The Pelican Brief (1993)
Directed by Alan J. Pakula
A law student's theory about the recent deaths of two Supreme Court justices embroils her in a far-reaching web of murder, corruption, and greed.
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It's gorgeous, truth be told, with the overbearing DVNR of The Pelican Brief arguably more justifiable in a movie from the director of the film version of The Phantom of the Opera musical, who would expect nothing less than this deeply-affected perfection.
As a writer-director with a well-honed sense of paranoia a la Fritz Lang, Alan J. Pakula (Klute, The Parallax View, All the President's Men, Presumed Innocent) does a good job of adapting and directing this John Grisham thriller about a New Orleans law student (Julia Roberts) fleeing for her life, with a Washington reporter (Denzel Washington) as her only ally, after her speculative legal brief about the murder of two Supreme Court justices leads to another murder--of her lover and law professor (Sam Shepard).
Director Alan J. Pakula, whose resume includes "The Parallax View," "Klute," "All the President's Men" and "Presumed Innocent," replays his own suspense cliches.
"The Pelican Brief" has been written for the screen and directed by Alan J. Pakula (" Sophie's Choice ," " All the President's Men ," " Presumed Innocent "), a skilled craftsman who has done about as much as possible with the material.