Homework 9/21 - Jackie Brown

Jackie Brown

By Quentin Tarantino

     One of the few things I would edit in Tarantino's Jackie Brown would be a bit more emphasis on the importance Louis's (Robert DeNiro)character, who aside from being a character who got out of a two month sigh four year sentence and is pretty much with a mental and physical clean appearance, almost like a new child as well as Ordell's (Samuel Jackson)calm and almost reasonable friend. Aside from DeNiro's character, most of the characters are pretty well written, especially the interaction between Jackie and Max as two forty-something year olds who are past their movie genre time. The theme Tarantino decided to stick with is excellent of a cast type of characters who are way passed their 70's Black Urban genre movie trying to adjust to present day society. The character Tarantino wrote about Jackie Brown has caught perfectly the essence of the strong, independent black woman who has aged passed her “prime” as well as Max's courageous and strong male character, but is clearly wise due to age, but slow with physical action.

     If it was me directing the movie, I would possibly emphasize more on the relationship and character development between Louis and Ordell. Ordell's character is something easy to view and understand without it having to be explained: Ordell's relationship to Jackie and to Max is that he is seductive and manipulative to all of the characters in the movie, however with Louis, Ordell seems to look at him as his confidant and someone to express all his inner most thoughts and plans and doing so without having to show signs of weakness. He also heavily trusts Ordell in the responsibility of watching over his house and taking care of Melanie, a woman who is in her thirties and passed her prime of being “all that” to businessmen and having everything handed to her on a silver plate because of her twenty year old looks, but as of now, she's been with Ordell smoking pot and answer phones for him. Louis's character is a quiet, almost child like character in the body of a forty-something year old who doesn't say much, but is willing to listen to everybody as to catch up on the things he missed during his time in prison.

     The themes in the movie, which is about a group of characters from the olden Black Urban movie genres living in present day society, and are still trying to capture the highlight of their youth is perfectly executed in my opinion and doesn't need much fixing, it has been shown well with the character of Max, for example, who might have aged greatly, but still has a smart, if not sharper, wit to him to stop criminals and the character Jackie Brown herself is someone who is well aware that she is passed her peak and is already in her forties, but is still capable of being the brilliant, sharp wit, and foxy woman even in her current age, and to me, that doesn't need to be emphasized as much as it's already been in the movie.