How Samuel L Jackson Shapes 'The Negotiator' and 'Snakes On A Plane's' Style And Content

Samuel L Jackson’s character within any film that he stars in is unlike no other actor. You could tell if Samuel’s voice was calling even if we were 10 million miles from him. His presence, delivery and strength of his speech is one of the main reasons to the success and respect of his career and persona within his films. His character immediately brings connotations towards any audience of what type of genre the film could be and even if they do not like the genre, the chance of people watching the film is very high.

‘The Negotiator’ directed by F Gary Gray, released on the 27^th November 1998 is a truly propelling performance by Sam. He plays as a police officer who has been wrongly accused for the murder of his partner. This is truly a film of spectacular performances by actors from the likes of Kevin Spacey and David Morse. Samuel (once again) shows the power of speech and mind over matter with the way in which he controls the situation with the hostages he takes. The art of an auteur is definitely shown when he is brought to the screen, due to the fact his monologues symbolise him as a person and the person who is in front of the camera. He uses the tactics of being an officer to get towards the truth about what has happened.

‘Snakes On A Plane’ directed by David R Ellis, released on the 18^th August 2006, may not have been a masterpiece, but Samuel L Jackson was cast as the protagonist for a reason because he without a doubt made that film much more entertaining and “watch worthy.” Samuel took a chance with a film that may not have worked or made money but he still brought a memorable performance to the big screen especially for a stupid sounding film. The use of Samuel L Jackson starring in a film about poisonous snakes on a plane truly baffled me, but once you watch the film you will understand the reasons behind his character. He once again illustrates a mentally strong and powerful person that can take control when it comes to life and death situations. He is also represented as quite masculine in this film due to his body figure and the way he tackles the snakes.

I remember the first time I watched ‘The Negotiator,’ I was 11 years old at the time. I loved the films energy and to be honest, the amount of profanity that Samuel L Jackson uses in all of his films keeps me entertained also. When I heard about ‘Snakes On A Plane’ I was very worried if my opinion of Samuel would change but when I built up the courage and bit my lip, the film surprisingly worked and kept me on the edge of my seat. Samuel is a professional at what he does and is a true example of an auteur.

What Dominic Has Done So Far . . .

Before I could start any research, I had to be sure about who I wanted my autuer to be based on. This is what I found extremely hard, due to the fact I could'nt talk about Quentin Tarantino (Ms Ward Cough Cough lol).

Then I began searching through my films at home to familiarise myself with the likes of an auteur. As I begun, I immediately wanted to choose Kevin Smith because of the way he synchronises social settings with comedy and politics within his films such as ‘Dogma’ and ‘Clerks.’ Once again this was tarnished because a pupil had studied him already and I wanted to bring a bit of individuality to the table. After my Kevin Smith dreams were destroyed I realised I wanted to study a director that was very similar to him. The director who I thought was similar to Smith I also thought directed each of these films, known as, ‘Superbad’, ‘Knocked Up’ and ‘The 40 Year Old Virgin.’ Then I found out from my friend Joshua that they are not made by the same directors and even if I wanted to study Gregg Motola who directed ‘Superbad,’ I couldn’t anyway simply because he hasn’t made many films, so I would not of had many materials to look at.

Then it hit me . . .

I realised that I wanted to talk about ‘Pulp Fiction’ in some way, shape, or form and that’s when Samuel L Jackson came to mind. I have seen many of his films which also lead me to choose him. I have always enjoyed watching them and have loved every character that I have seen him play; from the way he projects his voice, to the power of his presence on the set.

From finally finding my auteur, it was time to put my research and own knowledge into action about his characteristics that are echoed in each of his films. So to begin with I researched into ‘Pulp Fiction’ and his character within the narrative. I found this most interesting because I have never looked at ‘Pulp Fiction’ beneath the surface before this project and it made me understand the use of his monologues in all of his films. They generally signify strength, his intelligence, things he may have learnt and emphasis on the narrative as a whole.

This is where I am up to for the time being but I will be moving on to my next film obviously starring Samuel L Jackson, which is called, ‘The Negotiator.’

The Significance Of Samuel L Jackson's Monologue Within 'Pulp Fiction.'

Samuel L Jackson's use of the monologue is very significant due to the fact it generalises the purpose of his character and his actions within the narrative. The use of his infamous bible passage at the beginning of the film when he kills his target, reiterates the power of his words which is stressed throughout his career and him as a person.

These are the exact words that Samuel quotes down below. . .

Ezekiel 25:17. 'The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyrannies of evil men. Blessed is he, who in the name of charity and good will, shepards the weak through the valley of darkness. For he is truly his brothers' keeper and finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know I am the lord when I lay my vengeance upon you.'


The use of his monologue is juxtaposed  at the climax of the narrative compared to the introduction as he has power over deviant within society (a robber and his wife). As you can see, when he quotes the bible passage, he uses this to teach a lesson, instead of taking a life which in turn displays his learning process throughout the film. He believes his survival during the assassination was a miracle which is his motive for the bible passage.

Below is the second time he says his monologue but with a different motive. . .

Ezekiel 25:17. 'The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyrannies of evil men. Blessed is he, who in the name of charity and good will, shepards the weak through the valley of darkness. For he is truly his brothers' keeper and finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know I am the lord when I lay my vengeance upon you.' Now I've been saying that s*** for years, and if you've ever heard it, it meant your ass. I never gave much thought to what it meant, I just thought it was a cold blooded thing to say to a mother f***er before I popped a cap in his ass. But I saw some s*** this morning that made me think twice. Now I'm thinking it could mean you're the evil man, and I'm the righteous man. And Mr. 9mm here is the shepherd, protecting my righteous ass. Or maybe it means that you're the righteous man, and I'm the shepherd, and it's the world that's evil and selfish. Now I'd like that, but you see that s*** ain't the truth. The truth is, YOU'RE the weak, and I'm the tyranny of evil men. But I'm trying, Ringo. I'm trying real hard to be the shepherd.

My research on understanding the use of Samuel's monologues really helped me to generate an understanding of why i believe he is an autuer. His projection, pressence and power of knowledge truley expresses his character within any film.

Brief Textual Analysis On Samuel L Jackson's Character Within 'Pulp Fiction'

I have begun my research by starting off with Samuel L Jackson’s main characteristics that I feel have been generalised through many of his films. ‘Pulp Fiction’ directed by Quentin Tarantino released on 21 October 1994 in my opinion is the central existence of how great of an actor Samuel is. He stars as a hit man called Jules Winnifield alongside Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and his character goes through different contrasts juxtaposing a realistic portrayal of himself to a hit man.

The introduction to his character as John and himself go to assassinate someone they are not too sure about, illustrates general conversation between two men discussing issues such as the classification of hash in Amsterdam, the values of someone else’s wife to another and the lengths both men will go to to attain power among their position. Samuel uses his strong opinions and exquisite voice to express to the audience the comparisons within his character. This is clearly noticed when he says to John ‘come on lets get into character’ just before they go into the apartment due to the fact they are about to kill someone which is a contrast towards the subject they were talking about. Due to his conversational style with John, this allows the audience to feel as if they are eavesdropping into a conversation instead of watching a planned role conversation, which I feel is a great quality to have. The introduction to his character also expresses his power through his words rather than his physical form which can be generalised through his other films. Another important characteristic I noticed about Samuel is his interpretation of African American culture within the time in which the film was set, portrayed through his dialect and attire.

This is a short look at Samuel’s character within ‘Pulp Fiction’ as I wanted to express my views upon what I notice about him but with further research and knowledge on him as a person and as an actor I can go into further detail. I tried to get the video from Youtube so I can show the contrast but I failed greatly. . . .maybe next time.

MY FILM STUDIES BLOG IS FINALLY HERE!!!

Yes yes my film studies blog has finaly been made and I shall be leaving you with updates at least once a week showing you information and my progress during my Auteur Project.

I have decided to base my project upon Samuel L Jackson due to the fact he is one of my favourite actors and the bare fact that his performances define that of an Auteur.

My hypothesis is,

'To what extent does Samuel L Jackson as a performer shape his films content and style.'

I will be starting my research upon films where his characteristics are easily recogniseable within texts such as 'Pulp Fiction', 'Snakes On A Plane', and 'The Negotiator'

I will be updating within the week with more information on my Auteur.