1993 American thriller film directed by Alan J. Pakula
The Pelican Brief
is a 1993 American
legal thriller
film based on
the 1992 novel
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. The film, which features music composed by
James Horner
, was the last film that featured Pakula as both writer and director before his death.
[3]
Plot
[
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]
An assassin named Khamel kills two elder
Supreme Court justices
, Jensen and Rosenberg.
Tulane University
law student Darby Shaw writes a
legal brief
detailing her theory on why they were killed. Her law professor and lover Thomas Callahan, a former clerk of Rosenberg's, reads the brief and gives a copy to Gavin Verheek, special counsel to the director of the
FBI
. Soon after, Callahan is killed in a
car explosion
, which Darby barely escapes unhurt. Realizing her brief was accurate, she goes into hiding and reaches out to Verheek.
An informant calling himself Garcia contacts
Washington Herald
reporter Gray Grantham about the assassinations but disappears. Darby also contacts Grantham. Meanwhile, a friend tells Darby that her computer, disks, and files have disappeared from her home. Darby is attacked at her hotel hideout but escapes. She and Verheek arrange to meet, but Khamel kills Verheek and impersonates him at the meeting. Before Khamel can kill Darby, an unknown person fatally shoots him in public square.
Darby meets Grantham in New York City and shares the theory expressed in her brief: the assassinations were done for oil tycoon Victor Mattiece, who intends to drill the oil found beneath a Louisiana marshland that is habitat for an endangered sub-species of
brown pelicans
. A court appeal to deny Mattiece the drilling rights is expected to reach the Supreme Court. Darby surmised that Mattiece, hoping to turn the case in his favor, is behind the two justices' murders, as they shared similar environment protection views. As a generous donor to the president, Mattiece expects him to appoint justices favoring oil and gas exploitation over environmental issues while the next president may not.
Grantham's informant, Garcia, is actually Curtis Morgan, a lawyer in the oil and gas division at a
Washington, D.C.
law firm. Darby pretends to have an appointment with Morgan, but learns he was recently killed in a mugging. Suspecting his murder was related to the incriminating information, she and Grantham visit his widow. She gives them a key to a safe deposit box and Darby retrieves its contents. After barely escaping a car bomb, the two arrive at the
Washington Herald
. They and Grantham's editors review the document and tape found in the box. The tape corroborates Darby's theory, and Morgan's documents verify that Mattiece ordered the justices' assassinations. Based on this evidence, Grantham writes his story. FBI Director Voyles confirms to Grantham that Darby's "Pelican Brief" was delivered to the White House. He reveals the president ordered the FBI to "back off," and that the CIA is investigating Mattiece. One agent killed Khamel to save Darby. The FBI flies Darby to a safe location under the
United States Federal Witness Protection Program
.
Sometime later, Darby watches a TV interview with Grantham that reveals Mattiece, four aides and lawyers have been indicted, the president's chief of staff Fletcher Coal has resigned. The president (who received $4.2
million in contributions from Mattiece) is unlikely to run for reelection. Grantham deflects speculation that Darby is fictional but agrees she is "almost" too good to be true, causing Darby to smile.
Cast
[
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]
Production
[
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]
In October 1991,
Daily Variety
announced
Alan J. Pakula
's involvement in writing, directing, and producing a film adaptation of
John Grisham
's novel
The Pelican Brief
.
Carolco Pictures
, with whom Pakula had a first-look agreement, secured the film rights for $1.3 million. Initial plans outlined John Grisham drafting the first script iteration while Pakula was in pre-production for
Consenting Adults
(1992). However, financial troubles at Carolco led to Pakula's departure from the company, resulting in an early termination of his contract and the transfer of
The Pelican Brief
project to him. Subsequently, Pakula struck a two-year deal with
Warner Bros. Pictures
, which paid $1.75 million to option the film rights.
[4]
Julia Roberts
ended a yearlong hiatus from acting by signing on to portray "Darby Shaw," undergoing preparation by attending law classes at
Tulane University
in
New Orleans
, where filming commenced on May 21, 1993. Tony Goldwyn campaigned for the role of "Fletcher Coal," convincing Pakula he could portray a younger version of the character than depicted in the novel. Goldwyn consulted with White House advisor
George Stephanopoulos
to prepare for the role.
[4]
Filming locations in New Orleans included an apartment in the
French Quarter
, doubling as "Thomas Callahan's" residence,
Antoine's
restaurant on St. Louis Avenue,
Bourbon Street
for a crowd scene featuring over 1,000 extras, and the warehouse district for Thomas Callahan's car explosion. Production shifted to
Washington, D.C.
, on June 20, 1993, with scenes shot at various locations including the
Supreme Court
steps,
Georgetown University Law Center
, FBI's
J. Edgar Hoover Building
courtyard, and
Washington International School
portraying "Parklane Hospital." The
National Cathedral
,
Howrey & Simon
law offices, and Citadel Soundstage were also utilized for filming.
[4]
Pakula and Warner Bros. opted to film an additional, more upbeat ending, leading to extra shooting in
Montecito, California
, on November 27, 1993, extending the runtime by approximately ninety seconds. A private screening at the White House, hosted by President
Bill Clinton
and First Lady
Hillary Clinton
, was held on December 10, 1993, a week before the film's theatrical release, attended by Grisham and Pakula.
[4]
Reception
[
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]
Box office
[
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]
The Pelican Brief
grossed $100.8
million in the United States and Canada, and $94.5
million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $195.3
million,
[2]
[5]
[6]
against a production budget of $45
million.
[1]
Critical response
[
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]
On
Rotten Tomatoes
, the film has an approval rating of 55% based on 55 reviews, with an average rating of 5.6/10. The site's consensus states: "Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington are a compelling team in the overlong
Pelican Brief
, a pulpy thriller that doesn't quite justify the intellectual remove of Alan J. Pakula's direction."
[7]
On
Metacritic
, the film has a weighted average score of 50 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
[8]
Audiences polled by
CinemaScore
gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.
[9]
Pat Collins
, from
WWOR-TV
, said that the film was "A heart-stopping, spine-chilling, adrenaline-pumping, run-for-your-life thriller." In
The Chicago Sun-Times
,
Roger Ebert
gave it 3 out of a possible 4 stars, writing "the movie delivers while it's onscreen" but also believed
The Pelican Brief
was inferior to the film adaptation of Grisham's
The Firm
(also 1993) and ranked as one of Pakula's lesser efforts.
[10]
Film critic
Brian Lowry of
Variety
wrote in his review:
Pakula does a remarkable job in weaving and making sense of these complex strands. Although there's plenty of suspense as Darby and Gray evade her pursuers, the director eschews the cheaper tricks of the trade, respecting the audience's ability to keep track of what's going on. Also,
Brief
is a relatively gore-free thriller, with most of the violence effectively conveyed offscreen.
[11]
Film critic
Janet Maslin
of
The New York Times
wrote in her review:
The Pelican Brief
is best watched as a celebration of liquid brown eyes and serious star quality, thanks to the casting of Ms. Roberts and Denzel Washington in its leading roles. Neither of these first-rate actors is shown to great dramatic advantage, but they both do a lot to make the movie shine.
[12]
Home media
[
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]
The Pelican Brief
was released on
VHS
on June 15, 1994, by
Warner Home Video
.
[13]
The film was released on
DVD
on June 24, 1997, by Warner Home Video. The film was released on
Blu-ray
on February 10, 2009, by Warner Home Video.
[14]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
"The Pelican Brief"
.
The Numbers
. Nash Information Services, LLC.
Archived
from the original on October 16, 2018
. Retrieved
October 16,
2018
.
- ^
a
b
"
The Pelican Brief
(1993)"
.
Box Office Mojo
.
Amazon
.
Archived
from the original on October 17, 2018
. Retrieved
October 16,
2018
.
- ^
"The Pelican Brief"
.
Turner Classic Movies
.
Archived
from the original on July 18, 2018
. Retrieved
July 17,
2018
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
"
The Pelican Brief
"
.
American Film Institute
. Retrieved
January 29,
2024
.
- ^
Fox, David J. (December 20, 1993).
"Pelican' Soars at the Box Office Movies: The mystery, with Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington, takes in more than $16 million. 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' 'Schindler's List' also do well"
.
Los Angeles Times
.
Archived
from the original on July 1, 2012
. Retrieved
November 30,
2010
.
- ^
Fox, David J. (January 3, 1994).
"
'Mrs. Doubtfire,' 'Pelican Brief' propel final week and 'Jurassic Park' chews up the competition as industry receipts hit $5.2 billion"
.
Los Angeles Times
.
Archived
from the original on September 24, 2009
. Retrieved
October 26,
2010
.
- ^
"
The Pelican Brief
(1993)"
.
Rotten Tomatoes
.
Fandango
.
Archived
from the original on April 7, 2019
. Retrieved
February 1,
2024
.
- ^
"
The Pelican Brief
Reviews"
.
Metacritic
.
CBS Interactive
.
Archived
from the original on October 8, 2018
. Retrieved
October 16,
2018
.
- ^
"CinemaScore"
. Archived from
the original
on 2018-12-20.
- ^
Ebert, Roger
(December 17, 1993).
"The Pelican Brief"
.
Chicago Sun-Times
.
Archived
from the original on July 18, 2018
. Retrieved
July 18,
2018
.
- ^
Lowry, Brian (December 12, 1993).
"The Pelican Brief"
.
Variety
.
Penske Media Corporation
.
Archived
from the original on October 18, 2014
. Retrieved
July 18,
2018
.
- ^
Maslin, Janet
(December 17, 1993).
"Review/Film; Presenting Nancy Drew For the 90's"
.
The New York Times
.
Archived
from the original on July 18, 2018
. Retrieved
July 18,
2018
.
- ^
"Vid bits"
.
The Free Lance-Star
. June 11, 1994
. Retrieved
May 23,
2022
.
- ^
"The Pelican Brief"
.
Warner Home Video
(
Blu-ray
). February 10, 2009.
ASIN
B001NHX3ZS
. Retrieved
July 18,
2018
.
External links
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Novels
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Non-fiction
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Theodore Boone
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Film adaptations
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Television adaptations
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