Jackie Brown (1997)


Jackie Brown is a white, female flight attendant in Elmore Leonard’s novel “Rum Punch.” But when director Quentin Tarantino first read the book, he overlooked the part where she is described as white, and so he cast Pam Grier for the part.

 

Tarantino takes a more leisurely pace with this one than he did his two previous films, Reservoir Dogs (1992) and Pulp Fiction (1994), but if audiences can get past that, this is a fine film. Of course it deals with foul-mouthed amoral gunrunners and druggies, but that’s the norm for Tarantino…isn’t it? I mean you know what I’m saying–it’s telling the story of lowlifes. Not that there’s anything particularly wrong with that.

 

As usual, Tarantino extracts the finest performances from his cast, but standout performances by Grier and Samuel L. Jackson are the highlights of the film. Robert De Niro is definitely not the star of this one, and it shows. He and Bridget Fonda make the most of the smaller roles assigned them. De Niro plays the screw-up Louis, and Fonda the beach bunny Melanie.

 

Jackie Brown has an element of suspense, and its pace and dialogue also support it well. All these combine to make Jackie Brown just one of many films I recommend for your pleasurable viewing. But, if you didn’t like the other two Tarantino joints, I understand if you’ll want to skip this one. Quentin’s not for all tastes, that’s for sure.


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Quotes from Jackie Brown:

 

Max Cherry: Beaumont Livingston.

Ordell Robbie: Livingston huh?

Max Cherry: He did 6 months in prison, he's working on 4 years probation.

Ordell Robbie: Really?

Max Cherry: You know what he's on probation for?

Ordell Robbie: Ain’t got a clue.

Max Cherry: Posession of unregistered machine guns.

Ordell Robbie: Damn. Now, are they gonna consider that a violation of his probation?

Max Cherry: They do consider this a violation of his probation. Your boy's looking at 10 years, plus the concealed weapon.

Ordell Robbie: He ain’t gonna like that. Beaumont ain’t got a doin' time kinda disposition.

 

Mark Dargus: Cut to 13 years later, you're 44 years of age. You're flying for the shittiest-little-shuttle-fucking piece of shit Mexican airline that there is.

 

Max Cherry: Half a million dollars will always be missed.

 

Ordell: Is she dead, yes or no?

Louis: Pretty much.

 

Louis: Yeah but I mean, wha-what is she to you?

Ordell: You know, she just one of the bitches I got set up. I got Mel over in Hermosa Beach, and I rent this little place for Simone over in Compton where you stayin, and about four blocks away, I got this young 19 year old country girl named Sheronda. I found her at the bus stop two days outta Georgia, barefoot and country as a chicken coop. Took her to my place in Compton, told her it was Hollywood.

Louis: You told her . . . she believed you?

Ordell: Hell yeah, to her dumb country ass, Compton is Hollywood, closest she ever been anyway.

 

[Ordell and Louis are standing over the trunk of Ordell’s car]

Louis: Who’s that?

Ordell: That’s Beaumont.

Louis: Who’s Beaumont?

Ordell: A employee I had to let go.

 

Jackie Brown: Shut your raggedy-ass up, and sit the fuck down!

 

Ordell: You only have to ride in the trunk for ten minutes.

Beaumont: I ain't ridin in the trunk for no minutes.

 

Beaumont Livingston: I just ain't getting in no goddamn, dirty-ass trunk man. I got a problem with small places.

Ordell Robbie: Well I got a problem with spending ten thousand dollars on ungrateful, peanut-head niggers to get 'em out of jail, but I did it!

 

Melanie Ralston: Take your thumb off the cup. You okay?

Louis: Yeah, just getting old. Seems I can't smoke or laugh now without coughing.

Melanie Ralston: Oh, well coughing's good, it opens up the capillaries, you know when you cough you're pulling air, or in this case smoke, into parts of the lungs that don't normally get used and so, coughing's good it gets you higher.

Ordell: And you definitely know a lot about that. Goddamn girl, you gettin high already? It's just two o'clock.

Melanie: It's that late?

Ordell: You know you smoke too much of that shit, that shit's gonna rob you of your ambition.

Melanie: Not if your ambition's to get high and watch TV.

 

[As Max Cherry exits the bathroom.]

Ordell Robbie: Uh uh uh... I didn't hear you wash your hands.

 

Ordell: We almost done here, right?

Max Cherry: Getting there.

 

Ordell Robbie: I'm as serious as a heart attack.

 

Jackie Brown: Now, if I tell on you I walk. If I don't I go to jail. I want $100, 000 in an Escrot account in my name if I'm convicted up to a year or put on probation. Now, if I have to do more than a year, you pay another $100, 000.

Ordell: I can do that.

 

[Louis has forgotten where he parked]

Melanie: Jesus, but if you two are not the biggest pair of fuck-ups I've ever met in my entire life. How did you ever rob a bank? When you robbed banks, did you forget where your car was then too? No wonder you went to jail.

 

Max: Is white guilt supposed to make me forget that I run a business?

 

[Melanie and Louis are fighting over a bag of Ordell's money]

Louis: Gimme the bag...

Melanie: Watch it dipshit, you wanna rip the fucking bag.

Louis: Gimme that bag before I knock you out and take it.

Melanie: Okay take it. Jesus, what's wrong with you?

Louis: I'm carrying it.

Melanie: Okay, you got it. Just take a chill pill for Christ's sake.

Louis: Fuck you with your chill pill. [shoots her three times]

 

[Ray Nicolet and Jackie Brown are discussing Ordell Robbi's business]

Jackie Brown: He sells guns.

Ray Nicolet: You ever see him sell guns?

Jackie Brown: No.

Ray Nicolet: Then how do you know he sells guns?

Jackie Brown: He told me. Besides, why else would an ATF man be after him?

 

Melanie: When did you get ouf of jail?

Louis: Four days ago.

Melanie: Where at?

Louis: Susanville.

Melanie: How long?

Louis: Two months shy of four years.

Melanie: Four years?

Louis: Uh huh.

Melanie: What for?

Louis: Bank robbery.

Melanie: Really? I'm impressed.

 

Melanie: Hello, it's for you.

 

Ordell: My ass may be dumb, but I ain't no dumbass.

 

Jackie Brown: The way I see it you & me got one motherfuckin' thing to talk about. One thing. And that's what you are willing to do for me.

Ordell: I can get you a lawyer.

Jackie Brown: No, let's be realistic. Now, sooner or later they're goona get around to offering me a plea deal, and you know that. That's why you came here to kill me.

Ordell: I didn't come here to kill you . . .

Jackie Brown: Hey, it's okay. Now I forgive you.

 

Ordell Robbie: AK-47. When you absolutely, positively got to kill every motherfucker in the room. Accept no substitutes.

 

Ordell: Yo, yo. Why don't ya check out some music while you're sittin' in the car. take the keys.

Louis: Which one's for the car?

Ordell: This one right here. Use that little black thing to turn off the alarm &unlock the doors.

Louis: What do I do?

Ordell: You ain’t got to do nothin' man, just point it at the car push the button, you'll hear a little "uh ooh uh" that means the doors unlcoked & the alarm's off, get in.

Louis: Okay.

Ordell: You can play the volume as loud as you want to, but don't touch my levels now, I got them set just like I like 'em.

 

Ordell: Look, I hate to be the kinda nigga does a nigga a favor, then, BAM!, hits a nigga up for a favor in return. But I'm afraid I gotta be that kinda nigga.

Beaumont: What?

Ordell: I need a favor.

 

Jackie Brown: Max, how do you feel about getting old?

Max Cherry: You're not old, you look great.

Jackie Brown: No, I'm asking you, how do you feel about it?

Max Cherry: Oh, I guess I got a little sensitive about my hair a few years ago, it started falling out so I did something about it.

Jackie Brown: And How do you feel about that?

Max Cherry: I feel fine about it, you know, I look in the mrror I see me.

Jackie Brown: Yeah, but it's different for men.

Max Cherry: You know, I really can't feel to bad for you in this department. I'll bet besides maybe an afro you look exactly like you did at 29.

Jackie Brown: Well, my ass is different.

Max Cherry: Bigger?

Jackie Brown: Yeah.

Max Cherry: Aint nothin' wrong with that!

 


 

Trivia about Jackie Brown:

 

 


 

Cast overview, first billed only:

Pam Grier ....  Jackie Brown 

Samuel L. Jackson ....  Ordell Robbie 

Robert Forster ....  Max Cherry 

Bridget Fonda ....  Melanie 

Michael Keaton ....  Ray Nicolette 

Robert De Niro ....  Louis Gara 

Michael Bowen ....  Mark Dargus 

Chris Tucker ....  Beaumont Livingston 

Lisa Gay Hamilton ....  Sheronda  

Tom 'Tiny' Lister Jr. ....  Winston  

Hattie Winston ....  Simone  

Denise Crosby ....  Public Defender 

Sid Haig ....  Judge 

Aimee Graham ....  Amy, Billingsley Sales Girl 

Ellis E. Williams ....  Cockatoo Bartender 

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