"I wasn't trying to top Pulp Fiction with Jackie Brown. I wanted to go underneath it and make a more modest character study movie"
About this Quote
The intent is practical and artistic at once. “Top” is a trap set by hype culture, critics, box office, even fans who treat directors like brands that must ship upgrades. Tarantino rejects the sequel logic of reputation. “Go underneath” signals a shift in emphasis: not bigger set pieces, but deeper attention; not narrative fireworks, but the slow burn of character decisions. It’s also a quiet declaration of humility that still carries ego. Only a filmmaker with cultural capital can afford to call his next film “modest” and have it read as a bold choice.
The subtext hums with lineage. Jackie Brown is built on Elmore Leonard’s DNA and on Pam Grier’s screen history; it’s a movie about worn confidence and second chances, and it’s Tarantino admitting that time exists - for characters, for actors, for genres. In 1997, when indie cinema was getting corporatized and Tarantino’s own persona risked becoming a caricature, this was a recalibration: fewer exclamation points, more punctuation.
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| Topic | Movie |
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| Source | Help us find the source |
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Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Tarantino, Quentin. (2026, January 17). I wasn't trying to top Pulp Fiction with Jackie Brown. I wanted to go underneath it and make a more modest character study movie. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-wasnt-trying-to-top-pulp-fiction-with-jackie-24076/
Chicago Style
Tarantino, Quentin. "I wasn't trying to top Pulp Fiction with Jackie Brown. I wanted to go underneath it and make a more modest character study movie." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-wasnt-trying-to-top-pulp-fiction-with-jackie-24076/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I wasn't trying to top Pulp Fiction with Jackie Brown. I wanted to go underneath it and make a more modest character study movie." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-wasnt-trying-to-top-pulp-fiction-with-jackie-24076/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.





