MAX

One of my favourite performances for sheer naturalness on screen is Robert Forster's portrayal of bail bondsman Max Cherry in Quentin Tarantino's 'Jackie Brown' (1997) based on Elmore Leonard's novel 'Rum Punch'. At a time where I couldn't watch another De Niro film if you paid me due to his constant (perhaps unintended) gurning caricature of his own cinematic past and I would suggest limited emotional range, it's almost bittersweet to be reminded of Forster's performance in 'Jackie Brown' with its deliberately humble containment, doing the seeming bare minimum to convey a wealth of humanity behind Max's eyes. Perhaps it's ironic, then, that De Niro has a smaller role in the very same film and appears to struggle (at least to my eyes) to attempt a similar minimalism in playing the muted role of convict Louis Gara. Don't get me wrong, De Niro's acting is okay and doesn't spoil the movie but it's obvious he's thinking all the time he's acting, in direct contrast to Forster who appears as natural as breathing each time he's on screen, so completely locked into his character that it's almost impossible for us to imagine he's even an actor anymore. One might make the argument that the obvious contrast in the psychology of the roles dictates the way both actors play their characters but for me it simply comes down to how convinced I am the actor IS the character they're playing whilst I'm watching them. With Forster there is no doubt, with De Niro, I have questions.

Of course, lack of familiarity likely helped Forster endear himself to audiences unfamiliar with his work. After all, who doesn't love an underdog?

Tarantino already had form in resurrecting the careers of actors who had fallen out of favour in Hollywood, including most famously John Travolta in 'Pulp Fiction'. The casting of Forster as Max Cherry was a similar Hollywood redemption story to nearly rival that of Travolta's in 'Pulp‘ but unlike the 'Saturday Night Fever' star, Forster remained relatively obscure after 'Jackie Brown', generally keeping busy in supporting roles in film and television but never again scaling the heights of his work in Tarantino's third feature. Perhaps that's what makes his magical performance in 'Jackie' so special. It's a moment in time where everything aligned to create a perfect harmony between script, character and direction and Forster under Tarantino's masterful direction truly knocked it out of the park.

And perhaps, most importantly, the chemistry the veteran actor shares with the equally brilliant Pam Grier, who plays the title character 'Jackie', is so warm and natural that it seems appropriately congruous with the Delfonics and Bloodstone tracks that play in the background of their most intimate scenes. Indeed, it's almost impossible to play 'Didn't I Blow Your Mind This Time' or 'Natural High' without thinking of this on-screen couple who tantalisingly nearly achieve the happy ending we so desire for them.

The look in Forster's eyes when he knows he'll maybe never see Jackie again says more than a thousand words (even Quentin's) ever could and, to his credit, Tarantino honours the actor with a perfectly judged close up.