Jackie Brown (1997)
87%RT Audience Score: 85%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
8 wins & 24 nominations total
Although somewhat lackadaisical in pace, Jackie Brown proves to be an effective star-vehicle for Pam Grier while offering the usual Tarantino wit and charm
Jackie Brown is like a fine wine, it only gets better with age. Tarantino’s twisty comedy of betrayal and greed is a must-watch for any movie lover. Pam Grier shines in her titular role as a money-smuggling flight attendant, and the witty dialogue and respectable body count will keep you on the edge of your seat. Plus, who doesn’t love a good blaxploitation throwback? It may be a bit long, but trust me, every second is worth relishing. So sit back, grab some popcorn, and enjoy the ride.
Production Company(ies)
Columbia Pictures, Pascal Pictures, Marvel Studios,
Distributor
Buena Vista International [us], Miramax Films
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Sam’s Hofbrau Strip Club – 1751 E. Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for strong language, some violence, drug use and sexuality
Year of Release
1997
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital SDDS
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Aspect ratio:1.37 : 1 (original ratio)
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Runtime:2h 35m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Dec 25, 1997 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 20, 2002
Genre(s)
Crime/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Pam Grier, Samuel L Jackson, Robert Forster, Bridget Fonda, Michael Keaton, Robert De Niro, directed by Quentin Tarantino, written by Elmore Leonard and Quentin Tarantino, crime, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Michael Wilmington, Jay Carr, Jason Bailey, Candice Frederick, David Ansen, Jonathan Rosenbaum, R rating, Buena Vista International, Miramax Films, produced by Lawrence Bender, SDDS, Dolby Digital, Surround, 35mm, flight attendant, arms dealer, agent, detective, bondsman, betrayal, greed, money smuggling, double-cross, underworld, blaxploitation, witty dialogue, effective star-vehicle, Tarantino wit and charm
Worldwide gross: $39,673,807
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $73,955,184
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,166
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 8,064,906
US/Canada gross: $39,673,162
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $73,953,982
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 896
US/Canada opening weekend: $9,292,248
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $17,321,502
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 725
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $12,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $22,368,970
Production budget ranking: 1,312
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $12,045,691
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $39,540,523
ROI to date (est.): 115%
ROI ranking: 882
Samuel L. Jackson – Ordell Robbie
Robert Forster – Max Cherry
Bridget Fonda – Melanie Ralston
Michael Keaton – Ray Nicolette
Robert De Niro – Louis Gara
Director(s)
Quentin Tarantino
Writer(s)
Elmore Leonard, Quentin Tarantino
Producer(s)
Lawrence Bender
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
8 wins & 24 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (86) | Top Critics (24) | Fresh (75) | Rotten (11)
A twisty comedy of betrayal and greed.
February 4, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/4
Michael Wilmington
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
Surprisingly, Tarantino displays less confidence assembling it than he did in the earlier film. At more than two hours, it’s simply too long, or at least it seems so.
April 27, 2018
Jay Carr
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
‘Jackie Brown’ may be the only Quentin Tarantino movie that gets noticeably better with each viewing.
January 2, 2018
Jason Bailey
Vice
TOP CRITIC
Pam Grier is at her best recapturing the type of role that made her a bonafide star in ’70s blaxploitation movies like Foxy Brown…
September 12, 2017 | Rating: A
Candice Frederick
Reel Talk Online
TOP CRITIC
The tale is filled with funny, gritty Tarantino lowlife gab and a respectable body count, but what is most striking is the film’s gallantry and sweetness.
March 13, 2007
David Ansen
Newsweek
TOP CRITIC
Quentin Tarantino puts together a fairly intricate and relatively uninvolving money-smuggling plot, but his cast is so good that you probably won’t feel cheated.
March 13, 2007
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Grier and Jackson are excellent, while Forster steals the entire picture with his understated turn — he earned the film’s sole Oscar nomination, for Best Supporting Actor.
November 1, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
Episode 45: The Farewell / Jackie Brown / Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
October 4, 2021 | Rating: 85/100
Taylor Baker
Drink in the Movies
Jackie Brown is about two-and-a-half hours long, but it zips by like a film half that length, and every second the iconic Pam Grier is on screen in her titular role as a money-smuggling flight attendant is a second worth relishing.
September 13, 2021
D. Patrick Rodgers
Nashville Scene
[Quentin] Tarantino knows his way around a script, but this is something special that goes beyond witty dialogue.
May 4, 2020 | Rating: 4/4
Tom Meek
Cambridge Day
Grace is all about second chances, so from that perspective, Jackie Brown is a film filled with grace.
April 1, 2020
Ed Travis
Hollywood Jesus
We need more referents like her. Superheroine, superwoman. Thus spoke Zarathustra; This is how Nietzsche described it. [Full review in Spanish]
February 8, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
Guillem Martinez Oya
Cinematismo…
Plot
The middle-aged stewardess Jackie Brown smuggles money from Mexico to Los Angeles for the arms dealer Ordell Robbie. When she gets caught by the agents Ray Nicolet and Mark Dargus with ten thousand dollars and cocaine in her purse, they propose a deal to her to help them to arrest Ordell in exchange of her freedom. Meanwhile Ordell asks the 56-year-old Max Cherry, who runs a bail bond business, to release Jackie Brown with the intention of eliminating her. Jackie suspects of Ordell’s intention and plots a complicated confidence game with Max to steal half a million dollars from Ordell.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Robert Forster’s performance as Max Cherry earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
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