Jackie Brown

Jackie Brown
File:Jackie Brown70's.jpg Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Quentin Tarantino
Screenplay by	Quentin Tarantino
Produced by	Lawrence Bender Paul Hellerman Executive: Elmore Leonard Richard N. Gladstein Bob Weinstein Harvey Weinstein
Starring	Pam Grier Samuel L. Jackson Robert Forster Bridget Fonda Michael Keaton Robert De Niro Chris Tucker
Cinematography	Guillermo Navarro
Edited by	Sally Menke
Production company	A Band Apart
Distributed by	Miramax Films
Release date	December 25, 1997 (1997-12-25)
Running time	154 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$12 million
Box office	$39,673,162 (Domestic) $72,673,162 (Worldwide)

Jackie Brown is a 1997 crime drama film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It is an adaptation of American novelist Elmore Leonard's novel Rum Punch and pays homage to 1970s blaxploitation films, particularly 1974's Foxy Brown.

The film stars Pam Grier (who also played Foxy Brown in the film of the same name), Robert Forster, Robert De Niro, Samuel L. Jackson, Bridget Fonda and Michael Keaton. It was Tarantino's third film following his successes with Reservoir Dogs (1992) and Pulp Fiction (1994).

Grier and Forster were both veteran actors but neither had performed a leading role in many years. Jackie Brown revitalized both actors' careers. The film garnered Forster an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, and Jackson and Grier were nominated for Golden Globe Awards.

Plot

Jackie Brown (Pam Grier) is a flight attendant for a small Mexican airline, the latest step down for her career. To make ends meet, she smuggles money from Mexico into the United States for Ordell Robbie (Samuel L. Jackson), a gun runner under the close watch of the ATF.

Ordell learns that another of his workers, Beaumont Livingston (Chris Tucker), has been arrested. Fearing that Livingston will become an informant in order to avoid jail time, Ordell arranges for his bail with bondsman Max Cherry (Robert Forster). Following his release, Ordell promptly lures Livingston out to be killed.

Acting on information Livingston had indeed shared, ATF agent Ray Nicolette (Michael Keaton) and LAPD detective Mark Dargas intercept Jackie as she arrives in the United States with Ordell's cash and some cocaine that Brown was unaware was stashed in her bag. Initially refusing to deal with Nicolette and Dargas, she is sent to jail on possession of drugs with intent to sell. Sensing that Jackie may now be just as likely to inform as Livingston had been, Ordell goes back to Max to arrange her bail. Max arrives to pick her up and, only partly masking his attraction to her, offers to buy her a drink and help determine her legal options.

Ordell later arrives at Jackie's house intending to murder her. She surprises him by pulling a gun she surreptitiously borrowed from Max's glove compartment, however, and barters a deal with Ordell whereby she will pretend to help the authorities while still managing to smuggle $500,000 of Ordell's money, enough to allow him to retire. To carry out this plan, Ordell employs Melanie Ralston (Bridget Fonda), a woman he lives with, and Louis Gara (Robert de Niro), a friend and former cellmate. He also uses a naïve Southern girl, Sheronda.

With Jackie's help, Nicolette and Dargas arrange a sting to catch Ordell, unaware that Jackie and Ordell plan to double-cross them by diverting the actual money before the authorities make an arrest. Unbeknownst to the others, Jackie plans to deceive all of them with the help of Max in order to keep the $500,000 for herself.

After a trial run, during which Nicolette could observe the operation, the stage is set for the actual event. In a large shopping mall near Los Angeles, Jackie buys a new suit and enters a dressing room. Her role is to swap bags there with Melanie and Louis, supposedly passing off the $500,000 under Nicolette's nose. Instead, she gives Melanie only $50,000 and leaves the rest behind in the dressing room for Max to pick up. Jackie then feigns despair as she calls Nicolette and Dargas out from hiding and claims Melanie took all the money and ran.

In the parking lot, Melanie annoys and mocks Louis until he loses his temper and shoots her. Ordell discovers that Louis has only $40,000 in the bag (Melanie having kept $10,000 for herself after being tricked into doing so by Jackie). Ordell realizes his money has been stolen and, also angered to learn that Louis shot Melanie, kills Louis. Ordell's next concern is the involvement of Max Cherry, having been told by Louis that he spotted Max in the store before the pickup. Lured back to Max's office, where Jackie is said to be frightened and waiting to hand over his money, Ordell arrives armed. Jackie yells out that Ordell has a gun and he is shot dead by Nicolette, who had been hiding in another room.

In the clear with the law and in possession of the money, minus a 10% cut that Max has taken for himself, Jackie decides to leave the country and travel to Madrid, Spain. Jackie invites Max to leave with her, but he declines before Jackie kisses him goodbye and leaves.

Cast

• Pam Grier as Jackie Brown
• Samuel L. Jackson as Ordell Robbie
• Robert Forster as Max Cherry
• Bridget Fonda as Melanie Ralston
• Michael Keaton as Ray Nicolette
• Robert De Niro as Louis Gara
• Chris Tucker as Beaumont Livingston
• Michael Bowen as Mark Dargus
• Lisa Gay Hamilton as Sheronda
• Tommy "Tiny" Lister Jr. as Winston
• Hattie Winston as Simone
• Sid Haig as Judge
• Aimee Graham as Amy
• Diana Uribe as Anita Lopez
• T'Keyah Crystal Keymah as Raynelle
• Denise Crosby (uncredited) as Public defender
• Quentin Tarantino (uncredited) as Answering machine voice
• Helmut Berger (uncredited, archive footage) as Nanni Vitali
• Marissa Mell (uncredited, archive footage) as Giuliana Caroli
• Tony Curtis (uncredited, archive footage) as himself

Production

Development

After completing Pulp Fiction, Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary acquired the film rights to Elmore Leonard's novels Rum Punch, Freaky Deaky, and Killshot. Tarantino initially planned to film either Freaky Deaky or Killshot and have another director make Rum Punch, but changed his mind after re-reading Rum Punch, stating that he "fell in love" with the novel over again. While adapting Rum Punch into a screenplay, Tarantino changed the race of the main character from white to black, as well as renaming her from Burke to Brown, titling the screenplay Jackie Brown. Avery and Tarantino hesitated to discuss the changes with Leonard, finally speaking with Leonard as the film was about to start shooting. Leonard loved the screenplay, considering it not only the best of the twenty-six screen adaptations of his novels and short stories, but also stating that it was possibly the best screenplay he had ever read.

Tarantino's screenplay otherwise closely followed Leonard's novel, incorporating elements of Tarantino's trademark humor and pacing. The screenplay was also influenced by blaxploitation films, but Tarantino stated that Jackie Brown is not a blaxploitation film.

Jackie Brown alludes to Grier's career in many ways. The film's poster resembles those of Grier's films Coffy and Foxy Brown and includes quotes from both films. The typeface for the film's opening titles was also used for those of Foxy Brown; some of the background music is lifted from these films.

The film's opening sequence is similar to that of The Graduate, in which Dustin Hoffman passes wearily through LAX past white tiles to a somber "The Sound of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel soundtrack. In Jackie Brown, Grier walks past the same spot to a soaring soul music song, Across 110th Street by Bobby Womack, which is from the film of the same name that was a part of the same basic "blaxploitation" genre as that of Foxy Brown and Coffy.

Casting

Tarantino wanted Pam Grier to play the title character. She previously read for the Pulp Fiction character Jody, but Tarantino did not believe audiences would find it plausible for Eric Stoltz to yell at her. Grier did not expect Tarantino to contact her after the success of Pulp Fiction. When she showed up to read for Jackie Brown, Tarantino had posters of her films in his office. She asked if he had put them up because she was coming to read for his film, and he responded that he was actually planning to take them down before her audition, to avoid making it look like he wanted to impress her.

While Jackie Brown was in production, Universal Studios was preparing to begin production on Out of Sight, directed by Steven Soderbergh, an adaptation of a Leonard novel that also featured the character of Ray Nicolette, and waited to see who Tarantino would cast as Nicolette for Jackie Brown. Michael Keaton hesitated to take the part of Ray Nicolette, as he did not feel he could play the part correctly, even though Tarantino and Avery wanted him to play the part. Keaton subsequently agreed to play Nicolette again in Out of Sight. Although the legal rights to the character were held by Miramax and Tarantino, as Jackie Brown had been produced first, Tarantino insisted that the studio not charge Universal for using the character in Out of Sight, allowing the character's appearance without Miramax receiving financial compensation.

Reception

The film helped revive the careers of Grier and Forster, who received critical acclaim for their performances, as did Samuel L. Jackson.

Spike Lee criticized the film for its use of the word "nigger", which is used 38 times in the film, stating "I'm not against the word, and I use it, but not excessively. And some people speak that way. But Quentin is infatuated with that word. What does he want to be made--an honorary Black man?" Samuel L. Jackson responded to Lee's criticisms by saying that the word's use was not offensive in the context of the film, and noting that Lee has used the word in many of his films. Tarantino also felt the word's use was appropriate within the context of the film, and noted that it was used in Rum Punch, the novel the film was based upon. Jackson stated, "This film is a wonderful homage to Black exploitation films. This is a good film. And Spike hasn't made one of those in a few years."

Critical response

Jackie Brown received positive critical reception and a score of 86% on Rotten Tomatoes. Roger Ebert rated the film as one of his favorites of 1997.

Box office

The film grossed $39,673,162 in the domestic box office on a $12 million budget, and an additional $33 million added the worldwide gross to $72,673,162.

Awards

Grier and Jackson were nominated for a Golden Globe, Grier for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy, Jackson for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy. Forster was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. The film was also nominated for the prestigious Grand Prix of the Belgian Syndicate of Cinema Critics. In 2008, the film was selected by Empire magazine as one of The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time.

At the 48th Berlin International Film Festival, Jackson won the Silver Bear for Best Actor award.

Soundtrack

Main article: Jackie Brown: Music from the Miramax Motion Picture

The soundtrack album for Jackie Brown, entitled Jackie Brown: Music from the Miramax Motion Picture, was released on December 9, 1997.

There was no film score composed for Jackie Brown; instead, Tarantino used music from various genres and other films, including the title song of the film Across 110th Street by Bobby Womack. "Across 110th Street" opens and closes Jackie Brown, and songs by The Delfonics and Slash's Snakepit are heard throughout the film. The original soundtrack features separate tracks with dialogue from the film. Also, some music from Grier's earlier film, Coffy, can be heard throughout the film.

A number of songs used in the film do not appear on the soundtrack, such as "Cissy Strut" (The Meters) and "Undun" (The Guess Who).

Home media

The Special Edition DVD, released by Buena Vista in 2002, includes an introduction from Tarantino, an hour-long retrospective interview, a subtitle trivia track and soundtrack chapter selection, a half-hour making-of documentary ("How It Went Down"), the entire "Chicks Who Love Guns" video as seen in the film, many deleted and alternate scenes, including an alternate opening title sequence, Siskel and Ebert's review, Jackie Brown appearances on MTV, TV spots and theatrical trailers, written reviews and articles and filmographies, and over an hour of trailers for Pam Grier and Robert Forster films dating from the 1960s onwards. The box also includes a mini-poster of the film, similar to the one above, and on the back of that, two other mini-posters—one of Grier, the other of Forster, both similar to the album cover.

Although the back cover of the Special Edition DVD states that the film is presented in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, it was actually shot with a 1.85:1 ratio, the only Tarantino-directed film to date shot in such a format with the exception of his segment in the film Four Rooms, "The Man from Hollywood".

On October 4, 2011, Miramax released Jackie Brown on Blu-ray Disc along with Pulp Fiction. The film is presented in 1080p HD in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack. The disc was the result of a new licensing deal with Miramax and Lionsgate.

External links

• Jackie Brown at IMDb
• Jackie Brown at AllMovie
• Jackie Brown at Box Office Mojo
• Jackie Brown at Rotten Tomatoes
• Jackie Brown at Metacritic