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Overall Rating
4.12

Awesome50%
Worth A Look: 23.61%
Average: 15.28%
Pretty Bad: 10.42%
Total Crap: 0.69%

8 reviews, 96 user ratings


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Jackie Brown
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by Filmink Magazine (owes us money)

"An intelligent, gritty crime drama with a big heart."
5 stars

After a period in limbo, the master behind Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction blasts his way back into features with the superb Jackie Brown. But this time things are different.

Adapting Elmore Leonard's Rum Punch, Tarantino has lost his taste for blood and realised that he has a heartbeat.

Flight attendant Jackie Brown (Grier) runs money across the border for ruthless gun dealer Ordell Robbie (Jackson). Caught with a bag full of hot cash, Jackie soon finds herself jammed up between a determined ATF agent (Keaton), and Ordell and his doped out partners (De Niro and Fonda). As she tries to get out from under a bad situation, her only ally is tough but sensitive bail bondsman Max Cherry (Forster).

Jackie Brown is a dazzling mix of the established and the excitingly new for the director. While many of Tarantino's trademarks are in full effect, the film is marked by a willingness to explore new ground and to create a more mature, earthy piece. There are no crazy, butt fucking rednecks in Jackie Brown; these characters are vividly real and fully developed,
provided with a rare depth. Avoiding the more stylised nature of Pulp Fiction, Tarantino places his characters in the real world, with all of its ambiguities and uncertainties.

The most surprising element of Jackie Brown, however, is its sensitivity. At the heart of the story is the profoundly moving relationship between Jackie and Max Cherry. Dropping his tough guy front, Tarantino shows two beautifully damaged people coming together and proves himself a delightfully jaded romantic in the process.

After being pilloried as a disciple of the new violence, Tarantino staunches the blood flow in Jackie Brown. Though people get hit, their brains aren't sprayed all over the screen, and it's obvious that he wants to draw you in rather than shock you.
But many of the symptoms of Tarantino's peculiar genius are still in evidence: funky, street language; dark humour; an obsession with pop culture; great music; and a truly inspired knack for casting.

Like Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown mixes clapped out seventies icons, Hollywood stars and indie legends to dynamic effect. All these actors are on fire, thriving on the juice of their dialogue and the energy of their characters. And Grier and Forster are revelations in their career rejuvenating roles.

Jackie Brown is an intelligent, gritty crime drama with a big heart that finally puts Quentin Tarantino back in the director's chair of a major movie.

Though not as reckless as his first two films, this is a masterpiece of a different nature: mature, moving and complex. Jackie Brown is another modern classic from a modern master. ---Erin Free

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link directly to this review at http://efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=95&reviewer=14
originally posted: 08/26/98 14:00:57
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User Comments

8/28/09 Jeff Wilder Superb. 5 stars
3/28/07 fools♫gold Like (superior) "Chinatown",the rest of the movie makes up for its rather unfulfilling end. 5 stars
12/27/06 Agent Sands Those who've overlooked it, buried in the hype of Q's others, you're really missing out. 5 stars
9/29/06 Leslie Stone A must-see love story with superb plot and character development. 5 stars
6/19/06 Indrid Cold Can somebody explain why Tarantino is supposed to be such a genius? 3 stars
2/13/06 Eden Tarantino's most complex, mature film. Probably his best 5 stars
10/10/05 Agent Sands Elmore Leonard is actually my favorite author, and this is his second greatest adaptation 5 stars
9/21/05 Jonathon Holmes another great Tarintino movie 5 stars
8/25/05 Eden Slow but excellent characters and direction. Tarantinos best but most underated 5 stars
7/21/05 Brandy Harrington Okay... 3 stars
7/07/05 Isaac Baranoff Quentin Tarantino + Elmore Leonard = GOLD! 5 stars
6/12/05 DM Slow at times, but proof that Forster and Grier are both very talented. 4 stars
6/04/05 Denise Gannon say what you will about QT, but there' hes a master @ character direction 5 stars
5/30/05 Jake A Delicious Crime drama from Quentin Tarentino 5 stars
4/20/05 Chris Stephens Way to long 3 stars
4/16/05 Linda Denisen I enjoyed this movie but dodn't "just Love it". 3 stars
4/08/05 Lina Correa Great Ride of a movie, lots of action and well developed characters 4 stars
4/05/05 killbill03 Amazing. Slower paced and wonderfully directed 5 stars
3/31/05 hannaho One of Tarantino's best films. 5 stars
2/17/05 C Vega not tarantino's best but still good 4 stars
2/13/05 romeo not that good but still alrite so yeah 5 stars
2/07/05 Danielle R. Tarantino's best film. An underrated masterpiece. 5 stars
2/06/05 Tom Benton Though it's one of Tarantino's lesser achievements, it's in no way a bad film ... 4 stars
12/06/04 John Bale Although long strong characters and clever plot twists make this very entertaining. 5 stars
10/24/04 ODH Boring. Big letdown, big waste of time... 1 stars
10/22/04 Daniel good but was destined to be called a lesser film than pulp fiction, 'pulp' was just amazing 4 stars
9/27/04 Smitty It's not Pulp Fiction - it's better. Perfectly cast and played deliciously slow. 5 stars
9/18/04 R.W. Welch Overlong but well played caper pic. Forster & Jackson right on. 4 stars
5/24/04 Peter Understated, easy-paced, great dialogue 4 stars
5/24/04 Butterbean A slick, but mild mannered Tarrantino that still delivers interesting storytelling. 4 stars
5/18/04 Jack Sommersby Smart and endearing. Tarantino's best film, and a showcase for the magnificent Forster. 4 stars
5/18/04 y2mckay Meanders for quite a while, but comes together nicely in the end 4 stars
4/28/04 sean Awesome soundtrack, story, characters, and comedy. 5 stars
4/06/04 Miss Julie I don't know who I wanted to make out with more, Grier or Forster. Great flick. 5 stars
1/24/04 CC Amazing 5 stars
12/15/03 Phil M. Aficionado Strong yet breezy; 4.5 but round it up for Pam Grier and Robt Forster performances 5 stars
11/15/03 Ultron Easily as good as Pulp Fiction 5 stars
11/05/03 ND not hardcore as RD or PF, but still awesome casting and plot 4 stars
10/24/03 Curious George Decent 4 stars
10/14/03 Hank Your reviewers got it wrong; this flick is about Jacky, nothing else. 5 stars
9/23/03 Jon Lyrik Excruciatingly boring and stiff. Like looking at a rock for 2 1/2 hours. 2 stars
9/18/03 Samuel Justus i love Tarintiono's twists and Turns!! Fucking Brilliant! 5 stars
8/30/03 Peace Frog Bridget Fonda is hottest than three hells! I would have lasted longer than 3 fuckin' min.! 5 stars
5/25/03 Zaharin Hamid aka The Movie Samseng My favorite Tarantino movie. I love the theme song, "Across 110th Street". Wicked movie. 5 stars
5/24/03 Andrew Carden Flawless Masterpiece; Grier Gives A One-Of-A-Kind Performance. 5 stars
5/17/03 Mr. Hat (I'm Back Mo'Fos!) Not as good as Dogs, Pulp, and Romance, but it's a great great story & great soundtrack. 4 stars
4/03/03 dave you call yourself a critic ? it was awsome! 5 stars
1/27/03 alex another one of Tarantinos classic movie landmarks 5 stars
12/29/02 Jack Sommersby Tarantino's best. Forster is extraordinary! 4 stars
11/28/02 Zack W. Young Tarantino directing Bridget Fonda, Pam Grier, Robert Forster, Robert De Niro, and Sammy. 5 stars
10/14/02 Charles Tatum Good cast in a bloated, heavy film 4 stars
9/26/02 Morally Sound I loved this movie. The music fits like a glove. Awesome. 5 stars
9/04/02 Joe Zappa Hip, diverting, and funny. 4 stars
8/10/02 Film Guy The acting is spectacular. The Directing is Spectacular. but that doesnt make a movie 3 stars
8/08/02 I Can't Swim Excellent in all respects but Grier & Forster reach for the stars & obtain them 5 stars
7/21/02 Croweater A very good film, I liked it a lot.Great acting,scripting,direction. 5 stars
4/10/02 70's Love I love how Tarantino used the same music that was used in Grier's Foxy Brown and Coffy 4 stars
2/09/02 Jay Fox I love this film. Quentin Tarantino's dialogue and direction are genius along with Leonards 5 stars
1/15/02 Murray Castles Very good film. The entire cast was great. 4 stars
11/18/01 Gary Entertaining if overlong. Grier is excellent & there's great support from Fonda and Forster 3 stars
11/16/01 John Greer and Forester deserved nominations. 5 stars
10/25/01 Henry Ginsberg not as good as pulp fiction,but still brilliant 5 stars
9/06/01 spaceworm Clearly the third place Tarentino, still... 5 stars
9/01/01 Butterbean Why don't someone give Jackson an Oscar? Great performances all around, but mediocre movie 3 stars
8/10/01 E-Funk Tarantino's return is more than welcomed. A cool adaptation of the book. 5 stars
8/07/01 Joe Zappa Elmore Leonard's an idiot, but the movie's great. 5 stars
4/20/01 James Brilliant 5 stars
4/01/01 Jesse L Totally overrated movie. Not Quentin's best... 2 stars
3/16/01 Elvisfan Is that Rutger Hauer? No, its Helmut Berger. 5 stars
3/08/01 Sanja FUCKING AWESOME!! 5 stars
2/16/01 Jake I enjoyed it. Jackson was phat! 4 stars
12/30/00 Gerald F. Judd Mutherfuckin' Great! 5 stars
11/25/00 The Evil Penguin Pulp Fiction meets its partner, Jackie Brown 4 stars
11/01/00 Buffalo I may have liked it more than Pulp Fiction. Nah, maybe not; but it was a damn good film. 5 stars
5/26/00 Bruce It more than holds it's own against "Pulp Fiction" 5 stars
4/29/00 markus great! 5 stars
4/22/00 JonnyAngel Hmmmm... 3 stars
4/12/00 the Grinch Understated and very engrossing movie. Too bad some people wanted Pulp Fiction 2: Pulpier 5 stars
2/21/00 Kyle Broflovski Great script and hip, juicy characters. Damn good movie, motherfuckers!!! 5 stars
11/04/99 Karahde Khan Not as good as Pulp Fiction, but almost. Maybe QT's most mature film. 5 stars
10/30/99 Bozo "no, its Helmut Berger" 5 stars
9/29/99 Glitter Berry Forster was great, Grier was great, plot a bit weak for Q.T. 4 stars
8/20/99 Japtalian AK-47, when you absolutely, positively wanna kill every motherfucker in the room. 5 stars
8/04/99 Dax Not Tarantino's best (Pulp Fiction), but still a damn good film. 4 stars
8/04/99 Ed Wood much better the second time around 4 stars
6/15/99 Dylan This film is so under-rated. This is easily as good as Reservoir Dogs. 5 stars
6/15/99 Ver-Jun Tarantino revives the blaxploitation genre. Christmas has come early. 5 stars
4/13/99 Jon Jackson I really wanted this movie to kick ass, but it just tickled ass. 3 stars
2/18/99 Bishop I'll kill him n' 10 other niggaz look just like him. 4 stars
2/09/99 Gary I liked the plot even though you knew where it was leading. MF'n good movie. 4 stars
2/02/99 Vick Di Brecci Very good, underrated despite showing Tarantino's increased range. 4 stars
10/29/98 Silent Rob QT taking his time to infuse life into someone elses words. It worked for me. 4 stars
9/09/98 Bruce Willis' mama. Could have been better. Dragged on but mostly enjoyable. 4 stars
9/04/98 Badass A masterpiece! Tarantino proves he is very versital. A somber, desperate and smart movie. 5 stars
8/16/98 J-Guy too long. too boring. the time fucking was cool. 3 stars
8/14/98 {{{OZ}}} 70's production values in a Pulp Fiction suit. My buddie walked out. 2 stars
IF YOU'VE SEEN THIS FILM, RATE IT!
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USA
  25-Dec-1997 (R)
  DVD: 10-Aug-2004

UK
  N/A

Australia
  05-Mar-1998



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