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Originally Posted by MellySingsDoom
Can't like the highlighted bit enough. These days, I tend to look at "Reservoir Dogs" with the eye of someone who's subsequentely discovered all the stuff QT's "borrowed" from for this ("The Taking Of Pelham 1-2-3", the original "Django", various Poliziotteschi efforts etc). Still have some time for "Pulp Ficton", admittedly, but for me, "Jackie Brown" is easily the best thing he's put together.
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Before I respond to this (and @demonrail666), I want to clarify that I myself was not actually disappointed by Jackie Brown at
all, and I was in the theater the day it opened, already a fledgling fanboy. What I meant earlier when I said that it disappointed people was that ... it was not like Pulp Fiction. Everyone loved Pulp Fiction, and wanted more. What they got was a more subtle and slow-burning film — a romantic story, and an adaptation no less; not a Tarantino "original." But I have never cared about that, because it's extremely rich, character-driven more than dialogue driven (like Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction), and it actually tells a more solid story than those films.
It's really the one film in the Tarantino canon that exists without cartoonish affectation or embellishment. It stretches out and allows itself to settle. I think it's definitely Tarantino's most mature film, but all these things aside, I don't think it's a better movie than Pulp Fiction, all things considered. Still, I think it stands apart from the rest of his films. It wasn't until Inglorious Basterds that he attempted to use simmering tension and subtlety to propel a film forwar again. And that movie — though very good — didn't have the the soul of Jackie Brown. I think it would be nice if he would return to this style before calling it a day.
Also, the films opens with an (unmissable) ode to the Graduate, which isn't the kind of film one thinks of when considering Tarantino's influences. But it sets you up right away for an experience that really is defined by the characters and the performances. And what a cast! Seriously.
I think the Oscars shut this movie out more out of principle than anything else. The lack of award-scene recognition did a lot to hinder QT and his rising star. It was probably because of/in response to this that we got Kill Bill, which seems so divisive among fans. That was Tarantino saying "fuck it, I'm going to have fun now and make my own brand." And yeah, since then, we haven't really seen him backtrack on this at all.