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The Pelican Brief (1993) 6.5
Ratings:
6.5/10 from 55,715 users
Metascore: 50/100
Reviews: 82 user | 42 critic | 15 from Metacritic.com A law student uncovers a conspiracy, putting herself and others in danger. Director:Alan J. Pakula |
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Julia Roberts | ... | ||
| Denzel Washington | ... | ||
| Sam Shepard | ... |
Thomas Callahan
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| John Heard | ... |
Gavin Vereek
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| Tony Goldwyn | ... |
Fletcher Coal
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| James Sikking | ... |
FBI Director Denton Voyles
(as James B. Sikking)
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| William Atherton | ... |
Bob Gminski
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| Robert Culp | ... |
President
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| Stanley Tucci | ... | ||
| Hume Cronyn | ... |
Justice Rosenberg
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| John Lithgow | ... |
Smith Keen
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| Anthony Heald | ... |
Marty Velmano
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| Nicholas Woodeson | ... |
Stump
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| Stanley Anderson | ... |
Edwin Sneller
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| John Finn | ... |
Matthew Barr
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Edit
Plot Summary
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Storyline
Two Supreme Court Justices have been killed. Now a college professor, who clerked for one of the two men, who's also having an affair with one of his students, is given a brief by her, that states who probably, wanted to see these two men dead. He then gives it to one of his friends, who works for the FBI. When the FBI director reads it, he is fascinated by it. One of the president's men who read it, is afraid that if it ever got out, the president could be smeared. So, he advises the president to tell the director to drop it, which he does. But later the professor and the girl were out and he was drunk and when he refused to give her the keys she stepped out of the car. When he started it, it blew up. She then discovers that her place has been burglarized and what was taken were her computer and her disks. Obviously, her brief has someone agitated. She then turns to her boyfriend's friend at the FBI, he agrees to come meet her but before he does someone shoots him and takes his place... Written by rcs0411@yahoo.com
Taglines:
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. See more »Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
Rated PG-13 for momentary language and some violence | See all certifications »Parents Guide:
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
17 December 1993 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
El informe Pelícano See more »Box Office
Budget:
$45,000,000 (estimated)Gross:
£2,003,591 (UK) (4 March 1994)Company Credits
Show detailed
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Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Dolby DigitalColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1
Edit
Justice Rosenberg: Any of those signs got my name on 'em?
Gray Grantham: Quite a few.
Justice Rosenberg: What do they say?
Gray Grantham: The usual: Death to Rosenberg, Retire Rosenberg, Cut off the oxygen.
Justice Rosenberg: [laughs] That's my favorite. Of course you, Mr Grantham, did pretty good by me your last time out: Rosenberg equals the government over business, the individual over government, the environment over everything. And the Indians? Oh, give 'em whatever they want.
Gray Grantham: Well with all due respects sir, that wasn't my line, that was a quote.
Justice Rosenberg: From one of your...
See more »
Written by Rod Piazza
Performed by Rod Piazza and The Mighty Flyers
Courtesy of Day & Night Productions
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
The President questions Cole's idea of addressing the nation while wearing a cardigan sweater; this is based on a real-life incident in which then-president Jimmy Carter addressed the nation in a cardigan during the height of the fuel shortages in the 1970s. See more »Goofs
When Darby flees from the scene of Thomas's murder and first enters the hotel room where she's going to hide, you can see the imprint of someone who has been sitting on the foot of the bed (presumably Julia Roberts from the previous shoot of the scene). See more »Quotes
[first lines]Justice Rosenberg: Any of those signs got my name on 'em?
Gray Grantham: Quite a few.
Justice Rosenberg: What do they say?
Gray Grantham: The usual: Death to Rosenberg, Retire Rosenberg, Cut off the oxygen.
Justice Rosenberg: [laughs] That's my favorite. Of course you, Mr Grantham, did pretty good by me your last time out: Rosenberg equals the government over business, the individual over government, the environment over everything. And the Indians? Oh, give 'em whatever they want.
Gray Grantham: Well with all due respects sir, that wasn't my line, that was a quote.
Justice Rosenberg: From one of your...
See more »
Soundtracks
The UpsetterWritten by Rod Piazza
Performed by Rod Piazza and The Mighty Flyers
Courtesy of Day & Night Productions
See more »
JULIA ROBERTS is a damsel in distress when she writes a brief, theorizing what and who was behind the murder of two Supreme Court justices. DENZEL WASHINGTON is the investigative reporter who sees some merit in her theory and reluctantly decides to offer his help in tracking down the bad guys.
It's based on a terrific John Grisham thriller and given a well crafted script, good performances and taut direction from Alan J. Pakula. I'm not a fan of either Roherts or Washington, so for me to praise this movie shows you how suspenseful and entertaining it is as a thriller.
The overrated Julia Roberts is a huge box-office star who never once appealed to me despite her enormous popularity and Denzel Washington is a competent actor who sometimes does extra fine work--but neither one would win a popularity poll with me.
So, with that personal bias showing, I still give THE PELICAN BRIEF a respectable rating because it does what it sets out to do--it keeps you hooked until the ending after a few unexpected plot twists totally in keeping with this kind of story where the heroine is in peril because she knows too much.
Well worth a view.