Jackie Brown (1997)

A middle-aged woman finds herself in the middle of a huge conflict that will either make her a profit or cost her life.

Director:

Quentin Tarantino

Writers:

Quentin Tarantino (written for the screen by), Elmore Leonard (novel)

Stars:

Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Forster

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 8 wins & 21 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Pam Grier	...	Jackie Brown
Samuel L. Jackson	...	Ordell Robbie
Robert Forster	...	Max Cherry
Bridget Fonda	...	Melanie Ralston
Michael Keaton	...	Ray Nicolette
Robert De Niro	...	Louis Gara
Michael Bowen	...	Mark Dargus
Chris Tucker	...	Beaumont Livingston
LisaGay Hamilton	...	Sheronda
Tommy 'Tiny' Lister	...	Winston (as Tommy 'Tiny' Lister Jr.)
Hattie Winston	...	Simone
Sid Haig	...	Judge
Aimee Graham	...	Amy - Billingsley Sales Girl
Ellis Williams	...	Cockatoo Bartender (as Ellis E. Williams)
Tangie Ambrose	...	Billingsley Sales Girl #2

Storyline

The middle-aged stewardess Jackie Brown smuggles money from Mexico to Los Angeles for the arms dealer Ordell Robbie. When she gets caught by the agents Ray Nicolet and Mark Dargus with ten thousand dollars and cocaine in her purse, they propose a deal to her to help them to arrest Ordell in exchange of her freedom. Meanwhile Ordell asks the 56-year-old Max Cherry, who runs a bail bond business, to release Jackie Brown with the intention of eliminating her. Jackie suspects of Ordell's intention and plots a complicated confidence game with Max to steal half a million dollars from Ordell.

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Plot Keywords:

money | gun | flight attendant | gun dealer | bail bondsman | 

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Taglines:

This Christmas, Santa's Got A Brand New Bag

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong language, some violence, drug use and sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 December 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Rum Punch

Filming Locations:

Venice Beach, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$9,292,248, 28 December 1997, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$39,673,162

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$74,727,492

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax, A Band Apart, Lawrence Bender Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

154 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (CFI)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson, and Robert De Niro have all co-starred with Sharon Stone. Grier in Above the Law (1988), Jackson in Sphere (1998) and De Niro in Casino (1995). Incidentally, if Above the Law (1988) had its alternate title "Nico", then all three films would be one word titles.

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Goofs

When Sharonda is talking to Jackie in the mall, Jackie's hand enters frame to put out her cigarette. When the camera cuts back to Jackie, she still has it.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Girl at Security Gate: Flight 710 to Cabo San Lucas, now boarding Gate 103, first class only. Flight 710, Cabo San Lucas, now boarding Gate 103. First class only.
Jackie Brown: [greeting passengers] Buenos dias. Welcome aboard. Welcome aboard.

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Crazy Credits

A copyright notice appears under the title at the beginning of the movie--a common practice for low-budget movies in the 1960s and '70s but very uncommon for 1997.

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Alternate Versions

The following deleted scenes are included on the DVD:

• Extended scene with Jackie/Sheronda in the mall's food court.
• Extended scene with Jackie and Ray in the diner.
• A scene where Louis and Ordell walk into the Cockatoo.
• A scene where Jackie is discussing with Max how to set up Ordell.
• An alternate "for your eyes only" scene.
• Alternate opening credits sequence.

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Connections

Referenced in Brows Held High: Cloud Atlas: Part 1 (2013)

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Soundtracks

Cissy Strut
(1969)
Written by Joseph Modeliste, Art Neville (as Arthur Neville), Leo Nocentelli,
George Porter Jr. (as George Porter)
Performed by The Meters
Courtesy of Rhino Records
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

No Fancy Fireworks needed

Contrary to Pulp Fiction which had a very unusual editing and flashy situations, Jackie Brown focuses more on characters that are basically humans with very focused problems, for instance getting older which is an eminent theme tackled in the film. No one's evil in all this. They all have interestingly real personalities and I felt strangely comfortable watching them talk, eat, kill and argue with each other. Tarantino is an excellent storyteller and I wish I could write dialogues as interesting as his. The film flows with a slower pace than Pulp, with all it's many streched takes and lenghty scenes, but by doing so leaves us more time to grasp the characters with all their differences. A more mature Tarantino. Still loving what he does. And he said it himself before the film came out: "This one is at a lower volume then 'Pulp.' It's not an epic, it's not an opera. It's a character study."