Release Year: 1993 Rating: PG-13 Duration: 141 minutes Director: Alan J. Pakula Producer: Alan J. Pakula Distributor: Warner Brothers
synopsis
Julia Roberts (ERIN BROCKOVICH) stars in THE PELICAN BRIEF as sharp law student Darby Shaw whose querying mind gets her into trouble. A faithful adaptation of John Grisham's (THE FIRM) best-selling novel, this taut thriller follows the travails that beset Shaw when her theory on the cause of the deaths of two Supreme Court Justices lands her name on the conspirators' hit list. When Shaw teams up with reporter Gray Grantham (Denzel Washington--THE HURRICANE) they find themselves dodging deadly assassins in a suspenseful story that weaves complex narrative strands. The well-cast film also features a cameo by playwright-actor Sam Shepard (TRUE WEST).
THE PELICAN BRIEF is the second John Grisham novel to make the book-to-movie transition. Like its predecessor THE FIRM, it disappoints, which isn't such a big surprise considering the pedestrian story upon which it is based. Instead of wondering why Grisham's work doesn't translate well to the screen, maybe someone should take a step back and consider whether his page-turners are worth filming in the first place.
