note : some may consider portions of the following text to be spoilers . be forewarned . during the three years since the release of the groundbreaking success pulp fiction , the cinematic output from its creator , quentin tarantino , has been surprisingly low . oh , he's been busy -- doing the talk show circuit , taking small roles in various films , overseeing the production of his screenplay from dusk till dawn , making cameo appearances on television shows , providing a vignette for the ill-fated anthology four rooms -- everything , it seems , except direct another feature-length film . it's been the long intermission between projects as well as the dizzying peak which pulp fiction reached which has made mr . tarantino's new feature film , jackie brown , one of the most anticipated films of the year , and his third feature film cements his reputation as the single most important new american filmmaker to emerge from the 1990s . things aren't going well for jackie brown ( pam grier ) . she's 44 years old , stuck at a dead-end job ( " $16 , 000 a year , plus retirement benefits that aren't worth a damn " ) as a flight attendant for the worst airline in north america -- and she's just been caught at the airport by atf agent ray nicolette ( portrayed with terrific childlike enthusiasm by michael keaton ) and police officer mark dargus ( michael bowen ) smuggling $50 000 from mexico for gun-runner ordell robbie ( samuel l . jackson ) , who has her bailed out by unassuming bail bondsman max cherry ( robert forster ) . the loquacious ordell , based out of a hermosa beach house where his horny , bong-hitting surfer girl melanie ( bridget fonda ) and agreeable crony louis gara ( robert de niro ) hang out , operates under the policy that the best rat is a dead rat , and he's soon out to silence jackie brown . meanwhile , the authorities' target is ordell , and they want jackie to help them by arranging a sting to the tune of a half-million dollars . only through a series of clever twists , turns , and double-crosses will jackie be able to gain the upper hand on both of her nemeses . although jackie brown marks mr . tarantino's first produced screenplay adaptation ( based on the elmore leonard novel " rum punch " ) , there's no mistaking his distinctive fingerprints all over this film . while he's adhered closely to the source material in a narrative sense , the setting has been relocated to los angeles and the lead character's now black . in terms of ambiance , the film harkens back to the 1970s , from the wall-to-wall funk and soul music drowning the soundtrack to the nondescript look of the sets -- even the opening title credit sequence has the echo of vintage 1970s productions . the opening sequence featuring ms . grier wordlessly striding through the lax , funky music blaring away on the speakers , is emblematic of films of that era . the timeframe for the film is in fact 1995 , but the atmosphere of jackie brown is decidedly retro . of course , nothing in the film screams 1970s more than the casting of pam grier and robert forster as the two leads , and although the caper intrigue is fun to watch as the plot twists , backstabbing , and deceptions deliciously unfold , the strength of jackie brown is the quiet , understated relationship developed between jackie and max ; when they kiss , it's perhaps the most tender scene of the year . tenderness ? in a quentin tarantino film ? sure , there've been moments of sweetness in his prior films -- the affectionate exchanges between the bruce willis and maria de madeiros characters in pulp fiction and the unflagging dedication shared by the characters of tim roth and amanda plummer , or even in reservoir dogs , where a deep , unspoken bond develops between the harvey keitel and tim roth characters -- but for the most part , mr . tarantino's films are typified by manic energy , unexpected outbursts of violence , and clever , often wordy , banter . these staples of his work are all present in jackie brown , but what's new here is a different facet of his storytelling -- a willingness to imbue the film with a poignant emotional undercurrent , and a patience to draw out several scenes with great deliberation . this effective demonstration of range prohibits the pigeonholing of mr . tarantino as simply a helmer of slick , hip crime dramas with fast-talking lowlifes , and heralds him as a bonafide multifaceted talent ; he's the real deal . this new aspect of mr . tarantino's storytelling is probably best embodied in a single character -- that of the world-weary , sensitive , and exceedingly-professional max cherry , whose unspoken attraction to jackie is touching . mr . forster's nuanced , understated performance is the best in the film ; he creates an amiable character of such poignancy that when he gazes at jackie , we smile along with him . much press has been given about the casting of blaxploitation-era icon pam grier in the lead , with the wags buzzing that mr . tarantino may do for her what his pulp fiction did to bolster john travolta's then-sagging career . as it turns out , ms . grier is solid in the film's title role , although nothing here forces her to test her range . i do have to take exception to the claim that this film marks her career resurrection , though -- she's been working steadily over the years , often in direct-to-video action flicks , but also in such recent theatrical releases as tim burton's mars attacks ! and larry cohen's original gangstas ( where she first teamed up with mr . forster . ) of course , it's true that her role here was a godsend -- a meaty a part as this is rarity for * any * actress , let alone one of her age and current status in the industry . while jackie brown may disappoint those looking for another pulp fiction clone , it marks tremendous growth of mr . tarantino as a director whose horizons are rapidly expanding , and whose characterizations have never been better . and while the film's narrative doesn't really warrant a running time of 155 minutes , it's filled with such sumptuous riches , ranging from the brashness of the vivid soundtrack to entertaining , inconsequential conversations between the characters , that there wasn't an unengaging moment . with an impressive trio of feature films under his belt , it'll be interesting to see what he tries next .
