4K/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Reviews

4K Ultra HD™ Review: Fusing Multiple Genres And Inspirations, “Jackie Brown” Remains A Masterpiece

A flight attendant with a criminal past gets nabbed by the ATF for smuggling. Under pressure to become an informant against the illegal arms dealer she works for, she must find a way to secure her future without getting killed.

After “Reservoir Dogs” and “Pulp Fiction” brought the provocative Tarantino critical and commercial success, he discarded his macho-infused bloody spectacle to weave a somewhat subdued story with “Jackie Brown.” Tarantino adapted his screenplay from the novel “Rumpunch” by Elmore Leonard, a master of hard-boiled crime stories and westerns, transforming the comedic crime caper into a character-driven film. Aside from changing “Rumpunch’s” protagonist’s name from Jackie Burke and her white to black race, Tarantino added his signature flourishes to the adaptation. In Tarantino’s book “Cinema Speculation” detailing the films that shaped his inspirations, he regales how his mother’s boyfriend would take the teenage Tarantino (Tarranteeno) to Blaxploitation films like “Black Gunn” that saw Jim Brown taking on the mob in a Post-Vietnam USA where racism and the economic disparity was just another war for veterans of color to have to rebel against. In those theaters where the audience was predominantly black, the director wanted to recreate the sensational experiences of the past for himself and other filmgoers. To bring the Blaxploitation genre to modern audiences, he cast ’70s icon Pam Grier, known for “Coffy” and “Foxy Brown,” as the lead, along with a rollicking soul soundtrack and loaded his mise en scènes with vintage aesthetics.

Many people (myself included) find Tarantino problematic when he gives into his more juvenile sensibilities, like making off-putting statements during interviews and aspects of his screenplays that feel like he is trolling the audience for his enjoyment. Nonetheless, his stylish filmmaking showcases a profound talent. When he made “Jackie Brown,” he was 33 years old, so his ability to portray an older couple’s love story with maturity and grace is very impressive. Another reason Tarantino is revered by many is his astute ability to amalgamate filmmakers, which influenced him into a compellingly coherent film. “Jackie Brown” brilliantly blended aspects of Blaxploitation, Brian De Palma, and Howard Hawks’s “Rio Bravo.” Like “Rio Bravo,” “Jackie Brown” is first and foremost a hangout story, where you are not sure where the story is going and who to root for until you are whisked away riding shotgun in an unpredictable crime thriller.

In the film, the titular Jackie is stuck between a rock and a hard place, being squeezed financially and threatened by the long arm of the law. She must overcome these structures by cleverly navigating a treacherous road filled with seemingly unmovable obstacles. Jackie is a flight attendant for the lower-tier Cabo Air, and she is caught smuggling a package containing $50,000 along with less than 2 ounces of cocaine. While Jackie is being interrogated, Detective Mark Dargus (Michael Bowen) crudely states, “You’re flying for the shittiest-little-shuttle-fucking piece of shit Mexican airline that there is.” The more humane ATF agent, Ray Nicolet (Michael Keaton), compels Jackie to give up her employer, a gunrunner named Ordell (Samuel L. Jackson). Jackie fears reprisal from Ordell, who just killed a low-level associate, Beaumont (Chris Tucker). Thus, she refuses to implicate him and is thrown in county jail. Tarantino does not dig deep, yet he depicts the racist criminal justice system that also preys on people from the lower class. Ordell hires bail bondsman Max Cherry (Robert Forster) to spring her from jail,l and upon her release, Max is transfixed by her. Jackie’s exit from the jail is pretty straightforward. Yet, the lighting by cinematographer Guillermo Navarro utilizing shadows shifting over her is a far cry from today’s flat and lifeless use of light. The indisputably lovable Max is immediately willing to break the law for Jackie and becomes a willing pawn in her grand scheme.

Ordell’s partner in crime Louis (Robert De Niro) is a man out of time like Rip Van Winkle upon completing a four-year prison sentence, he moves and interacts with ordinary objects while harnessing a befuddled expression. Louis is not the brains of the operation, preferring to get stoned with Ordell’s “surfer girl” Melanie (Bridget Fonda) and watch retro TV programs in her condo on the beach. Although, these two lovable stoners go from hazy flirting to mutual contempt. If you have read any of his books, you will know that Elmore Leonard had a remarkable penchant for realistically capturing criminals who were desperate, deceitful, and not usually acquiring a hefty payday for their dirty deeds. In the Leonard universe, his portrayals of lawmen like Ray Nicolet and Raylan Givens are never worshipped; they are men with flaws and plenty of shortcomings. With Leonard having seen a lot of cinematic adaptations based on his work, the author stated that “Jackie Brown” was his favorite adaptation and one of the best scripts he ever read.

Although Tarantino’s films are rife with nostalgia, they are done so to take a critical look at the past and the culture of the United States as a whole, especially with Robert Forster and Pam Grier’s classical romantic yearning, the indescribable feeling of discovering a great song that you have to purchase on tape or vinyl, and people having to adjust to an ever-changing world.

The cinematic elements are also unparalleled, like when Ordell coerces Beaumont to get into a raggedy trunk only to be shot dead. Tarantino and Navarro go from the trunk POV to Ordell putting on leather gloves and turning on Strawberry Letter 23. At the same time, the camera on a crane slowly pans up over an abandoned lot where Ordell parks before calmly walking to the trunk and plugging two bullets into poor Beaumont. This scene on its own feels like a short film. Tarantino’s remarkable ear for dialogue is equally stellar with lines like “My ass May be dumb, but I ain’t no dumb ass,” and…

Ordell Robbie: Goddamn girl, you gettin’ high already? It’s just 2 o’clock!

Melanie: It’s that late?

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

Melanie: Not if your ambition is to get high and watch TV”.

Everyone in “Jackie Brown” performs at an impressive level, but the standout is Samuel L Jackson. He is undoubtedly one of our greatest living actors, and some of his best acting is when he is with Tarantino. And aside from his stellar role in “The Hateful Eight,” his interpretation of Ordell reigns supreme. Ordell is manipulative and willing to annihilate anyone, whether they are the less intelligent Beaumont or even a longtime partner-in-crime. With his cheeky conduct, he is a cross between a venomous snake and the Cheshire Cat, which becomes profoundly sinister by the film’s final act. De Niro is also magnificent playing against type as an obtuse stoner ex-con. While his character – like Max Cherry – does not have a bevy of dialogue, it is all about the physical performance with a strong internal presentation. It is also sad to see how great De Niro was before he seemed to give up appearing in great films until recently under Scorsese’s direction in “Killers of the Flower Moon” and “The Irishman.” Shockingly, neither Pam Grier nor Samuel L. Jackson were nominated for an Academy Award, although Forster was. But perhaps not so shocking judging by the awful Academy standards when, time and time again, they have awarded the worst films of the last few decades. When was the last time anyone watched “The Artist,” “Coda,” or “Green Book”?

Speaking of Scorsese, Tarantino similarly harnesses a keen sense of perfect needle drops throughout his filmography. In Jackie Brown, the soundtrack features classics by the Delfonics, Bobby Womack’s Across 110th Street, and Randy Crawford’s Street Life. Sally Menke masterfully edited the music and the story’s pacing. Only longtime Scorsese collaborator Thelma Schooner, “Marty’s movies aren’t violent until I cut them,” rivaled Menke’s level of technique.

The remaster of “Jackie Brown” stays true to the film’s original print, with textures and shadows initially captured on film remaining with the update. The special features and the disc’s menu recall the good old days when DVD menus were conceptually thoughtful. The features contain a behind-the-scenes documentary with the cast and crew, a mostly cringeworthy interview by Tarantino, and The Chicks with Guns segment in full.

After finishing my umpteenth viewing of “Jackie Brown,” I come back to wondering where or how the degradation of Hollywood has come to be. With an endless list of brilliant novels or original material just waiting to be adapted into a feature, where are all the great films? What can we – or more importantly – the studios do to breathe new life into the film industry? Is it impossible with the limited attention span, the lack of mass culture that the United States currently produces, or with a system that favors safe bets on familiar properties and franchises? Aside from myself, others have longed for the days of yore, when studios took chances and gave voice to original and subversive art. Maybe we must be like Jackie and conjure up a brilliant scheme to save one of our most essential art mediums!

Now available on 4K and 4K Ultra HD SteelBook™

 

 

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Eamon Tracy

Based in Philadelphia, Eamon lives and breathes movies and hopes there will be more original concepts and fewer remakes!