Samuel L. Jackson really steals the show here as the petty criminal "Ordell". He sells guns - gradually accumulating a small fortune which he smuggles in from Mexico using the services of the eponymous air stewardess (Pam Grier). When his well oiled machine starts to splutter, he avails himself of bail bondsman "Cherry" (Robert Forster) and so starts a complex story that sees people drop like flies; policeman "Ray" (Michael Keaton) get involved and we build to a sting operation not seen since Paul Newman in 1973. A great soundtrack that doesn't overwhelm some good performances, a pithy and dryly humorous script with the foul-mouthed tirades from the rather ruthless "Ordell" working well to develop his character and a really solid effort from Grier as the middle-woman who is very capable of thinking on her feet! There are a couple of scenes - not least between "Melanie" (Bridget Fonda) and "Louis" (Robert De Niro) - that are genuinely laugh out loud and the threads knit cleverly and from left field a bit at the denouement. This might be my favourite Tarantino film - it has pace, style, character and engaging contributions from a cast that work and deliver well together.
