The Pelican Brief – 1993 – English – Suspense
The Pelican Brief – 1993 – English
Film directed in 1993 by Alan J. Pakula, and starring Julia Roberts, Denzel Washington, Sam Shepard, Tony Goldwyn, John Heard, James B. Sikking, John Lithgow, Robert Culp, Hume Cronyn, William Atherton, Stanley Tucci, Jake Weber, Anthony Heald, Cynthia Nixon…
Synopsis: Two Supreme Court justices have died. Now a university professor, who worked for one of the two men and who is also having an affair with one of his students, receives a report saying who probably wanted these two men dead. He then gives it to one of his friends, who works for the FBI. When the director of the FBI reads it, it fascinates him. One of the president’s men who read it fears that if it ever comes to light, the president may be defamed. So he advises the president to tell the director to quit, and he does. But then the teacher and the girl went out and he was drunk and when he refused to give her the keys, she got out of the car. When she started it, it exploded. Then he discovers that his house has been robbed and what he took were his computer and his disks. Obviously, your writing has someone restless. He then turns to his boyfriend’s friend at the FBI. He agrees to go meet her, but before he does, someone shoots him and takes his…
Review: Forget the plot holes. Forget the implausibility of the story. This is Grisham, the modern master of conspiracy and legal and political intrigue.
This movie focuses on one thing: the chemistry between the on-screen duo of Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington. And they do not disappoint. They both deliver absolutely stellar performances, Washington as the reporter who desperately wants her story to see the light of day but isn’t afraid to let her compassion slip by, and Roberts as a terrified law student caught up in a situation in which she is far above. of his head. , simultaneously trying to survive and avenge the death of her lover. There isn’t a scene, not a bit of dialogue, verbal or non-verbal, that doesn’t make you believe everything they say, and that’s a testament to the acting skills of Roberts and Washington, two of the best in Hollywood.
For most of the second half of the film, Denzel and Julia’s characters work together to find evidence of the conspiracy that resulted in the murder of two Supreme Court justices, while at the same time dodging unscrupulous lawyers, thugs, and an international hit man.
In their final scene together, when Darby is taking the FBI director’s private plane out of the country, the bond that has grown between her and Gray is extremely remarkable. They disembark and Gray shows Darby the headline exposing the conspiracy. Darby smiles, shakes Gray’s hand and proceeds to walk towards the car that will take her to her new location … but no, a handshake is not enough, not after what they had been through … so she goes back and gives him to Gray a big hug, that he returns. Mutual respect is there for all to see. No words are said throughout the scene, they are not necessary.
Having read many of Grisham’s books and seen all the movies adapted from those books, I was wondering how “The Pelican Brief” would compare to all the others in the long run. In my opinion, he is still the best of the bunch.