The Pelican Brief (1993) * *

 

Directed by:  Alan J. Pakula

Starring:  Julia Roberts, Denzel Washington, Sam Shepard, Stanley Tucci, John Heard, Tony Goldwyn, James B. Sikking, Robert Culp, Hume Cronyn, John Lithgow

Since it has been forever since I last saw The Pelican Brief, I approached it as if watching it for the first time.   I recalled little about the plot, and just as much about the movie, except that it starred Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington.   The stars have chemistry, and they make something out of underwritten roles, but the movie itself is an adequate thriller which never pushes into greatness, or even being very good.

Better movies have been made of John Grisham novels, such as The Firm or A Time to Kill, both with A-List casts starring in material which didn't require their participation.   We are still happy to see them nonetheless and they elevate the movies.    Roberts and Washington are genuine movie stars and top-notch actors.  They nearly make The Pelican Brief work.  

On to the plot:   Two Supreme Court justices are assassinated on the same night, causing somewhat of a stir on the national stage.    Their deaths are either extreme coincidence, or there is a conspiracy.   The President (Culp) and his shifty chief of staff Fletcher Cole (Goldwyn) task the FBI to find out what happened.   A Tulane law student named Darby Shaw (Roberts) thinks that not only is there a conspiracy, but she writes a brief outlining allegations which may implicate the White House following maybe a day's worth of research.   She presents it to a friend of her alcoholic law professor/lover (Shepard), who used to be a protege of one of the dead justices, and soon he's offed in a car bomb explosion.   If there is one thing The Pelican Brief gets right, it doesn't simply have Darby forget her grief when Denzel Washington walks through the door.   

Darby is rightfully scared and on the run from those who know the brief isn't a crazy conspiracy theory, but very close to the truth.   She confides in "Washington Herald" ace reporter Gray Grantham (Washington), and the two are soon involved in chases and attempts on their lives.   Neither knows who to trust, except each other.   Roberts and Washington make a solid team.   Their star power eclipses whatever else is going on, which as it turns out, is much ado about not much.