after the terminally bleak reservoir dogs and the brutally violent pulp fiction , jackie brown seems like something of a light-hearted departure for quentin tarantino . it's more of a ho-hum heist story with characters that speak the tarantino language . luckily , his showcase of actors convert every morsel of possible enjoyment onto the screen , and jackie brown has no trouble entertaining the average viewer . the story introduces us to a street-wise black woman named jackie brown ( pam grier ) , a flight attendant who smuggles money and drugs from one destination to another . she works for a bottom-of-the-barrel airline and receives a minimal salary . but one day , she is picked up by a pair of federal officials ( including michael keaton as the tough-nosed ray nicolet ) , and found with a handsome load of cash and a small bag of smuggled dope . jackie is working for a weapons dealer named ordell ( samuel l . jackson ) , who pays her bail money but suspects her of tipping off the feds about their operation . soon jackie and ordell are plotting a way to smuggle $500 , 000 through to them under nicolet's nose , with the help of ordell's oaf of a partner ( robert de niro ) and drugged-out lady friend ( bridget fonda ) . also entering the picture is a bail-bondsman named max cherry ( robert forster ) , who takes a liking to jackie and agrees at one point to make the situation even more complicated ( how i won't say ) . the big drop-off is undoubtedly the high point of jackie brown , in which numerous double-crosses take place and many clothing store bags ( filled with cash ) switch hands . it's unfortunate that tarantino takes his sweet time getting there , and doesn't offer anything extremely compelling while doing so . there are , as always , amusing exchanges between characters . the funniest repartee is between de niro and fonda , as he becomes annoyed with her constant bickering while making fun of his iq , or lack thereof . the most interesting relationship is between max and jackie . a 56-year old white bail bondsman and a 44-year old black flight attendant with believable chemistry ? you've got to commend the acting . jackie brown is a seriously dragged-out exercise enlivened by such fine acting . the film clocks in at a lengthy 2 hours , 35 minutes . tarantino's talky style manages to hold your attention heavily , but there are more than a few dramatic lapses and crucial lulls in the storyline . also , fans of the director should be prepared for a lighter side to appear . jackie brown has four major shootings , and two of those take place mostly off-screen , so don't be expecting a typical tarantino bloodbath . you can expect frequent foul language , mostly coming way of ordell , who ( much to the dismay of spike lee ) uses the `n' word as part of his regular vocabulary . the acting is the glue that holds everything together . grier , making a sudden comeback from her reign in the 1970's , is more than adequate for the title character . in fact , she's flat-out great . another comeback comes from former tv star robert forster , who does a grand job as max cherry , and is perfectly cast in doing so . michael keaton makes his presence felt , albeit in small but dignified moments , and de niro is ideal in playing the lug-head who goes over the edge . speaking of that , bridget fonda has relatively little to do as ordell's bikini-clad beach babe , and yet she manages to look fairly occupied . there's not a single sign of misplaced dialogue or snubbed line throughout the entire movie . which is a life-saver for mr . tarantino . the story barely holds together in the meantime , and we merely get a small tremor whenever there should be a defeaning earthquake . but oh well . jackie brown manages to be an enjoyable detour from quentin tarantino , even if it is lacking the glaring and original bite of his previous work . let's just hope that the director hasn't gone soft on us .
