Entertainment Ave! The Movie Theater - A movie review of Jackie Brown.

Jackie Brown Movie Stats & Links
Starring:	Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Forester, Bridget Fonda, Michael Keaton, Robert De Niro
MPAA Rated:	R
Kiddie Movie:	Be it tastefully violent or not, I really wouldn't recommend this one for the kiddies. Plus there is a lot of swearing and Samuel L. Jackson says "nigger" more times than I could count.
Date Movie:	Hmm... That's a tough call. The movie is a good, suspense/weak romantic drama with "tastefully" done violent scenes, but if romance is your main intent then this is probably not the movie to bring her along.
Gratuitous Sex:	There is one, non-nude sex scene between Bridget Fonda and Robert De Niro that actually had the audience laughing.
Gratuitous Violence:	If you consider 3 people being shot at point blank range violent, then yes. But like I said before, it's done in a tasteful way in that you really never see anyone being shot (unlike the bloody-brain, back seat scene from "Pulp Fiction").
Action:	No car crashes or high speed chases in this movie, but I must say it is a suspenseful one that keeps you guessing & interested about the outcome until the end.
Laughs:	You'll chuckle and shake your head a lot. You wont be laughing at blatant jokes, but rather at the situations the characters are in and how they respond to them.
Memorable Scene:	Lots, but the sex and the parking lot confrontation scenes between De Niro and Fonda seem to come to mind. Obviously nobody ever told De Niro's character "Women... Can't live with them, and you can't shoot them." There was that scene, as well as how the "second switch" scene is shown from three different perspectives a-la "Pulp Fiction" style.
Memorable Quote:	Hmm... Where to begin? I can't recall it exactly, but there was a trite exchange between Bridget Fonda and Robert De Niro where, out of the blue, she asks him if he wants to fuck. I shit my pants and wished I was Mr. De Niro.
Directed By:	Quentin Tarantino
Produced By:	Lawrence Bender

Jackie Brown (Pam Grier) is a forty year old flight attendant working for a shit-ass, small airline. In order to make a little extra money she decides to run some cash for Ordell Robbie (Samuel L. Jackson), a local, illegal arms' dealer. This is all fine and dandy until ATF Agent Ray Nicolette (Michael Keaton) catches up with her. With her ass in a double sling because it's off to jail if she doesn't help the Fed's, or a dirt nap courtesy of Ordell if she does, Jackie decides to take both parties to the cleaners. To do so she'll need some help and finds it in tough guy, and ain't getting any younger, Bail Bondsman Max Cherry (Robert Forester). Together they'll pit the bad guys against themselves, use the ATF to their advantage, and hopefully get away with a half million for themselves. Do they do it? Go see the movie because I ain't gonna soil the end this time!

Enough about the story stuff, "Jackie Brown" is somewhat of a departure for writer/director Quentin Tarantino, known for both his bloody, as well as Mexican stand off scenes, because for this movie he has toned down his graphic violence edge. Recall all the blood in "Dusk Till Dawn," and I'm sure everyone recalls the blood/brain splattering the back window in "Pulp Fiction." Of course, for me, the torture scene from "Reservoir Dogs" is still the most graphic I've ever seen, except for maybe a few spots in the movie "Scarface." Heck... Even his short film portion of "Four Rooms" had a bloody finger. Now don't get me wrong, there is still violence in "Jackie Brown," but gone is the blood and on-screen violent death scenes. I liked that. It showed that Tarantino could express the action without having to be grotesque. Not everyone shared my sentiments though, because when exiting the theater I heard some comment that Tarantino has become a "pussy" for toning down the violence.

One thing that Tarantino didn't turn down is his use of the word "nigger." I heard somewhere that the word was used 26 times, but I think it might have been more. That really doesn't surprise me because in "Reservoir Dogs" the word was used quite a bit, and from what I understand, Samuel L. Jackson has faced some criticism for allowing his character to use the "n" word so frequently. I really don't understand why he should face criticism and the actors in "New Jack City", or top-paid black comedians, like Chris Rock, should not face the same criticism for their use of the word. Is it because a "white" man wrote the script that makes the word, when said through a black mans lips, so offensive? I say if it didn't bother Mr. Jackson then it shouldn't bother anyone else, and if you're still offended then just don't go see the movie.

Well, in any case, that all being said, I liked "Jackie Brown" and so did the audience. I don't think that this movie will be a defining moment in Quentin Tarantino's career, but it was a good movie nonetheless. I must say that I personally got a little bored after the "second-switch" scene, but the people around me still seemed interested. Maybe I got bored because I had already read the Elmore Leonard novel "Rum Punch," which the movie was based on, and, by the way, I thought the film was a great adaptation of the book! But, I won't let my slight boredom lessen this rating, so, I highly recommend that you pluck down your eight bucks and go see "Jackie Brown."