly replacing his young, pretty drug mules with the younger and dumber version) or the police (who treat her like an idiot, lucky to not be imprisoned immediately for her dealings with Ordell in the first place). Louis has just gotten out of prison and still can't learn to give up his childish ways of sitting around getting high and having afternoon quickies with Melanie while waiting to take another stupid risk with Ordell. His relationship with Melanie is shallow and meaningless - like the 3 minutes of afternoon sex they casually have in the kitchen. And when it comes time for the exchange at the mall, its the toxic nature of their relationship that helps to unravel the entire thing. If Louis hadn't been infatuated with this young bored surfer girl, he likely doesn't show up late. He wouldn't already be losing his composure because of her nagging persistence. And he definitely wouldn't be making the senseless mistake of leaving a dead body behind because he can't remember where he parked. Louis' infatuation with trying to stay young ultimately consumes him to the point that it cost him his life. On the other hand, Jackie learns to use that against Ordell and Louis and get out while she can with the help of someone in Max who embraces his age.
But Jackie definitely uses Max. While they have a much more adult relationship than Louis and Melanie, she absolutely has Max eating out of her palm. But the difference is that Max doesn't seem to mind. He fully understands his part in what happens and maintains control of the situation while Louis and Ordell absolutely lose it. It's okay to have a woman lead the charge for her independence and support her along the way. Like Max Cherry, Tarantino is here to liberate Pam Grier from a past of seedy B movies and midlife obscurity. He wants to see her flourish and is okay having her use him to do so.
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