Why Jackie Brown Isn’t Part Of Tarantino’s Movie Universe

All of Quentin Tarantino’s movies are part of a universe that’s divided in two levels – except Jackie Brown. Tarantino’s career as the world knows it began in 1992 with the crime film Reservoir Dogs, and his breakthrough arrived two years later with Pulp Fiction. In total, Tarantino has directed 10 films (though both Kill Bill movies are counted as one), the latest one being Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

As mentioned above, Tarantino’s movie universe is divided in two levels: the real world, and the movies the characters watch in that world. This universe includes movies that weren’t directed by Tarantino but were written or produced by him, such as Four Rooms, From Dusk till Dawn, and Death Proof’s Grindhouse sibling Planet Terror. However, there’s one movie that doesn’t belong to any level.

His third movie, Jackie Brown, isn’t part of the real world nor of the movies that are watched in that world, and instead lives in its own separate universe.

Why Jackie Brown Has Its Own Movie Universe

Jackie Brown is a crime movie that pays homage to 1970s blaxploitation movies, mainly Coffy and Foxy Brown. The movie follows a flight attendant (played by Pam Grier) who is caught smuggling gun money and has to choose between teaming up with the cops to bring her boss down, or not saying a word and going to jail. Jackie Brown is regarded by many as Tarantino’s best, as well as his most underrated work.

Jackie Brown’s universe is known as “the Elmore Leonard Universe”, and there’s a very simple explanation for that. This movie is the only one in Tarantino’s filmography that was adapted from a previous work: Elmore Leonard’s 1992 novel Rum Punch. As the rest of his movies have been his own works, Jackie Brown lives in a separate universe, though it’s one that isn’t exclusive to it. Steven Soderbergh’s 1998 movie Out of Sight is also part of this universe as it’s adapted from Leonard’s novel of the same name, and Michael Keaton reprised his Jackie Brown role in this movie.

Tarantino’s movie universe has a rule for its characters: those in one level can’t appear in the other, except for three characters. The same applies for the Elmore Leonard Universe, and none of the other characters can appear in it, and those in it can’t jump to the others. Jackie Brown stands out from the rest of Tarantino’s movies for different reasons (source material, style, pace, etc), and it’s fun that he decided to give it its own place.

About The Author

Adrienne Tyler
(3286 Articles Published)

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Adrienne Tyler is a features writer for Screen Rant. She is an Audiovisual Communication graduate who wanted to be a filmmaker, but life had other plans (and it turned out great). Prior to Screen Rant, she wrote for Pop Wrapped, 4 Your Excitement (4YE), and D20Crit, where she was also a regular guest at Netfreaks podcast. She was also a contributor for FanSided’s BamSmackPow and 1428 Elm. Adrienne is very into films and she enjoys a bit of everything: from superhero films to heartbreaking dramas, to low-budget horror films. Every time she manages to commit to a TV show without getting bored, an angel gets its wings.

When she’s not writing, you can find her trying to learn a new language, watching hockey (go Avs!), or wondering what life would have been like had Pushing Daisies, Firefly, and Limitless not been cancelled. Breakfast food is life and coffee is what makes the world go round.

Guillermo del Toro said “hi” to her once. It was great.

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