He had a great cast here, so the problem wasn't that. You got Robert De Niro, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Keaton (who's always cool, despite the movie he's in), and Bridget Fonda. Thankfully, you don't ever see Quentin once in front of the camera. Pam Grier wasn't bad at all, but I don't know if she was ready for top billing.
The actor I probably enjoyed watching most was Robert Forster as "Max Cherry," the bail bondsman. He's one of those actors who has been in about 50 movies, and never really made a big name for himself. He plays a decent, older guy who's sick of his job and wants out. He plays the role very well, with a "whatever, been there, done that" attitude.
At times, I laughed, but not as much as I woulda expected from a Tarantino film. I think that the blame ultimately goes to the writer, and although it was based on "Rum Punch," a book written by Elmore Leonard, it's Tarantino's script that's at fault. He's a brilliant writer, but I think that he tried too hard to be "professional." As for the way it was directed, I loved it. Quentin did things that few would have the balls to do, and he did it beautifully.
Quentin Tarantino
is one of the most talented people in Hollywood (I know, I know. He's a
rip-off artist and all that... the opening credits in "Jackie Brown" is
VERY reminiscent of the opening credits of "The Graduate," by the way).
As talented as he is though, he's bound to slip. I think that "Jackie Brown"
is his slip. Maybe his next one will blow me away like "Reservoir Dogs"
did.