How did I not think of shortening the title to QTE's before? Thats right folks, this is now officially the "Quentin Tarantino Experiment" or for short QTE, just like those evens in video games that get you killed. The frantic style of a QTE fits Tarantino's directing style. Match made in Heaven. But you're not here for that. You're here for the next installment of my ramblings!
So after Pulp Fiction we have a three year gap until Jackie Brown takes the stage. This is the only QT movie I have never heard anyone talk about, good, bad or otherwise. I've got no prior experience with it. We're flying blind on this one folks. Let's do it.
Look at that poster for second. Pam Grier, Samuel L Jackson, Robert De Niro (Wait really? Yes Really), Michael Keaton, and Bridget Fonda. If I was a bit older I might even know who the hell Robert Forster is. I recognized him, but have no earthly idea what from. His IMDB didn't help either. I don't think I've ever seen anything else with this guy in it. Seems like a decent cast. Even QT couldn't make this bad right?
My first concern when looking at this movie was that it was QT's homage to blaxploitation movies from the 70's. Not to be racist or anything here, but is that allowed? Can a white guy pay tribute to movies that continued a tradition of stereotypes of a race that he's not? *sigh* This is gonna be rough I can tell. I want to see a Whiteploitation movie!
THERE WILL BE SPOILERS AFTER THIS. Don't worry, you're not missing much.
Here's the basic plot. Jackie Brown (Pam Grier) is a stewardess who runs money and back and forth to Mexico for gun dealer Ordell (Samuel L Jackson with a disgusting wig). After Ordell kills a former associate, the ATF gets involved...and everything goes to hell as Jackie is busted and comes up with a plan to take Ordell's money, help the ATF, and move on with her life. Louis (De Niro) is Ordell's newly paroled henchman (although we never see him do anything besides shoot someone and fuck a girl), and Bridget Fonda is one of Ordell's girls Melanie that ends up fucking Louis. There's also a bail bondsman. That's it folks, thats every relevant character. If you ask me for explanation? I honestly can't tell you. The parts of the movie that had action made no damn sense. The plan to fuck Ordell gets really complicated and I'm still not exactly sure what happened. For the rest of it, nothing happened. I'm serious. Its a shit ton of Jackie talking to people.
Speaking of the talking, I think I've established that's QT's strength right? Not in this flick. Except for Samuel L Jackson, everyone in this is completely just going through the motions, especially De Niro. About 40 minutes in and it feels like De Niro's said a total of 6 words. This bothered me the whole movie, even when he started being more involved. When you have a guy like De Niro playing a part, he HAS to be the guy in charge. Period. Guys like De Niro aren't lackeys. De Niro's get shit done. De Niros manufacture the guns and sell em to the dirty street people. So yeah. I did read this is a novel that QT adapted for the film and that could be why it was god awful. As much as I don't necessarily like his style, this felt off the entire time and that's probably why.
Other issues? Do you believe in love at first sight? Neither do I. Especially not in a 50 year old bail bondsman. Yeah well one glimpse of Jackie is all it takes for Max Cherry to start listening to old school black singers and give up his obvious pure white bread nature. I know the movie was too long already, but some sort of development would've been nice. Does he instantly fall in love with every attractive black woman he picks up from the prison? He's been a busy busy man.
The music kept distracting me. I know it was paying homage to 70s blaxploitation film music but nowadays you know what that sounds like? Porn. Straight up porn. Whenever the music came on, if Samuel L and De Niro were on screen all I could think about is how many fan fictions started exactly like this. You've ruined me internet.
The weirdest part of this movie to me was the ending. It actually ends rather pleasantly and everything wrapped up and pretty much explained. Really? After two and a half hours there are no unanswered questions? There's nothing left? A movie should leave you begging for more, not thanking the powers that be that they wrapped everything up so you dont have to write your own fan fiction where this time Max Cherry and Ordell make angry, hot interracial love. Not that I was going to do that. I swear!
With this cast and premise, I think this had the potential to be great. Truth is? It was boring. While I dislike Pulp Fiction, boring is not a word I'd ever use to describe it. The dialogue flair wasn't there, there's not really any memorable scenes (RD and PF both had scenes that will forever be ingrained in your memory, like it or not), and much like Chewbacca living on Endor it does not make sense. This one didn't spark a particularly venomous hatred like Pulp Fiction or anything, but it didn't spark anything at all.
Given that?
I give this 3 out of 10 Samuel L Jackson Bearded Goatees.
Yes this is actually how he looks in the movie.
Lets look at the score of the QTE so far:
QT-1 Oz-2
Come on Quentin, give me something to talk about. See you folks next time on the QTE for Kill Bill Volume 1.
Is white guilt supposed to make me like this movie?
-Oz
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