DVD Reviews

Jackie Brown - Blu-ray Review

By Jeff Swindoll Oct 20, 2011, 13:09 GMT

Quentin Tarantino presents the premiere of the "Jackie Brown Collector\'s Series DVD", complete with your favorite award-winning movie, all-star cast, and never-before-seen footage. What do a sexy stewardess (Pam Grier), a street-tough gun runner (Samuel L. Jackson), a lonely bail bondsman (Academy Award(R)-nominee Robert Forster), a shifty ex-con (Robert DeNiro), an earnest federal agent (Michael Keaton), and a stoned-out beach bunny (Bridget Fonda) have in common? They\'re six players on ...more

Quentin Tarantino’s love letter to Pam Grier arrives on Blu-ray and is as stunning as the lady herself. 

Jackie Brown’s (Pam Grier) past indiscretions keep her stewardess career with a low-end airline.  However, she supplements her salary by being a mule for drug dealer Ordell Robbie (Samuel L. Jackson), who is itching for retirement but needs a cool million to do so. 

Those plans come into danger when Ordell’s worker Beaumont (Chris Tucker) is arrested and Ordell thinks that he’ll squeal to ATF agent Ray Nicolette (Michael Keaton) to avoid jail time.  Ordell makes arrangements with bail bondsman Max Cherry (Robert Forster) to get Beaumont out so that he can be dealt with. 

Information was handed over to the authorities, but it ends up with a non-cooperative Jackie getting caught.  Ordell has Max bond her out, but Max finds himself attracted to her. 

The plan to dispose of Jackie goes wrong, but it evolves into another plan for Jackie to smuggle the funds, with Melanie (Bridget Fonda), Louis (Robert De Niro), and Sheronda (Lisa Gay Hamilton), that will get Ordell enough money to finally retire.  Jackie and Max have other plans.

Quentin Tarantino adapts Elmore Leonard’s novel Rum Punch for blaxploitation icon Pam Grier.  The film is certainly a love letter to the foxy lady and Tarantino is not too shy to show it with several references to those pictures.  It would also feature a showy performance by Robert Forster that would lead to him getting a nomination for best supporting actor. 

Both would find their careers revived by Tarantino’s attentions.  Both actors rise to the occasion.  Since the film has its own theme of second chances it is fitting that Hollywood would look at them the same way as the film revived both careers.  Jackson also shines as does the other characters. 

The film features more linear storytelling than Pulp Fiction did, but it’s still compelling.  A fine follow-up to Pulp Fiction with some powerhouse characters and acting. 

Jackie Brown is presented in a 1080p high definition transfer (1.85:1).  Special features include the 43 minute “Breaking down Jackie Brown” (high definition, the remainder of special features are standard) with a roundtable of critics discussing the film, a trivia track, soundtrack chapters that let you jump to the music in the movie, the 39 minute “Jackie Brown: How it went Down” making of, the 54 minute “A Look Back at Jackie Brown” interview with Tarantino, the 5 minute “Chicks with Guns” full infomercial as seen in the film, the 4 minute Siskel and Ebert review of the movie, 15 minutes of MTV features on the film, trailers and TV spots, still galleries, 15 minutes of deleted and alternate scenes, and you get over an hour of vintage Grier and Forster trailers and some Grier radio spots. 

Jackie Brown did wonders for Forster and Grier, but also showed that Tarantino was here to stay.  The two pictures are very different but each is a quality production. 

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