Pelican Brief

UPC: 883929039265

Studio: Warner Home Video

MPAA Rating: PG13   Contains:[Violence, Questionable for Children]

Summary: Embroiled in an affair with Thomas Callahan (Sam Shephard), her alcoholic professor, precocious 24-year-old Tulane University law student Darby Shaw (Julia Roberts) writes up an insightful theory about the recent murder of two Supreme Court justices, one of whom, Abraham Rosenberg (Hume Cronyn), served as Callahan's mentor. When Callahan shares this so-called "Pelican Brief" with buddy Gavin Verheek (John Heard), an FBI lawyer, the document makes its way to White House flack Fletcher Coal (Tony Goldwyn), who believes it could topple the current administration. When Callahan is murdered and the President (Robert Culp) convinces the FBI to hold off on investigating Darby's theory, the resourceful student must go into hiding, stalked by relentless assassin Khamel (Stanley Tucci). Her only hope of escaping Callahan's fate and proving her theory lies in Washington investigative reporter Gray Grantham (Denzel Washington), who's already had one confidential source back out of sharing information about the assassinations. This John Grisham adaptation is generally faithful to the best-selling novel. Fans of HBO's Sex and the City will notice one of its future stars, Cynthia Nixon, in a small role as one of Darby's New Orleans classmates. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

Category: Thriller

Features: Theatrical trailer

Pelican Brief

Format: Blu-ray

Release Date: 02/10/2009

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 2.40:1

Audio: DTHD null, DD2 Dolby Digital Stereo

Runtime: 141 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,French,Spanish,German,Portuguese

Subtitles: English,French,Spanish,German

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Brian J. Dillard

For his penultimate film, the late thriller veteran Alan J. Pakula wrote, produced, and directed this overlong but engrossing suspense piece, which could have been 30 minutes shorter and still had time for a love scene between stars Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington. Instead, we get an emotive hug and a chaste kiss, but every other nuance and plot point is obsessed over in detail, leaving us with a cross between a police procedural and a political page-turner, replete with shadowy conspiracies within conspiracies. Washington and Roberts play to type, but turn in solid performances -- him as the virtuous, overachieving journalist, her as the toothy ingenue. Each gets at least one short, great moment -- Washington when Grantham blows a heated chase because a cabbie won't stop for an African-American in sweats, Roberts when Darby watches a loved one blow up before her very eyes. The real fun, though, lies not in watching the stars who must play it straight, but in savoring Stanley Tucci, portraying a chameleon-like assassin whose character owes more than a little to Edward Fox in Day of the Jackal, and Tony Goldwyn, playing the same shifty bastard he's been cast as, ever since his role in 1990's Ghost. Continuing the transformation from leading man to character actor that would eventually lead to his decayed, corrupt cop character on The Sopranos, John Heard turns in solid work as the FBI lawyer who tries to help Darby. Throw in John Lithgow as a testy newspaper editor and a rogue's gallery of imperious lawyers, PR vampires, and picturesque heavies, and you've got a fun, pulpy ride that takes itself just seriously enough to convince. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Joseph Chrest  Actor 
Jake Weber  Actor 
Alixe Gordin  Actor 
Terrence Currier  Actor 
Edwin Newman  Actor 
Sonny Jim Gaines  Actor 
Ed Johnson  Actor 
Stanley Anderson  Actor 
John Finn  Actor 
Cynthia Nixon  Actor 
Casey Biggs  Actor 
Richard Bauer  Actor 
Kevin Geer  Actor 
Christopher Murray  Actor 
Ralph Cosham  Actor 
Anthony Heald  Actor 
Harold Surratt  Actor 
Nicholas Woodeson  Actor 
Carol Sutton  Actor 
Tom Quinn  Actor 
Pieter Jan Brugge  Producer 
James Horner  Composer (Music Score) 
Alan J. Pakula  Director 
Alan J. Pakula  Producer 
Alan J. Pakula  Screenwriter 
John Grisham  Screenwriter 
Julia Roberts  Actor 
Denzel Washington  Actor 
Sam Shepard  Actor 
John Heard  Actor 
Tony Goldwyn  Actor 
James B. Sikking  Actor 
William Atherton  Actor 
Robert Culp  Actor 
Stanley Tucci  Actor 
Hume Cronyn  Actor 
John Lithgow  Actor 

Country: USA