Rating: PG13
Genre:
Thriller
Release Date: 06/24/1997
SubTitles: English/French/Espanol
Dubbed: English/French/Espanol
Sound: DD2/DD5.1
Run Time: 141 Minutes
Flags: Violence, Questionable for Children
Distributor/Studio: Warner Home Video
Embroiled in an affair with
Thomas Callahan (
Sam Shephard), her alcoholic professor, precocious 24-year-old Tulane University law student
Darby Shaw (
Julia Roberts) writes up an insightful theory about the recent murder of two Supreme Court justices, one of whom,
Abraham Rosenberg (
Hume Cronyn), served as
Callahan's mentor. When
Callahan shares this so-called "Pelican Brief" with buddy
Gavin Verheek (
John Heard), an FBI lawyer, the document makes its way to White House flack
Fletcher Coal (
Tony Goldwyn), who believes it could topple the current administration. When
Callahan is murdered and
the President (
Robert Culp) convinces the FBI to hold off on investigating
Darby's theory, the resourceful student must go into hiding, stalked by relentless assassin
Khamel (
Stanley Tucci). Her only hope of escaping
Callahan's fate and proving her theory lies in Washington investigative reporter
Gray Grantham (
Denzel Washington), who's already had one confidential source back out of sharing information about the assassinations. This
John Grisham adaptation is fairly faithful to the best-selling novel, but the book's interracial romance between
Shaw and
Grantham was left out of the script (or at least the finished product), leaving many progressive viewers annoyed at Hollywood's conservatism. Fans of
HBO's
Sex and the City will notice one of its future stars,
Cynthia Nixon, in a small role as one of
Darby's New Orleans classmates.
~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
Average Review:
Number of reviews: 1
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A reviewer
from Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Two Oscar Winners--One Political Drama.
Director Alan J. Pakula teams up with Academy Award winners Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington in bringing John Grisham's best-seller to the big screen. Julia plays a Harvard law student, who writes a theory (or brief) about a political conspiracy to cover-up the assasination of two U.S. Supreme Court justices which could also involve the President of the United States. Washington is an investigative reporter, who helps her expose this political coup which puts them both in jeopardy. There's plenty of suspense and action in this thriller. Also starring Sam Shepard, John Heard, Tony Goldwyn, James B. Sikking, William Atherton, Robert Culp, Stanley Tucci, Hume Cronyn, John Lithgow, Anthony Heald, Cynthia Nixon, and Jake Weber.
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