Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1558 in DVD
• Released on: 2002-09-16
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Formats: Box set, Collector's Edition, PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 148 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
The curiosity of Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown is Robert Forster's worldly wise bail bondsman Max Cherry, the most alive character in this adaptation of Elmore Leonard's Rum Punch. The Academy Awards saw it the same way, giving Forster the film's only nomination. The film is more "rum" than "punch" and will certainly disappoint those who are looking for Tarantino's trademark style. This movie is a slow, decaffeinated story of six characters glued to a half million dollars brought illegally into the country. The money belongs to Ordell (Samuel L Jackson), a gunrunner just bright enough to control his universe and do his own dirty work. His just-paroled friend--a loose term with Ordell--Louis (Robert De Niro) is just taking up space and could be interested in the money. However, his loyalties are in question between his old partner and Ordell's doped-up girl (Bridget Fonda). Certainly Fed Ray Nicolette (Michael Keaton) wants to arrest Ordell with the illegal money. The key is the title character, a late-40-ish flight-attendant (Pam Grier) who can pull her own weight and soon has both sides believing she's working for them. The end result is rarely in doubt, and what is left is two hours of Tarantino's expert dialogue as he moves his characters around town.

Tarantino changed the race of Jackie and Ordell, a move that means little except that it allows Tarantino to heap on black culture and language, something he has a gift and passion for. He said this film is for an older audience although the language and drug use may put them off. The film is not a salute to Grier's blaxploitation films beyond the musical score. Unexpectedly the most fascinating scenes are between Grier and Forster: glowing in the limelight of their first major Hollywood film after decades of work. --Doug Thomas

Amazon.co.uk Review
The curiosity of Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown is Robert Forster's worldly wise bail bondsman Max Cherry, the most alive character in this adaptation of Elmore Leonard's Rum Punch. The film is more "rum" than "punch", though, with a slow, decaffeinated story of six characters glued to a half million dollars brought illegally into the country. The money belongs to Ordell (Samuel L Jackson), a gunrunner just bright enough to control his universe and do his own dirty work. His just-paroled friend Louis (Robert De Niro) is just taking up space and could be interested in the money. However, his loyalties are in question between his old partner and Ordell's doped-up girl (Bridget Fonda). Certainly Federal Agent Ray Nicolette (Michael Keaton) wants to arrest Ordell with the illegal money. The key is the title character, a late-40-ish flight-attendant (Pam Grier) who can pull her own weight and soon has both sides believing she's working for them.

Tarantino changed the race of Jackie and Ordell, a move that means little except that it allows him to heap on black culture and language, something he has a gift and passion for, though the film is not a salute to Grier's blaxploitation films beyond the soundtrack. Unexpectedly the most fascinating scenes are between Grier and Forster: glowing in the limelight of their first major Hollywood film after decades of work. --Doug Thomas

Special Features

• Quentin Tarantino Introduction
  
• Soundtrack Chapter Selection
  
• Original Documentary: How It Went Down
  
• A Look Back At Jackie Brown: Interview With Quentin Taratino
  
• Chicks And Guns video
  
• Deleted Scenes
  
• Alternate Scenes
  
• Siskel And Ebert At The Movies: Jackie Brown review
  
• Jackie Brown on MTV
  
• Theatrical Trailers
  
• TV Spots
  
• Still Galleries
  
• Reviews
  
• Articles
  
• Filmographies
  
• Robert Forster Trailers
  
• Pam Grier Radio Spots
  
• Pam Grier Trailers

DVD Technical Information:

• Aspect Ratio: 2.35 Wide Screen
  
• Language: English
  
• Region Code: 2
  
• Audio: DTS 5.1

Customer Reviews

slow crime drama
In Tarantino's third film, Pam Grier stars as Jackie Brown, who is arrested for bringing illegal money into the country which ultimately takes her into a case involving one of her close friends, gun dealer Ordell (Jackson).

Once again covering the crime genre, Tarantino brings the characters and plot to life with cutting edge direction, and specific writing in a great portrayal of the crime world.

A lot of crime films focus upon action and car chases at every possible opportunity but this crime drama exploits the more specific details of what gun dealers and police are like with the unnecessary action. In admiring the realism of this concept, it does last for the entire film with hardly any action and can trail off waiting for something big to happen.

This may be off putting for many action viewers but the direction, script, dialogue and characters are good enough to give that little extra to put this film right up with Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill.

The acting is excellent by all involved. I particularly enjoyed De Niro's (Raging Bull) performance, in perhaps an underrated role for the legendary actor. Samuel L Jackson is again good, but not as powerful as he was in his Oscar nominated role in Pulp Fiction. His character is intriguing to watch and develop as the film progresses into a more personal stage, but with the lack of action and suspense, the characters sometimes end up being a bit dull, all except for De Niro and Grier, who are the stars of the show.

Grier takes centre stage as the air hostess who is under the spotlight from everyone in this film and Brown's actions and skilful planning are a joy to watch and the zest in her actions make up for the lack of suspense and action.

Not Tarantino's best film, but nevertheless great portrayal of real life crime with a good sophisticated plot that will keep viewers intrigued t the very end.

8/10

Outstanding
The film is outstanding.

The memorable opening sequence is typical of the film's mastery of creativity and imagination. A fantastic casting of Pam Grier, Robert De Niro, Samuel L Jackson, Michael Keaton and Robert Forster in a sterling plot and dialogue with plenty of surprises. And it has so much energy to it - at the end of the day, this is the best movie produced by Tarantino.

It is impressive to see it was written by him also. It has a reveting, captivating and outstanding plot so much better than all the Director's other films.

It would be criminal to describe the plot but it has incredible vibrancy maintained throughout. It's always been heavily underrated, but everyone knows this is Tarantino's brilliance because his team manages to make it more crazy and impressive by focusing on storytelling, creativity and pace. That is what will make this film a classic, unlike Pulp Fiction (1996), Kill Bill (2004,3) and Reservoir (1992) which have not been able to equal this film. It's a worthy recommendation for the American National Film Registry - far more worthy than all the Director's other works.

What are you saying?....Tarantino's world is a cool place,
If you were to take this film, and compare it to Tarantino's earlier work, you'd never guess they came from the same director and yes baby he did a great job with "Jackie." This is one of those films which is strange but yet captivating. You'll definitely feel as though you are watching a "Blaxploitation" flick to the point that you'll be wondering what corner Richard Roundtree was hiding behind.

Tarantino slows down a little and shows his skill at plotting an entertaining tale that doesn't tax your patience. In here, you do get less blood and more characterizations than usual and is unlike either of his first 2 movies. In Jackie Brown, Tarantino takes us for a ride as we follow Jackie Brown (Pam Grier), a flight attendant helping an arms dealer named Ordell Robbie (Samuel L. Jackson) get money where it needs to be. After a flight, she is pull aside by two cops, one being Ray Nicolet (Michael Keaton), who find the cash she is smuggling in for Ordell. Now she faces jail time and Ordell must get rid of somebody who might snitch. What happens now is the bail bondsman Max Cherry (Robert Forster) and Brown team up to mess with Ordell and his two pot smoking companions, Melanie (Bridget Fonda) and Louis Gara (Robert De Niro). Now it's a nice plot of how Ordell wants the half a million dollars he has coming to him with these arms deals and how Jackie Brown is the only connection between Ordell and the police and Cherry.

This movie received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor (Robert Forster) and many good reviews. Forster isn't the only one giving a great performance. De Niro, Fonda, Jackson, Grier, Keaton, even Chris Tucker who is in the movie for probably less than five or ten minutes gives a notable performance. The whole ensemble is incredibly well casted and deserves to be recognized.

However, this movie is uniquely Quentin T. and exhibits his versatile film making style. When he directs he allows his imagination free rein to experiment and explore. Each of his directorial efforts has been unique, and "Jackie Brown" is another successful experiment. This movie does have great dialogue. Not surprising considering this WAS an Elmore Leonard book with Tarantino doing the scripting. Both men have quite a talent for what they do. It is also clear that Tarantino loves what he does, sometimes a little too much.

I have the soundtrack and just loved it. If you own it you will see how great the songs fit in and the dialogue. Loved the scene when they're all going to the mall at the end, and DeNiro's car is playing "Midnight Confession," and Forster's car is playing the Delfonics, "Didn't I Blow Your Mind" (a song that desperately needed re-discovery, thank you Quentin), and Jackie's car is playing "Street life!" and when Robert Forster first meets Jackie as he's bailing her out and "Natural High" comes on!!!!. Yes, QT is BRILLIANT when it comes to the use of music in his films and soundtracks. At the end of this, all the adventures and bizarre paths taken by these characters converge into a great film. What more can I say but to highly recommended this film along with the soundtrack.