
“Two Supreme Court Justices have been assassinated. One lone law student has stumbled upon the truth. An investigative journalist wants her story. Everybody else wants her dead.”
A law student's theory about the recent deaths of two Supreme Court justices embroils her in a far-reaching web of murder, corruption, and greed.
Release Date: 9/17/1993
Runtime: 141 minutes
Languages: English
Director: Alan J. Pakula
Budget: $45.0M
Revenue: $195.3M
Companies: Warner Bros. Pictures
Countries: United States of America
Wuchak
Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington team-up in this crime thriller RELEASED IN 1993 and directed by Alan J. Pakula from John Grisham’s novel, "The Pelican Brief” is a political drama/thriller about a law student (Julia Roberts) who researches the murders of two supreme court justices and shares her theory with her college professor (Sam Shepard) who, in turn, gives it to an FBI friend on a lark. The brief hits a nerve because people start dying one-by-one. Denzel Washington plays a DC reporter who teams-up with the student while Robert Culp appears as the president. While I prefer “The Firm” (1993), which was also written by Grisham, this one is along the same lines, albeit with a totally different story (naturally). “Pelican” has more action, but the plot/characters aren’t quite as interesting IMHO. Still, if you liked one, you’ll probably appreciate the other. THE MOVIE RUNS 2 hours, 21 minutes and was shot in New Orleans and Washington DC/Maryland. ADDITIONAL CAST: John Heard plays an FBI agent, Stanley Tucci a hitman and John Lithgow an editor. GRADE: B/B-

Julia Roberts
Darby Shaw

Denzel Washington
Gray Grantham

Sam Shepard
Thomas Callahan

John Heard
Gavin Vereek

Tony Goldwyn
Fletcher Coal

James B. Sikking
Denton Voyles

William Atherton
Bob Gminski

Robert Culp
The President

Stanley Tucci
Khamel

Hume Cronyn
Justice Rosenberg

John Lithgow
Smith Keen

Anthony Heald
Marty Velmano
2002