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Uppercut

by Ryan N. Wilcox

I didn't know you liked the Del Phonics There's not much question about it, Robert De Niro is one of the greatest actors Hollywood has known. He's been successful in drama, action and comedy. Sure, he doesn't poop gold. He's had a few pictures that have been less than successful, but I can easily say without a doubt my favorite De Niro character AND the biggest waste of a huge name actor is 1997's Jackie Brown. Based on the Elmore Leonard novel Rum Punch and directed by Quentin Tarantino, Jackie Brown is a fantastic flick. It features Pam Grier's comeback to the big screen, as well as Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Tucker, Bridget Fonda, and Michael Keaton (reprising the character he played in Out of Sight). Grier plays Brown, a stewardess, who is running gun money to an offshore account for Samuel L. Jackson. She gets busted by the Feds, and offers up Jackson so she can go free. We get to watch the setup, the rehearsal, and the delivery all from the seats of your living room. All of Tarantino's movies have a taste of Elmore Leonard in them. That is why I began reading his novels. They are great crime stories, and after reading many of them, you can see where Tarantino gets his ideas for characters. Now, I am not a believer in "Well, you'd like the movie better if you read the book," that's a load of crap. If I had to read the book, the director didn't do their job. However, I think it helps to understand Leonard's style to have read a few of his books in the past. There is no real climax, it reaches a constant level and holds it for a very long time. It's not the ups and downs you see in many movies. It's just steady and constant. Samuel L. Jackson plays Ordell Robbie and is one of the best bad guys in movies. In fact, I think the best movie moment of his career is in this picture. He is just sitting there with De Niro and he's thinking. He's putting all the pieces together of the story so far, figuring out all the details, and you can see those wheels turning in his head. You can see what he is thinking. Not a single word for several moments, and it's the best acting the terrific Samuel L. has done so far. He epitomizes the bad guys in many of Leonard's books and Tarantino's movies. He's one of those guys who isn't very smart, but is good at what he does. He's easily angered and quick to finish a problem with a gun. Best of all, you hate him. You just can't wait to see if he gets what he has coming to him. All he does is irritate you, and you both love and hate him for it. Pam Grier as Jackie Brown, wow, what a comeback. After several small parts over the years, she comes back with a vengeance. She's beautiful, smart, on the ball, and nails her performance. She introduces a new generation to what made her so great in the 1970's. I don't doubt that rentals of her old movies shot through the roof after this one. Oh, and Robert De Niro? As I mentioned, this is the best waste of a character in movie history. He plays an ex-con who just sits around, smokes pot, and coughs through much of the movie. It's not a small part, but you can't help but think, "Why is De Niro playing this part? He's done such great things, and now he's playing this wasteoid." Again, his performance is terrific. It's surely one of his more unusual roles. Not unrelated to other movies where he is heavily involved in crime, but the character and approach is very different than any De Niro part you've ever seen. If you hate the rest of the movie, you will love him in it. Jackie Brown kind of wraps up a great run of Tarantino movie's of the 1990's. The next movie he directed after that was Kill Bill in 2003. I believe he's still got it in him, and for him to finally get to direct an Elmore Leonard movie had to have been a dream come true for him. Leonard affected so many of his movies, I think he made a great representation of the novel, and seals up his run of true crime-like stories beautifully. Don't watch it on TBS, as the commercials will kill the movie, but please take an evening to watch this movie. You won't be disappointed.