June 1 - The Pelican Brief

Today’s movie is a political thriller with a scene that happens on June 1. I hope you will enjoy this film and watch it tonight.

THE PELICAN BRIEF             

Two Supreme Court justices are assassinated by Khamel. Darby Shaw, a Tulane University law student, who is having an affair with her professor, Thomas Callahan, investigates their deaths and writes a brief setting out a theory that they were murdered to replace them on the court before an environmental law case involving the President’s biggest political donor, Mattiece reaches the court. Callahan gives the brief to a friend of his, Gavin Verheek, who works for the FBI. Meanwhile Gray Grantham, a newspaper reporter, gets a call from “Garcia”, who says he has info about the deaths, but who never actually hands anything over. The President asks the FBI not to investigate Darby’s theory. Callahan is killed by a car bomb. Darby calls Grantham, and later Verheek. Darby is pursued by Khamel, who has killed Verheek and is impersonating him. She is saved when Khamael is killed by the CIA. Darby finally makes contact with Grantham and they decide their best option is to track down “Garcia”, of whom Grantham has a photo, but not a name. Darby thinks she knows which law firm in DC “Garcia” worked for, so they contact former summer interns, one of whom finally gives them a name, Curtis Morgan. They learn Morgan is dead, supposedly a suicide. His widow gives Darby and Grantham a key to a safety deposit box from which they retrieve an affidavit and a videotape. The pair barely escape a second car bomb and being shot.   The affidavit and tape confirm that Mattiece did order the justices killed. Voyles, the head of the FBI reveals that the President did ask him not to investigate Mattiece. He arranges for Darby to leave the country. On June 1, 1993 she arrives at her destination and reads a copy of that day’s  paper with Grantham’s story exposing the plot. [2:11:17 to 2:14:46] Mattiece and others are indicted and the President rethinks his political future. 

                    

Date given in movie at 2:12:50 on that day’s newspaper if you zoom in

Producer - Alan J. Pakula, Pieter Jan Brugge and Bryan D. Gilchrist

Director - Alan J. Pakula

Screenplay - Alan J. Pakula

Released – December 17, 1993

Runtime – 2 hours 21 minutes

Starring –

Julia Roberts as Darby Shaw, second year Tulane Law School student

Denzel Washington as Gray Grantham, reporter for the fictional ''Washington Herald''

Tony Goldwyn as Fletcher Cole, White House Chief of Staff

Stanley Tucci as Khamel "Sam", international assassin

Sam Shepard as Thomas Callahan, Tulane law school professor

John Heard as Gavin Verheek, special counsel to FBI director; friend to Thomas Callahan

James B. Sikking as F. Denton Voyles, Director of the FBI

Copyright by Ivan Walters 2014.