An eagle-eyed movie fan has spotted a previously unnoticed detail in Quentin Tarantino's 1997 film Jackie Brown.
Released three years after the critically acclaimed Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown marked a departure for Tarantino: the first time the writer-director had adapted someone else's work.
Based on the Elmore Leonard novel Rum Punch, Jackie Brown stars Pam Grier as the titular heroine, a flight attendant caught between the authorities and the gun runner she smuggles money for.
The star-studded cast included Michael Keaton, Robert De Niro, Bridget Fonda and Robert Forster in an Oscar-nominated supporting turn, but much of the action focuses on gun runner and drug distributor Ordell Robbie, played by Samuel L. Jackson.
Serving as the film's main antagonist, Jackson shines throughout, spending much of his time on screen in the distinctive combination of a ponytail and backwards Kangol cap. Now one dedicated fan of the crime caper has picked out a blink-and-you'll-miss-it detail that adds another layer to Jackson's character.
A post shared to Reddit by ragonastik39 reads: "In Jackie Brown (1997) There is a scandalous photo of Samuel L. Jackson on Bridget Fonda's refrigerator."
In the film, Robbie and Fonda's Melanie Ralston are a couple who live together. As the screenshot shared by ragonastik39 shows, a photo of what appears to be Robbie sitting naked in a bathtub is visible for a split second when he opens the fridge door during a phone call.
The intimate photo adds an extra dimension to Robbie's relationship with Ralston, which only makes her (1990s spoiler alert) death later in the movie more surprising.
Another photo can be seen on the refrigerator door in the scene. It shows Ralston sitting on a couch, though she is fully dressed.
The post has racked up more than 12,000 upvotes from Tarantino fans since it was shared on Reddit two days ago.
ShanGetsYelledAt wrote: "Gonna get a print of this to keep in my jacket pocket." Pikmin35 simply posted: "oh wow."
Bandfill praised the crew's attention to detail, writing: "Set decoration is always top notch in Tarantino movies."
Ddcups said: "Would be a real Samuel J pic. There's an older Bridget pic too."
The discovery also sparked comments from fans convinced that Jackie Brown is Tarantino's best film.
"Best Tarantino movie fight me IRL if you disagree," Kreativity wrote. mi_esposa_me_espia posted: "It's my favorite Tarantino movie for sure."
Anyone wishing to weigh in on the debate should check out this ranking of all Tarantino's films to date.
Newsweek has contacted ragonastik39 for comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Jack Beresford is a Newsweek Senior Internet Culture & Trends Reporter, based in London, UK. His focus is reporting on ... Read more
