Pam Grier plays the title character in Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown.
Jackie Brown is a 1997 crime film adapted from Elmore Leonard’s 1992 novel Rum Punch. Grier portrays a flight attendant who becomes caught between federal agents, a gunrunner, and competing criminal interests after she is arrested transporting cash. Her performance was central to the film’s identity and drew on her earlier prominence in 1970s action and blaxploitation cinema.
Tarantino wrote the role specifically with Grier in mind, making Jackie Brown a notable collaboration between a young director and a major star whose earlier work had influenced popular film culture. Robert Forster plays bail bondsman Max Cherry, while Samuel L. Jackson portrays arms dealer Ordell Robbie.
The title character is sometimes confused with Bridget Fonda’s Melanie Ralston, who is part of Ordell’s circle. They are very different characters: Grier’s Jackie is the strategic protagonist, while Fonda’s Melanie is Ordell’s rebellious associate.