JACKIE BROWN – The Blu Review

Praised with “4 stars,” (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times), Tarantino’s feature film JACKIE BROWN earned a 1997 Oscar® nomination for supporting actor Robert Forster (Mulholland Drive), three Golden Globe nominations (including Best Musical/Comedy) and an NAACP Image Award nomination for Pam Grier’s performance. An all-star cast joins Grier and Forster, including Samuel L. Jackson, Robert DeNiro, Michael Keaton and Bridget Fonda in Tarantino’s adaptation of the novel by Elmore Leonard (3:10 to Yuma, Out of Sight).

A sexy flight attendant (Grier) is caught in a plot between the police and an arms dealer, and everyone’s looking for the payoff. There are six unlikely players on the trail for a big score – a half million dollars in cash. But alliances are shaky when its unclear who is playing and who is getting played.

JACKIE BROWN is not my favorite from Tarantino’s vault, but it’s still a damn good film. Don’t get me wrong, I like the film, but this is a bit slower in pace than his other films… to me anyway. The film is not cut the way Tarantino’s other films are, so it’s often forgotten about. Still, this film is worth a look. Despite how the film is cut, the classic Tarantino wit, sarcasm, and violence are all present. Grier, as always, is impeccable as Jackie Brown. I certainly wouldn’t mess with her! Add the star-studded cast – Samuel L. Jackson, Robert De Niro, Bridget Fonda, Robert Forster, and Michael Keaton – and this film is a force to be reckoned with. The soundtrack, as always, is amazing. I could ramble on and on about this film, but this film has been reviewed a million times over, so let’s get to the review of the Blu-Ray!

Tarantino made sure that this film was presentable, and that this Blu-Ray is packed with lots of extra’s for the fans!

VIDEO:

The 1080p transfer to 1.85:1 film is beautifully done. To date, this is Tarantino’s only use of 1.85:1 framing for an entire film. The colors are much brighter than the dvd, and the picture is much more crisp and vibrant.

Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1

AUDIO:

Crisp and clear, viewers can now experience JACKIE BROWN like never before. The dialog sounds top notch, and is complimented by an impeccable soundtrack. There are a few spots that sound off, or even a bit lost, but it doesn’t effect the viewing experience for the film as a whole.

English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1

SPECIAL FEATURES

• “BREAKING DOWN JACKIE BROWN”  – Critic’s Retrospective: Roundtables with film critics Elivis Mitchell, Scott Foundas, Stephanie Zacharek, Tim Lucas, and Andy Klein. Although the critics offer up little criticism, there are some pretty interesting topics that they focus on. This is worth watching.
• “JACKIE BROWN: HOW IT WENT DOWN” Retrospective Featuring Interviews  with Quentin Tarantino, Pam Grier, Robert Forster, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert De Niro, Bridget Fonda, Michael Keaton, Elmore Leonard and Crew: Presented in ten parts, this feature touches on everything from adapting the script from the book, to one-on-one’s with the cast. Although it’s got a bit of filler, it’s still a great bonus feature.
• “A LOOK BACK AT JACKIE BROWN” Interview With Quentin Tarantino: What more could one ask for than an hour long interview with Quentin Tarantino? Sure, he’s a bit random and scatterbrained, but it’s always fun to hear him talk.
• “CHICKS WITH GUNS” Video: This is what was on the TV in the film. Now you get to see ‘CHICKS WITH GUNS” in all it’s glory! HOORAY!
• SISKEL & EBERT “AT THE MOVIES” : A review from the vault that is Siskel & Ebert.
• JACKIE BROWN ON MTV: It’s just a clip from an old MTV contest. Nothing special, but MTV fans might appreciate it.
• MARKETING GALLERY: TV spots, trailers, and posters…
• STILL GALLERIES
• TRIVIA TRACK
• DELETED and ALTERNATIVE SCENES: Not much is very special about this. Most of the changes are so little, but the final cut is worth watching.
• SOUNDTRACK CHAPTERS: This is kind of neat. You can skip through to where the songs you like play in the film.
• ROBERT FORSTER TRAILERS: An assortment of trailers from Robert Forster’s career.
• PAM GRIER TRAILERS AND RADIO SPOTS: This is perfect for any Grier fan. Heck, even if you aren’t, there is some good stuff in here!

Quentin Tarantino makes sure to load this film full of bonus features to satisfy fans, and did not disappoint. Sure, most of the bonus features have been released previously, but add the impeccable audio and visual quality, and this film is worthy of your Blu-Ray collection.

OVERALL RATING: 4.25 out of 5 stars