The Pelican Brief
Published October 10, 2019
Film info
- Title The Pelican Brief
- Director Alan J. Pakula
- Year 1993
- Run time 2hrs 21m
- Genres Mystery, Thriller, Crime, Drama
- Tagline One lone law student has stumbled upon the truth. An investigative journalist wants her story. Everybody else wants her dead.
Academy-Award winner Julia Roberts plays Darby Shaw who finds herself embroiled in a terrifying web of intrigue extending to the highest levels of government after she writes a speculative legal brief exposing the illegal activities of a powerful oil magnate. When those close to her are killed by assassins, the young woman embarks on a desperate flight with a Washington DC, investigative reporter (Academy Award and Golden Globe-winner Denzel Washington) her only confidant and ally.
Live blog
| Time | Comment |
|---|---|
| 2:21 | I’ve definitely read this but what are the chances I remember it? |
| 4:21 | “Never fails to amaze me what a man will do to get in the Oval Office.” |
| 5:54 | Wow, Stanley Tucci has a lot of hair. |
| 10:58 | Debate in class is great, I don’t think I’d have been any good at it though. |
| 19:38 | I like that she’s gone full detective for no apparent reason. |
| 27:33 | Someone who asks if he’s being traced, etc, isn’t going to give you his name, is he. |
| 29:46 | Ooh, he’s a sneaky journalist. |
| 31:58 | Amazing that some guy gave it to some other guy in a bar and now it’s in front of the president. |
| 38:42 | Just what you need is a big street party, and yet it somehow is just what she needs. |
| 42:30 | “Are you asking me to back off a suspect Mr President?” with such a knowing smile. |
| 45:28 | Oof to be suspicious of everyone. |
| 51:11 | Well, his life as a journalist is super mysterious, all these phone calls. |
| 1:04:21 | I thought she had seen him when she was looking out the window. |
| 1:09:31 | “Everyone I’ve told about the brief is dead.” “I’ll take my chances.” |
| 1:13:47 | That’s a really nice hotel room. |
| 1:20:24 | “If you disappear, so does justice.” No pressure or anything. |
| 1:25:04 | Cabin in the rain is the dream but… not in the scary woods. |
| 1:30:20 | Bird girl. |
| 1:41:07 | Dream team! |
| 1:53:14 | Oof, car bombing again. These people are the actual worst. |
| 2:05:08 | These are some smug face phone calls. |
| 2:11:31 | You can’t take off in a plane and then decide where to go. Flight plans are there for a reason. |
Thoughts
This was a really good one. I’ve read the book but couldn’t remember anything about it so it was presented as a brand new thriller to me. Julia Roberts was excellent and I love Denzel so that was just a dream team of casting.
The story is Grisham at his best, although I have to admit to get a bit confused with the sheer volume of bad guys and there were a handful of questions I had at the end that they tried to explain but I still didn’t quite get.
Nevertheless, it was brilliant, the two hours flew by and now I want to read the book again.
Rating: 4 / 5