Jackie Brown

Icon of blaxploitation cinema Pam Grier calls the shots in the follow-up to Quentin Tarantino's mega hit Pulp Fiction.

Mistrust, suspicion, and double-crossing abound. Federal agents bust flight attendant Jackie Brown (Pam Grier) for smuggling cash into the country on behalf of dangerous arms dealer Ordell Robbie (Samuel L. Jackson), but when they discover narcotics in her luggage things take a more serious turn.

Awaiting trial and bailed out of jail, Jackie discovers an ally in the middle-aged bail bondsman Max Cherry (Robert Forster) just as the federal agents, Ordell Robbie, and the threat of prison time circle around.

Curator's Note

Adapted from Elmore Leonard’s 1992 novel Rum Punch, Jackie Brown is Tarantino’s homage to the blaxploitation cinema of the 1970s and a tribute to one of its feistiest stars – Pam Grier (Coffy, Foxy Brown). Within Tarantino's oeuvre, the film marks a significant side-step, dialing down with the stylistic excesses of his earlier films giving more oxygen to Grier's cool-as-ice performance. The film sparked a major resurgence in her career leading to roles in The L Word (2004–09) and Jane Campion's Holy Smoke! (1999).