History Film / ThePelicanBrief

-->''Interviewer''': Okay Gray, you know that in view of all this, you know that there's a lot of speculation that this woman is a figment of your imagination. That you created her, from a lot of different sources. Just as there are people who believe there was no [[{[Scandalgate}} Deep Throat]], there are those who believe that there is no Darby Shaw. In other words, she's just too good to be true.\\

* RevealingCoverup: The brief in question was pure conjecture, 100% free of substantiating proof, before the villains heard of it and tried to have her killed to hush it up. Even ''Darby'' didn't really believe it, it was just a fun paper and had the conspiracy just ignored it, it would have faded away but the attempts on her life make Darby realize she's actually onto something.

* WavingSignsAround: Both the novel and the film open with people waving signs around saying stuff like "Death to Rosenberg," "Retire Rosenberg," and "Cut off the oxygen," the last of those being Rosenberg's [[ActuallyPrettyFunny favorite]].

* AmoralAttorney: Par for the course in a Creator/JohnGrisham story. An evil law firm not unlike one in [[TheFirm another Grisham work]] factors in as minions to the BigBad.

''The Pelican Brief'' is a novel by Creator/JohnGrisham published in 1992 about a law student named Darby Shaw who writes a brief regarding the assassinations of two Supreme Court justices. After showing it to her mentor/lover and his friend, she goes on the run after both of them ended up killed. Darby seeks help from a newspaper reporter named Gray Grantham and together, the two set out to prove the brief correct.

A film adaptation of the book was released in 1993, starring Creator/JuliaRoberts as Darby and Creator/DenzelWashington as Gray.

!Tropes seen in this film include:

* TeacherStudentRomance: Darby and her College Law teacher. It's what gets him killed in the first place.

* RelationshipUpgrade: Inverted. Darby and Gray's relationship remains platonic, rather than the RidingIntoSunset ending of the book.

* RevealingCoverup: The brief in question was pure conjecture, 100% free of substantiating proof, before the villains heard of it and tried to have her killed to hush it up.

* FollowThatCar: Gray tries to do this in the film, only to [[FailingATaxi have the cab he intended to get into drive off without him]] (possibly spooked by the sight of a black man in a hoodie). Then it's inverted later in the film when he does get a cab, yet quickly realizes ''he's'' the one being followed.

''The Pelican Brief'' is a novel by JohnGrisham published in 1992 about a law student named Darby Shaw who writes a brief regarding the assassinations of two Supreme Court justices. After showing it to her mentor/lover and his friend, she goes on the run after both of them ended up killed. Darby seeks help from a newspaper reporter named Gray Grantham and together, the two set out to prove the brief correct.

A film adaptation of the book was released in 1993, starring Creator/JuliaRoberts as Darby and DenzelWashington as Gray.

* AmoralAttorney: Par for the course in a JohnGrisham story. An evil law firm not unlike one in [[TheFirm another Grisham work]] factors in as minions to the BigBad.

* HotReporter: Gray

* RaceLift: Gray is white in the book, black in the movie, leading to some UnfortunateImplications when he and Darby do ''not'' get together, as they do in the novel and no doubt would have in the film had they been the same race. Though Denzel did point out that race aside, it would have seemed quite tacky of Darby to take on a new boyfriend so soon after the death of her last one.

* MagnificentBastard: Director of the FBI Denton Voyles would probably qualify in the book. Fletcher Coal, the President's Chief of Staff, is a wannabe who fails to rise above CorruptBureaucrat level.

A film adaptation of the book was released in 1993, starring JuliaRoberts as Darby and DenzelWashington as Gray.

* CarBomb: How the villains intend to kill Darby--but get her boyfriend instead. Also how they try to kill her and Gray. Luckily, when Gray tries to start the car, Darby recognizes the sound of the faltering engine from the first incident and is able to stop him.
* FollowThatCar: Gray tries to do this, only to [[FailingATaxi have the cab he intended to get into drive off without him]] (possibly spooked by the sight of a black man in a hoodie). Then it's inverted later in the film when he does get a cab, yet quickly realizes ''he's'' the one being followed.

* HoistByHisOwnPetard[=/=]LaserGuidedKarma: After failing to kill Darby with ''another'' CarBomb, the villain tries to run her down in his own car. . .and crashes into the one he rigged to explode. KABOOM.

''The Pelican Brief'' is a novel by JohnGrisham published in 1992 about a law student named Darby Shaw who writes a brief regarding about the assassinations of two Supreme Court justices. After showing it to her mentor/lover and his friend, she goes on the run after both of them ended up killed. Darby seeks help from a newspaper reporter named Gray Grantham and together, the two set out to prove the brief correct.

* RevealingCoverup: The brief in question was pure conjecture, 100% free of substantiating proof, before the villains heard of it and tried to have her killed to hush it up.

* FollowThatCar: Gray tries to do this, only to have the cab he intended to get into drive off without him (possibly spooked by the sight of a black man in a hoodie). Then it's inverted later in the film when he does get a cab, yet quickly realizes ''he's'' the one being followed.

* CarBomb: How the villains intend to kill Darby--but get her boyfriend instead.

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: After failing to kill Darby with ''another'' CarBomb, the villain tries to run her down in his own car. . .and crashes into the one he rigged to explode. KABOOM.

''ThePelicanBrief'' is a novel by JohnGrisham published in 1992 about a law student named Darby Shaw who writes a brief regarding about the assassinations of two Supreme Court justices. After showing it to her mentor/lover and his friend, she goes on the run after both of them ended up killed. Darby seeks help from a newspaper reporter named Gray Grantham and together, the two set out to prove the brief correct.

* RaceLift: Gray is white in the book, black in the movie, leading to some UnfortunateImplications when he and Darby do ''not'' get together, as they do in the novel and no doubt would have in the film had they been the same race. Though Denzel did point out that race aside, it would have seemed quite tacky of Darby to take on a new boyfriend so soon after the death of her last one.

!Tropes seen in this film include:

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A film adaptation of the book was released in 1993, starring JuliaRoberts as Darby and DenzelWashington as Gray.