Jackie Brown (1997)
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The story
Jackie Brown, a flight attendant, smuggles money from Mexico into the United States for Ordell Robbie, a gun runner in Los Angeles. When Ordell's bagman is arrested, Ordell hires a bail bondsman, Max Cherry, to secure his release. Following the bagman's death, Jackie is intercepted by authorities while carrying Ordell's cash and an unknowingly included bag of cocaine. After being released on bail, she meets Max, who becomes smitten. Jackie finds herself caught between the law and the dangerous criminal underworld of the men she is working for, leading her to strike a desperate deal to keep her freedom and the money.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Jackie Brown, a flight attendant, smuggles money from Mexico into the United States for Ordell Robbie, a gun runner in Los Angeles. After Ordell's bagman, Beaumont, is murdered, Jackie is intercepted by ATF agent Ray Nicolette and LAPD detective Mark Dargus. She is jailed, but Ordell pays her bail through Max Cherry, a bail bondsman who becomes smitten with her. Jackie negotiates a deal with Ordell to smuggle the remaining $550,000 while pretending to cooperate with the police. She recruits Max to help her keep a portion of the money. A series of tense exchanges occur involving Ordell's associates, including Louis Gara and Melanie Ralston. During a planned swap, Melanie is killed by Louis, and Ordell eventually kills Louis after discovering the money is missing. In a final confrontation, Ordell holds Max at gunpoint while Jackie is present; the police, who were hiding in the back, ambush and kill Ordell. With the criminals dead, Jackie's charges are dropped, and she prepares to leave for Madrid.
- First release year
- 1997
- Runtime (minutes)
- 154
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Quentin Tarantino
- Writers
- Quentin Tarantino · writer
- Cast and characters
- Pam Grier · Jackie Brown; Samuel L. Jackson · Ordell Robbie; Robert Forster · Max Cherry; Bridget Fonda · Melanie Ralston; Michael Keaton · Ray Nicolette; Robert De Niro · Mark Dargus
- Genres
- crime; drama; thriller
- Themes
- Survival; Deception; Loyalty
- Tone and mood
- Tense; Witty
- Premise and plot tags
- Heist; Crime; Blaxploitation homage
- Source material / true-story basis
- Rum Punch by Elmore Leonard
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews and was praised for its wit and charm, while also sparking controversy regarding its use of racial slurs.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 88% · scale: percentage · review count: 97; Metacritic · score: 64 · scale: 100 · review count: 23; CinemaScore · score: B · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Supporting Actor · Nomination; Silver Bear · Best Actor · Win
- Production trivia
- The film is the only feature-length film directed by Tarantino based on another work.; The opening sequence recreates the opening of The Graduate (1967).; The film's title and character were changed from 'Burke' to 'Brown' during the adaptation process.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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