Runtime:
154 minutes
Directed
by: QT
Starring:
The Great Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Forster, Robert De
Niro, Bridget Fonda
From:
Miramax
Before last night, I had only seen this once (many years ago) and I
was “meh” about it. I now realize how mistaken I was. The second viewing
was at the Florida Film Festival, an annual event I've talked about
before. This screening was unique as there in person was PAM GRIER.
After the movie she spoke for more than an hour; she did not sling any
dirt or bury anyone she used to work with. Instead she spoke about her
career and also gave advice to aspiring actors; it was nice getting to
see that lovely lady in person and hear what she had to say... from
living a rural life in Colorado (as she grew up in rural Colorado) to
dealing with the likes of Richard Pryor and one night, a drunken John
Lennon.
As for the movie, I now fully appreciate this tale of how the title character tries to get out of a sticky jam where she was caught running money from Mexico to California and this involves gun runners, a bail bondsman, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms. The cast is great and Grier was able to deliver among all the talent she worked with. It was also nice seeing her and Robert Forster get major roles in a major movie as they both had many lean years when it came to high profile work; the Sid Haig cameo was pretty great too. The main cast all did a swell job but the way that De Niro disappeared into his role as a guy who just got out of prison for bank robbery... and it was right to question how that buffoon character could even successfully rob a bank.
I have never read the Elmore Leonard story Rum Punch that this was based on but QT seemed to do a nice job adapting that into a compelling film. All the characters were interesting, including Samuel L. Jackson's (and his hair's) role as Ordell Robbie. Last night's crowd especially loved one interaction where Brown gets one up on Robbie and you can probably guess which moment I am referring to. Naturally, the soundtrack is tremendous and as it's mainly older songs, yep the soundtrack was quite enjoyable to me; The Delfonics especially get a nice nod as their music is a plot point.
What a fool I was for not liking this too much way back when; I can't even fully articulate why I was down on it before. This go-around I was more impressed and the 2 ½ hours flew by; plus, the movie being subdued concerning violence and everything else (at least by Tarantino standards) was fine with me. I do not know if it was the theatrical experience that won me over or not; at least I now have a positive impression of Jackie Brown and the entire evening of the movie plus seeing Pam Grier in person was great.
As for the movie, I now fully appreciate this tale of how the title character tries to get out of a sticky jam where she was caught running money from Mexico to California and this involves gun runners, a bail bondsman, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms. The cast is great and Grier was able to deliver among all the talent she worked with. It was also nice seeing her and Robert Forster get major roles in a major movie as they both had many lean years when it came to high profile work; the Sid Haig cameo was pretty great too. The main cast all did a swell job but the way that De Niro disappeared into his role as a guy who just got out of prison for bank robbery... and it was right to question how that buffoon character could even successfully rob a bank.
I have never read the Elmore Leonard story Rum Punch that this was based on but QT seemed to do a nice job adapting that into a compelling film. All the characters were interesting, including Samuel L. Jackson's (and his hair's) role as Ordell Robbie. Last night's crowd especially loved one interaction where Brown gets one up on Robbie and you can probably guess which moment I am referring to. Naturally, the soundtrack is tremendous and as it's mainly older songs, yep the soundtrack was quite enjoyable to me; The Delfonics especially get a nice nod as their music is a plot point.
What a fool I was for not liking this too much way back when; I can't even fully articulate why I was down on it before. This go-around I was more impressed and the 2 ½ hours flew by; plus, the movie being subdued concerning violence and everything else (at least by Tarantino standards) was fine with me. I do not know if it was the theatrical experience that won me over or not; at least I now have a positive impression of Jackie Brown and the entire evening of the movie plus seeing Pam Grier in person was great.
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