The Pelican Brief (film)

Infobox_Film
name=The Pelican Brief


caption = The movie poster for "The Pelican Brief".
imdb_id=0107798
writer=John Grisham
Alan J. Pakula
starring=Julia Roberts
Denzel Washington
Sam Shepard
John Heard
Tony Goldwyn
James B. Sikking
William Atherton
Robert Culp
Stanley Tucci
Special Apperance by
Hume Cronyn
And John Lithgow
director=Alan J. Pakula
music=James Horner
editing=Tom Rolf
Trudy Ship | distributor=Warner Bros. Pictures
released=December 17 1993
runtime=141 min.
language=English
movie_series=
awards=
producer=Alan J. Pakula
Pieter Jan Brugge
budget= |

"The Pelican Brief" is a 1993 legal crime thriller film based on the novel of the same name by John Grisham. Directed by Alan J. Pakula, the film stars Julia Roberts in the role of young law student Darby Shaw and Denzel Washington as "Washington Herald" reporter Gray Grantham.

Plot

Two Supreme Court justices are assassinated. They had been very different in their voting patterns and opinions in cases that had come before them. Tulane law student Darby Shaw theorizes that there may be some similarity in their otherwise-different voting patterns that may provide a motive for their assassinations. She discovers that both were protective of the environment (the "only" subject the two agreed on) in their votes. Research also reveals that the Fifth Circuit ruling, contrary to a corporation's financial interest, had ruled in favor of protecting an expanse of wetlands in Louisiana used by pelicans and other wildlife as a habitat.

The Supreme Court was expected to eventually hear an appeal by the corporation of that Fifth Circuit ruling; but now, two pro-environment justices who have been assassinated will not be able to take part in any Supreme Court vote on the appeal, and the main villain, oil magnate Victor Mattiece (a close friend of the President) hopes to have pro-oil justices named as their replacements.

Darby decides to research who might have been responsible for the murders, and writes her theories into a paper, which she shows to her law professor; he, in turn, gives it to a friend of his in the FBI so he can examine the theory contained in the paper (which becomes known as the "pelican brief"). Not long after this, her law professor is killed by a car bomb, intended to kill Darby.

Afraid that she'll be the next target, Darby goes on the run. She seeks out the help of "Washington Herald" reporter Gray Grantham (Grantham works for the "Washington Post" in the book, but the producers were unable to obtain permission from the Post to use its name, and the name "Herald" was substituted for it). Together, they hope to uncover the truth and expose the guilty parties.

Characters

*Darby Shaw (Julia Roberts) - second year Tulane University Law School student; author of the brief
*Gray Grantham (Denzel Washington) - reporter for the fictional "Washington Herald"
*Fletcher Coal (Tony Goldwyn) - White House Chief of Staff; unofficial head of power
*Khamel "Sam" (Stanley Tucci) - international assassin
*Thomas Callahan (Sam Shepard) - Tulane law school professor; romantically involved with Darby Shaw
*Gavin Verheek (John Heard) - lawyer, special council to the FBI director; friend to Thomas Callahan
*F. Denton Voyles (James Sikking) - Director of the FBI
*Alice Stark (Cynthia Nixon) - Darby Shaw's friend
*Bob Gminski (William Atherton) - CIA Director
*The President (Robert Culp) - elected U.S. President whose name is unspecified and is always referred to as "the President"; delegates many administrative duties to Fletcher Coal
*Smith Keen (John Lithgow) - Gray Grantham's boss and Editor of the fictional "Washington Herald"
*Justice Rosenberg (Hume Cronyn) - eldest, most controversial Supreme Court Justice
*Justice Jensen (Ralph Cosham) - youngest Supreme Court Justice; apparently homosexual
*Curtis Morgan (aka Garcia) (Jake Weber)cite web
url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/74/Jake-Weber.html
title=Jake Weber Biography (1964-)
accessdate=2007-10-21
publisher=NetIndustries] - lawyer informant who helps Darby Shaw.

Trivia

*Victor Mattiece, the main villain, is never seen. This and the entire subplot of his behind-the-scenes machinations are totally absent from the movie, unlike the novel.

*In the novel Gray Grantham is white and works for the Washington Post.

References

External links

*imdb title|id=107798|title=The Pelican Brief