In Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown, which actor plays arms dealer Ordell Robbie?

Samuel L. Jackson plays arms dealer Ordell Robbie in Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown.

Ordell is a major figure in the film’s criminal plot, supplying weapons and trying to manage the risks created by Jackie Brown’s smuggling arrest. Jackson’s performance combines charm, menace, and nervous self-preservation, making Ordell one of the film’s most memorable characters.

Jackie Brown was released in 1997 and adapts Elmore Leonard’s 1992 novel Rum Punch. Jackson’s casting reunited him with Tarantino after Pulp Fiction, where he played Jules Winnfield. Although both roles involve dangerous criminals, Ordell is more calculating and overtly opportunistic than Jules.

A common mix-up is confusing Ordell with Louis Gara, played by Robert De Niro. Louis is Ordell’s recently released associate, while Michael Keaton plays ATF agent Ray Nicolette and Robert Forster plays bail bondsman Max Cherry.