Jackie Brown Film Review

Directed by Quentin Tarantino

Rated R for strong language, some violence, drug use and sexuality

Starring: Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Forster

Jackie Brown is often said to be director Quentin Tarantino’s most mature film due to the film not having Tarantino’s trademarks. The film doesn’t have a nonlinear story line, pop culture heavy dialogue, or even strong, bloody violence. But without those signature trademarks, Jackie Brown is an essential Tarantino film and continues to be one of his best films.

Jackie Brown stars Pam Grier, as the titular character, as an airline stewardess who is caught smuggling drugs and money over the border. In an effort to not get jail time, she works with two ATF agents (played by Michael Keaton and Michael Bowen), but at the same time works with her boss (played by Samuel L. Jackson) in a complicated double cross scheme.

What works best in Jackie Brown is the strong performances given by the A list cast. Pam Grier plays a tired stewardess who is trying to one up the people she is supposed to be working with. Her facial expressions in various scenes show how Jackie is feeling in that scene. In one of my favorite scenes, Jackie is in a dressing room and quietly stares at herself in the mirror before doing a money exchange. That scene is short and very brief, but its brilliant as we can tell what Jackie is thinking and feeling by just one look at herself in the mirror.

In addition to Grier, Samuel L. Jackson, who often collaborates with Tarantino, does an excellent job. He plays a villainous role, a type of role that Jackson doesn’t play too much. He’s terrifying and funny at the same time as the role of Ordell who is just trying to get his money from Mexico. One of Ordell’s friend is Louis (played by Robert De Niro), an ex convict who is quiet and dimwitted. It was a pleasure to see De Niro in a supporting role as a character he almost never plays. It is certainly a breath of fresh air to see De Niro take on a different character that does bring out a chuckle out of me, whether it is intentional or accidental. Finally Robert Forester plays Max Cherry, a bail bondsman who helps Jackie in her complicated scheme. The late actor brilliantly plays a character who is tired of being a bail bondsman and is trying to find something new in his life. I suspect that Cherry would normally not go along with this type of scheme, but would do it for Brown, who he secretly has a thing for.

In re watching Jackie Brown, it is shocking how fast paced the film goes, considering it is more than two and a half hours long. The film never gets dull or slow, this is due to its writer Quentin Tarantino. Tarantino is a writer known for writing dialogue and he certainly delivers with Jackie Brown. He also delivers a strong soundtrack to accompany the film. Tarantino is also known for perfectly placing fine music in his films and this one has the likes of The Delfonics, Johnny Cash, and The Supremes. With musical acts like those placed in your film, it is no wonder the film smoothly flows without any scenes dragging.

Watching Jackie Brown made me rethink the film as a whole. Many fans of Tarantino would normally rank this film low on their list because its not an iconic Tarantino film like Pulp Fiction or Inglorious Basterds is. But Jackie Brown is certainly one of Tarantino’s finest works and certainly deserves to be ranked high in the Tarantino filmography.

4/4

The Irishman Film Review

Directed by Martin Scorsese

Starring: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci

Rated R for pervasive language and strong violence

“I Heard You Paint Houses”. Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro are one of the greatest director/actor duos in the history of film. Films such as “Taxi Driver”, “Raging Bull”, and “Goodfellas” are excellent films that still hold up. The last feature film the pair made was in 1995 with “Casino”. So another collaboration between Scorsese and De Niro was overdue 24 years after “Casino”. “The Irishman” is the result of the new Scorsese and De Niro film, but is “The Irishman” as good as previous Scorsese and De Niro collaborations?

“The Irishman” is stars Robert De Niro, as Frank Sheeran, as truck driver gets involved with the mob with the help of Russell Buffalino (played by Joe Pesci). As his time in the mob, Sheeran is also involved with union leader, Jimmy Hoffa (played by Al Pacino), who infamously disappeared.

“The Irishman” has a excellent cast. Of course Robert De Niro is a legendary actor who works well with director Martin Scorsese. De Niro plays the usual character who is involved with the mob, such as “Goodfellas”. But Scorsese regular Joe Pesci is also excellent in the film, but is vastly different from we are used to seeing him. Pesci in Scorsese film is usually a mobster who is prone to anger. But in “The Irishman”, Pesci is a calm and collective mobster who doesn’t burst in anger. It was quite refreshing to see Pesci not play his usual character, but a different one who is quiet the opposite. In addition to De Niro and Pesci, Al Pacino is also quite well in the film, but there are some instances where Pacino plays his usual self. These days, the joke is how Pacino always yells in his films. This film does have Pacino yell at scenes, but it feels like a comedian doing a Pacino impersonation. Although his character was likable, scenes having Pacino yell feel like skits. Not that this is Pacino’s fault, but it feels like a tired trope.

Anyone who has seen Scorsese films know the usual tropes he likes to do. Having the long take, playing music over narration, the violence, etc. are all present in the film. I enjoyed these tropes and makes a film like this different and stand out from other films. But Scorsese films are known to be long as well, which does not bother me at all. But “The Irishman” is a very long film, clocking in around 3 and a half hours. This is a film that cannot be played in the background, it needs to be viewed without distractions. But since this film is so long, it is best viewed in two viewings. I watched the first half of the film one evening and finished the film the following day. Having the film over three hours does not mean the “The Irishman” is less of a film or should be ignored, but this is something that should be in mind when viewing the film.

“The Irishman” is also known for having a large budget, mostly due to de-aging technology used in the film for De Niro and Pesci. Unfortunately, the de-aging does yield mix results. Very early in the film, De Niro’s character is supposed to be a young man fixing a car. Pesci’s character approaches him and calls him “kid”. But De Niro looks like he was in his 50’s, so I am not sure if Pesci’s characters call everyone “kid” or if De Niro’s character was supposed to be in his 20’s or 30’s in this scene. If he was supposed to be in his 20’s or 30’s, then the film did a terrible job showing this. This technology is fairly new and I expect the technology to advance over the years, but in this instance it does not work at times.

Director Martin Scorsese returns to form by bringing back Scorsese regulars Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci in “The Irishman”. The film is filled with exceptional actors who, of course, deliver strong performances. As much as their is enjoyment in the film, the film is very long film that features de-aging technology that works well and not so well at times. “The Irishman” is a film that as good as previous Scorsese/ De Niro collaborations that is worth a watch on Netflix.

3.5/4

Joker Review

Directed by Todd Phillips

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz

Rated R for strong bloody violence, disturbing behavior, language and brief sexual images

I am in shock and awe of what director Todd Philips is able to achieve when given the right material. This is not a dig at Philips, but it proves that the director of “The Hangover” is able to make a dark and disturbing villain origin story. But “Joker” is not just a Batman villain origin story, but it’s a story that so much to say and sparks a dialogue. “Joker” takes place in the early 1980’s, but the message of the story feels so relevant to the present day.

“Joker” is the origin of Batman’s most famous villain, the Joker. Arthur Fleck (played by Joaquin Phoenix) is a middle aged man who has unfortunate events after events come into this life. Fleck has never given a golden ticket in life and is on the verge of breaking down at any moment. This is a different Joker, as we know the backstory and the reason why the Joker is what he is.

The clear standout in “Joker” is the acting abilities of Joaquin Phoenix. Phoenix had a daunting task of taking on a role that has been done multiple times, with different angles. But Phoenix’s Joker is not the same as Nicholson’s or Ledger’s or even Leto’s Joker. Mostly because the Joker is not in the film until the final act of the film. The entire film is a character study of Arthur Fleck, a mentally ill man who keeps getting beaten down by life. Phoenix’s role as the character makes him so sympathetic and makes Fleck so human. It is so unfortunate to see event after event bring down Fleck but he wants to keep a smile, as his mother tells him. His dreams of being a stand up comedian are dashed when talk show host, Murray Franklin (played by Robert De Niro) insults and berates Fleck’s comedy bit.

But back to Phoenix’s impeccable acting skills. Phoenix is almost unrecognizable as Fleck. As mentioned before, the last act of the film is Fleck as the Joker. When the Joker is on the screen, I almost forgot that Phoenix was acting on screen. There are multiple moments of Phoenix having to laugh uncontrollably, I just ponder how exactly Phoenix got into character. There is nothing but praise for Phoenix, there is not one false note in his performance and this role just reinforces the fact that Phoenix is one of the greatest actors working today. If this role doesn’t win him an Oscar, then I don’t know what will.

I also want to praise the storytelling of Todd Philips. Once again, it amazes me that the director of “Old School” was able to tell a complex story like this. Along with screenwriter Scott Silver, Philips tells more than a story of how the Joker became to be. It has a message of how mental illness should be taken seriously. Without revealing too much, Fleck visits a therapist and is given medication for his mental illness. But the city decides to cut this on their budget, therefore Fleck not having access to medication and a therapist. In addition to this, it has a comment on how a revolution is started. A viewing of the film makes this message so self explanatory, I don’t think it would be fair to talk about this point without giving any spoilers.

The supporting roles of Robert De Niro and Zazie Beetz are well executed as well. But their roles were very limited, I would love to seen more of them on screen, however, this is a character study of Arthur Fleck.But I will admit that Beetz’s role as a love interest did not add much to the film, I would have preferred more from her or the role be cut altogether. But speaking of De Niro, the final act of the film brought so much tension and suspense that I have not experienced in a long time. It felt as if I were watching a horror film.

In short, “Joker” is a career defining role for Joaquin Phoenix who brings humanity into a villainous role that has been taken on multiple times over the decades. “Joker” will leave the audience guessing what will happen next and have them ask more and more questions as the film progresses. “Joker” is not only a film that commands to be seen but it’s one of the best film of the year…thus far.

4/4