Jackie Brown questions (1 Viewer)

[John Randolph]

I posted this in the middle of a half-dead thread, but it's not getting any responses, so I'll post it here:

I'm really confused now. I'm watching Jackie Brown, and they're doing the thing where they switch bags to fool the cops. One of the things I don't understand is, why are they giving the bag to Simone, then to Jackie, then to Shoronda, and then to the cops? I was confused at that point, but now they are saying that Jackie will take $50,000 in one bag, but put the other $450,000 in a bag underneath? Why are they doing this??

Thanks,
John.

 

[Henry Gale]

I have the DTS LD....but I was not aware that the movie had a plot.
I was just waiting for Bridget to get out of her cutoffs.
She never does, so, next time I'll try to follow that whole "bag" thingy.
Jim

 

[Chuck C]

(digging deep for this)....remember when Batman marked $50k worth of bills so that the money could be traced back to O. Robbie? Well the fact is Jackie works ALONE, but Ordell thinks she's on HIS side. The cops also think that Jackie is on THEIR side. During the exchange between Simone and Jackie under the dressing room door, Jackie gives her the bag that LOOKS like it's filled with half a million while she (Jackie) leaves the rest for Max Cherry to pick up....Max being the only person she trusts.

 

[Seth Paxton]

Simone, then to Jackie, then to Shoronda,

And this part of the plan Jackson is in on. This is to trick the cops into thinking that they have a bust when they don't.

Jackson wants his money but JB has been busted. So he and JB are SETTING THE COPS UP to think that she is giving them what they want (his money without him knowing it) when they are really handing it off to Fonda before the exchange with the cops. She will then tell the cops that Fonda just jumped her and ran with it to get herself out of it.

Now the $50,000 was not for the cops, that was to fool Fonda into thinking she had been handed the full bag of money as part of the plan. This is JB's DOUBLE CROSS. She was supposed to give Fonda ALL THE MONEY, but she and Max Cherry worked a plan to fool Jackson on top of already fooling the cops with Jackson's own plan (well, I recall that JB pushes the plan on him).

So, to recap. From the cops view (they know the least) they have got JB working for them to grab Jackson's money when she brings it into the country. She does a trial run even to prove to them that it can be done this way. She also tells them that this trial run will make Jackson more calm and willing to try to bring the rest of the money into the country. So they think they are just going to grab JB after the FIRST exchange and "catch" her with his money and use that to bust Jackson.

From Jackson's view, JB tells him the cops plan (she is playing him remember) and they come up with this whole plan to fool the cops. First the trial run will make the cops think it will work smoothly and then on the real run with the big money Fonda will be the SECOND EXCHANGE that the cops don't see. Then JB will run out and say Fonda grabbed the bag from her and ran, and act surprised that Fonda was even there. Cops get nothing and Jackson gets his money. JB has to put some cash on top to trick Fonda into thinking it's the whole load (thus the 50 large) and even hands her a "tip" just between the girls.

But the REAL plan is to turn the Jackson plan into the Cherry/JB plan in which they fool Fonda and Cherry comes and picks up the bag AFTER JB has left the dressing room and everyone/anyone tailing her has walked off. Cherry shows up and asks about the bag his wife left which allows him to go get the bag JB left with MOST OF THE MONEY. Fonda has left with what she thought was a full bag and the cops think JB got jumped by one of Jackson's other people...she is playing it to the cops like Jackson double crossed her.

This way Jackson basically gets nada, the cops get nothing without JB going against her word from her plea bargin, and Max and JB get most of the cash.


It helps to have read the book first I suppose (Rum Punch) which is a pretty fun read and has several more detail/plotlines left out of the film.

I will say this, DeNiro capture the book role to a tee. The rest were pretty good, but DeNiro was 100% what was on the pages of the book. Tough, but a bit dim, yet not outright dumb either.

 

[John Randolph]

Thanks to both of you, especially Seth. I'm going to go enjoy the rest of my movie now

 

[Henry Gale]

Jesus, John, I was just speculatin' about a
hypothesis. I know I don't know nothin'. It's
just a damn mess is all--

 

[Seth Paxton]

Well, its even tricky in the book, which is probably why my post was so freaking repetitive and wordy.
The key to the trouble is that she is playing two different scams at the same time, and the scams are totally interrelated.
Plus, there are times (especially in the book) when you wonder if she is also playing Max Cherry for a fool...but she doesn't of course.
But it's written so that at some points you really think she is going to help the cops, or really help Ordell, or you just don't know what the hell she is up to.

 

[Chuck C]

and that's why JB is sweet