JACKIE BROWN (1998)

Cast

Plot

It's been a long time coming and, while not as hard-hitting as Reservoir Dogs or as mirth-inducing as Pulp Fiction, "Jackie Brown" is (probably) Tarantino's finest movie yet. Adapted from novellist Elmore Leonard's Rum Punch, this is a sometimes painfully realistic trudge through the tawdry lives of several somehow-connected characters. The Jackie of the title (dazzlingly played by Pam Grier) is a world-weary, cash-smuggling air hostess trying to stay as far away as possible from both her scuzzy, gun-running paymaster (Samuel L Jackson) and the Feds. Circling them are the excellent Robert Forster's cynical bail bondsman, Bridget Fonda as a spaced-out surf chick, and a peek of Bob De Niro as a washed-up ex-con, amongst other lowlifes. Superb performances all round in this super-stylish stroll through Tarantino's underworld.