In Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown, the bail bondsman who helps Jackie is Max Cherry.
Max is played by Robert Forster, who received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for the role. He meets Jackie after she is arrested carrying money for arms dealer Ordell Robbie. Although Max initially works within the bail-bond system, he becomes sympathetic to Jackie and assists her plan to outmaneuver Ordell and the authorities.
The character is adapted from Max Cherry in Elmore Leonard’s 1992 novel Rum Punch, the source material for the film. Tarantino changed the protagonist’s name from Leonard’s character Jackie Burke to Jackie Brown, making the film a vehicle for Pam Grier, but retained Max Cherry as a central figure.
Max is sometimes remembered as Jackie’s romantic partner, but his role is broader: he is her bail bondsman, confidant, and practical ally. The film’s quieter tone and mature relationship distinguish it from Tarantino’s more overtly explosive crime stories.