Jackie Brown Case Study

Jackie Brown Case Study

How Tarantino uses generic conventions in 'Jackie Brown'

Jackie Brown

Director: Quentin Tarantino 

Writers: Quentin Tarantino (written for screen) , Elmore Leonard (novel)

Stars: Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Di Niro, Robert Forster, Bridget Fonda, Michael Keaton 

Rating: 7.5/10 based upon the ratings of 179006 IMDb users 

Story line 

44 year old flight attendant Jackie Brown gets caught with gun dealer Ordell Robbie's money and to get the ATF off her back she sets up Ordell with her new friend, a bail bondsman named Max Cherry. But what the ATF doesn't know, is that they are part of her wild plan to get Ordell's half million dollars and get off scott free. However, she has to do it under the noses of both Ordell, the ATF man and a local cop. What she doesn't know is Ordell's blonde beach bunny wants the money for herself as does Ordell's ex-con friend.

The title sequence at the beginning of Jackie Brown is one of the longest in film history, for a vast quantity of the title sequence a tracking shot is used. During the title sequence Tarantino establishes the character of Jackie as a very strong and independent woman who is comfortable within herself. The way in which Tarantino does this is never taking the camera angle above her shoulder line because this means we are never looking down on her. Tarantino uses a low angle shot to establish her presence and amount of power. I feel that this is a useful convention used by Tarantino because it shows that Jackie is her own woman and goes against stereotypical views about women in Thrillers, the history being that women should been seen and not heard and Jackie challenges this throughout the film and defies this stereotypical view. Jackie's posture is sophisticated and she looks confident in her own body which shows her importance in her job role.

In the opening title sequence the camera never leaves Jackie at any point and is always solely fixed on her, the audience get the feel that they need to keep an eye on her throughout the film. In this particular shot Jackie is shown to be wearing high heels and her work uniform,this makes her look like a femme fatale because she looks seductive and like a strong woman. The fact that Tarantino has got Jackie walking the opposite way to the majority of the crowd suggests to us an audience that she isn't afraid to stand out in her surrounding environment. Jackie's posture is very upright and sophisticated in this shot which makes her look confident in her own body which is an important factor in her job role. The film title is based around this one character which shows she has priority over other characters in the film and is an important character. These long tracking shots show that she is the center of attention.

The other main female character in Jackie Brown is Melanie. Similar to the character of Jackie Melanie is a strong willed and confident character. Even though Melanie is dominated by two strong minded male characters in the film she still shows no real fear towards them and isn't afraid to voice her opinion and do what she wants to.

Melanie is pictured wearing a bright coloured bikini in this shot which makes her figure look eye catching and interesting, it also shows that she is vibrant and bold as an individual. By drawing the audiences eyes to her body it creates a smaller status and draws attention away from her speech and focuses on her body. The representation of Melanie is generic to the thriller genre because it is put across to us as an audience that she doesn't hold much authority or status, this is done by showing a close up of her hands and feet on the table before focusing on her face.




In this scene of Jackie Brown the audience is introduced to the two characters Robbie and Louis who later go onto play key roles within the film. The first impression we get of the two characters is that they are very laid back/lazy due to their slouched posture. The two characters are sat watching a program titled 'Girls with Guns'. When watching the program the two seem to be more focused on the guns rather than the half naked girls pictured, this suggests that they are more interested in the guns which is downgrading to women and fits the generic convention of women in thrillers. We also get hints that these two men could be involved in a lot of illegal, hit men type work as Robbie seems to have a large amount of knowledge about the guns in the film which suggests he either deals with them or uses them himself. During this scene Melanie is in the room also but no conversation is made with her what so ever therefore this suggests that they don't value her opinion on what is being discussed and yet again backs up the historical convention that women should be seen and not heard. They order Melanie to refill their drinks whenever required, much like a waitress and also to answer the phone for them which displays dominance on the male behalf.



In this shot a low angle shot is used from the boot of the car looking up words at the Ordell and his victim. The shot is purposely filmed from the boot of the car as that is where the victim has just come from and Tarantino wants us to get an impression of what it felt like for him, it also creates a claustrophobic atmosphere which then creates an uncertain atmosphere. The camera shows the two characters with a pitch black backdrop, this chiaroscuro lighting creates a sense of fear. The contrast of the two colours black and white is used to great effect here as the deadly weapon stands out more as it clearly displayed on a white backdrop. This means the gun will clearly become a vital prop in for the rest of the film which creates suspense for the audience. Finally a generic thriller convention in this shot that Tarantino uses throughout his films are props. in this case the monstrous, intimidating gun being held by Ordell, a gun being a very common prop being used in Thriller films



This is the scene in which Ordell murder Beaument. In this scene of the film an extreme long shot is used, this suggests a certain isolation and solitude about the character of Ordell because a large empty space is shown with just Ordell and his car. This connotes how detached from the world he is and how far away he is from humanity (emphasized by the long shot). The long shot helps to establish a location for the audience, in this case a dark and deserted wide pan of land; a perfect location to carry out such a murder.