"DIE HARD 2: DIE HARDER" (1990) Photo Gallery

 

Below are images from "DIE HARD 2: DIE HARDER", the 1990 sequel to the 1988 hit movie and adaptation of Walter Wager's 1987 novel, "58 Minutes". Directed by Renny Harlin, the movie starred Bruce Willis:

"DIE HARD 2: DIE HARDER" (1990) Photo Gallery

"THE PELICAN BRIEF" (1993) Review

 

"THE PELICAN BRIEF" (1993) Review

In my review of "THE FIRM", I had once referred to the period in which bestselling novels written by attorney-novelist John Grisham as "Age of Grisham". This same period - mainly the 1990s - also saw the release of movie adaptations of Grisham's novels. Released in 1993, "THE FIRM" was not the only Grisham released that year. Another Grisham adaptation was released six months later - "THE PELICAN BRIEF".

Directed by Alan J. Pakula and based on Grisham's 1992 novel, "THE PELICAN BRIEF" told the story of a Tulane University law student named Darby Shaw writes a legal brief detailing her theory on why two Supreme Court Justices had been murdered. The elderly and infirmed Justice Rosenberg, a liberal, had been shot inside his home, along with his nurse. The Republican-appointed Justice Jensen was found inside a gay porn movie theater, strangled to death. Both had been murdered by a paid assassin named Khamel. Out of curiosity, Darby engages in research of Rosenberg and Jensen's records and writes a legal brief speculating they were not killed for political reasons. Darby links the assassinations to an oil tycoon named Victor Mattiece, who wants to rearrange the Supreme Court in order to win a case. Matticece had discovered oil beneath a Louisiana habitat in the marshlands but was blocked from drilling due to a lawsuit filed to protect an endangered sub-species of brown pelicans. Because Rosenberg and Jensen were both pro-environmentalists, Darby suspected they were killed. Mattiece also has ties to the U.S. President, due to being the latter's biggest financial contributor. At the same time, Washington Herald reporter Gray Grantham receives a call from an informant named "Garcia", who claims to have information about the assassinations. Although Gray manages to snap a photograph of "Garcia", the latter disappears without a trace.

Matters eventually grow worse for Darby. She gives the brief to her law professor and lover Thomas Callahan, who in turn gives a copy to his good friend Gavin Verheek, Special Counsel to the Director of the FBI. It does not take long for Darby's brief - dubbed as "the Pelican Brief" - to circulate among the F.B.I., the C.I.A. and the White House. Not much time passes before a car bomb kills Callahan at a New Orleans parking lot. Since Darby was outside of the car during the explosion, she manages to avoid Callahan's fate. Realizing that her "Pelican brief"may have been accurate, Darby goes into hiding and reaches out to Verheek for assistance and Gray for more information about the brief's circulation. Unfortunately, Verheek ends up murdered in New Orleans. Darby finally decides to meet with Gray before the pair sets out to find "Garcia" in Washington D.C., the one person who has the evidence to link Mattiece with the justices' deaths.

With a running time of 141 minutes, "THE PELICAN BRIEF" is a pretty long movie. I do wonder if today's younger moviegoers would have the patience to watch a political thriller that runs over two hours long. Personally, the movie's running time did not bother me. I thought it gave director/screenwriter Alan J. Pakula enough time to explore the film's narrative in great detail - Rosenberg and Jensen's murders, Darby's research and preparation for her legal brief, how her brief ended up being circulated around the nation's capital, Gray's attempt to connect with and later find "Garcia", Darby's evasion of the attempts on her life, the pair's search for "Garcia"'s identity and his evidence against Victor Mattiece. I am happy to say that Pakula did not take any major shortcuts to transform a three hundred-and-eighty-seven-page novel into movie that ran over two hours. Some might suggest that Pakula could have shortened the movie a bit. I am not certain I would agree with that. I would not have enjoyed the film more if he had edited the narrative. However, I do wish Pakula could have stepped up the pacing a bit. I have seen movies that were just as long or even longer than "THE PELICAN BRIEF". And yet, they moved at a faster pace and were never in danger of putting me to sleep.

The idea of a CEO or business tycoon sanctioning one or two political murders for the profit may seem a bit implausible to some. It seemed more than plausible to me. One only has to study either U.S. or World History to realize how business or corporate greed has played a role in politics, wars, crime or the combination of all three. But what I found a little implausible about Gresham's plot was the idea of a law student's legal brief about the recent murders of two Supreme Court justices being circulated about the F.B.I., the C.I.A. and the White House. One, why would Darby research the two murders and create a legal brief that accuses a powerful CEO of sanctioning the murders? As if she was engaged in a school project? And why did Thomas handed over her brief to a F.B.I. official, who happened to be a close friend? As an incentive for the agency to investigate? I found that hard to believe, considering that Thomas' attitude toward the brief seemed to be that of a proud boyfriend revealing how clever his girlfriend is to a friend. What I am saying that the vibe behind Darby's initial investigation and Thomas' decision to circulate the brief seemed wrong . . . to casual. I wish Greham had created a stronger reason for Darby to investigate the two justices' deaths and for Thomas to pass her brief to the F.B.I. Or Pakula could have created stronger reasons behind both actions, when he wrote the adaptation.

"THE PELICAN BRIEF" featured several action sequences that I found pretty solid. Most of these sequences occurred in the movie's first half and featured a team of assassins hired to kill her. I found them rather tense, especially the chase scene that led into a crowd celebrating Mardi Gras in New Orleans' French Quarter. But they did not blow my mind. The one action sequence that really impressed me proved to be the last one that featured the assassins' attempt to kill both Darby and Gray. I found it odd that the assassins, who had been following the pair for nearly 24 hours, did not make any attempt until after they got their hands on "Garcia"'s evidence against Mattiece and the latter's law firm. A relative of mine had suggested the assassins not only wanted to kill Darby and Gray, but also destroy the evidence they had acquired. Perhaps she was right. If so, I do wish that the movie had indicated this. If it had, would someone please point out the scene?

I must admit that there is something about the film's settings I found unusual. "THE PELICAN BRIEF" is set in New Orleans of the Deep South and Wahington D.C. and Maryland, which are part of the Upper South. Yet, I never sensed any Southern vibe in this film. Not even when the film focused around New Orleans' famous French Quarter. There seemed to be something ethereal about Pakula's filmmaking style that made me forget this movie is set in the South. Perhaps it was Stephen Goldblatt's sleek cinematography or the movie's slight generic tone. This strikes me as a pity, considering the movie's two major locations - New Orleans and Washington D.C. - usually convey more colorful and atmospheric vibes in other films.

But I must admit that I enjoyed Pakula's portrayal of the political characters in this film. The characters radiated an ambiguous, yet cynical vibe that hinted Darby and Gray's mistrust of them. This especially seemed to be the case of both the F.B.I. and the C.I.A. Directors' attitudes toward the White House and the President's controlling Chief of Staff Fletcher Coal. The two agencies' reactions to Darby's legal brief struck me as very interesting. F.B.I. Director Denton Voyles seemed to relish the idea of investigating the connection between the President and Mattiece, due to his dislike of Coal. Yet, he had allowed the President to convince him to delay the investigation as long as possible. On the other hand, C.I.A. Director Bob Gminski seemed to have a more paranoid reaction to Rosenberg and Jensen's deaths, along with Darcy's brief by assigning agents to shadow Darcy in the immediate aftermath of the brief's revelation.

The White House officials featured in this film - from the slightly high-strung President to his cool and calculating Chief of Staff, and finally to the array of smarmy White House officials and private lawyers who either expressed disbelief that a law student may have solved the mystery behind the two justices' murders or amusement over the brief's potential impact on the President's administration. The cynicism that permeated from the politicians and lawyers in this tale seemed to touch the journalists featured in the movie. Even the leading man, Gray Gratham, seemed to harbor a touch of cynicism, despite his somewhat "noble" facade. As for his editor-in-chief, Smith Keen, the man and his tongue seemed to radiate cynicism - despite any fondness he might have for Gray. It occurred to me that the cynicism, ruthlessness and desperation from the characters featured in the Washington D.C. served the movie's narrative very well, especially for its Washington D.C. setting.

The performances featured in "THE PELICAN BRIEF" seemed to range from solid to first-rate. But if I must be honest, there did not seem to be any performance that really impressed me, save for a handful. What was it about the acting that failed to blow my mind? I believe this situation had a lot to do with some of the dialogue featured in the movie. How can I put this? There were times when I found myself wincing from some pretty pretentious dialogue that struck me as unnecessary. Despite these occasional bursts of pretentious dialogue, I had no problems with the cast's performances. Well . . . most of them.

"THE PELICAN BRIEF" featured solid performances from the likes of Sam Shephard, Tony Goldwyn, Cynthia Nixon, John Heard, Anthony Heald, William Atherton, Jake Weber, Nicholas Woodeson, Casey Briggs, Christopher Murray, Ralph Cosham, John Finn and Stanley Anderson. There were some performances that I found entertaining or interesting. John Lithgow gave a witty and entertaining performance as The Washington Herald's editor, Smith Keen. Sonny Jim Gaines struck me as equally entertaining in his brief role as Gray Grantham's White House mole, Sarge. Hume Cronyn gave an effective performance as the ill, yet sharp-tongued Justice Rosenberg. James K. Sikknig's portrayal of F.B.I. Director Denton Voyles struck me as very skillfully ambiguous. But I believe the film's best performance came from Robert Culp, whom I believe gave an excellent performance as the President. The latter did an excellent job in portraying a slightly weak, yet vacillating head-of-state who depended too heavily on his Chief of Staff for decisions.

You might ask . . . what about the film's leads, Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington. I thought the latter gave an excellent portrayal of the stubborn, yet stalwart Gray Grantham. There were times when I found Washington's Gray nearly too ideal. But I would attribute that flaw to Pakula's screenplay and not the actor. Thankfully, both the screenplay and Washington managed to infuse a little ambiguity in Gray's character during his first hunt for the informant "Garcia". I thought Julia Roberts gave a very solid performance as the film's other protagonist, Darby Shaw. I was impressed how her performance transformed Darby from an outgoing and warm woman, to one who became withdrawn and paranoid through grief, and her struggles to stay one step ahead of assassins. But I have two major problems with Roberts' performance. One, her Darby Shaw seemed another one of her characters throughout the 1990s that were put pedestals by the end of her films. And two, although she seemed to be a competent actress, there were times I found her performance slightly wooden. Whenever Darby experienced an emotional trauma, Roberts had this tendency to change her performance - but without any smooth or gradual transitions. Her mood changes almost seemed a case of "acting by the numbers or the beat". Fortunately, it did not take Roberts very long to outgrow this trait.

I have never considered "THE PELICAN BRIEF" as my favorite adaptation of a John Grisham novel. One, I feel that the movie's pacing struck me as a bit too slow, especially in the first half. The movie's screenplay featured some unnecessary pretentious dialogue. I wish the film's settings could have been a bit more colorful. And there were some acting decisions that I found questionable. Fortunately, the movie's virtues outweighed its flaws. Thanks to Alan J. Pakula's screenplay and direction, along with an excellent cast led by Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington, "THE PELICAN BRIEF" proved to be a first-rate political thriller that featured a very interesting and original tale.

"THE PELICAN BRIEF" (1993) Photo Gallery

 

Below are images from "THE PELICAN BRIEF", the 1993 adaptation of John Grisham's 1992 novel. Adapted and directed by Alan J. Pakula, the movie starred Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington:



"THE PELICAN BRIEF" (1993) Photo Gallery

"DIE HARD" (1988) Review

"DIE HARD" (1988) Review

Almost twenty-six years ago, 20th Century Fox released an action-adventure film that kicked off a movie franchise that has lasted with the addition of four other films and twenty-five years. I am speaking of the 1988 movie called "DIE HARD". And the ironic thing is that I had no intention of seeing the film when it first hit the movie theaters during that summer of '88.

Based on Roderick Thorp's 1979 novel called "Nothing Lasts Forever" (which sounds like a title for a Bond movie), "DIE HARD" was directed by John McTiernan. Many would be surprised to know that the 1979 movie was a sequel to an earlier Thorp novel published in 1966 called "The Detective", which was adapted into a 1968 movie that starred Frank Sinatra. Thorp had hoped a movie adaptation of the 1979 novel would also star Sinatra. But the singer-actor was not interested in a sequel to his movie. Later, the novel was being considered as a sequel to the Arnold Schwartzenegger 1985 movie, "COMMANDO". But Schartzenegger was not interested. Oh dear. Finally, the novel became a literary source for "DIE HARD". However, the Fox studio executives were not thrilled at the idea of Bruce Willis being cast as the movie's lead, due to his reputation as a comedic television actor. But cast he was . . . and the rest is Hollywood history.

"DIE HARD" told the story of off-duty NYPD detective John McClane, who arrived in Los Angeles to reconciled with his estranged wife, Holly Gennero McClane. Husband and wife had clashed several months earlier when she accepted a job promotion with the Nakatomi Corporation that sent her to Los Angeles. A hired limousine driver named Argyle drives McClane to the Nakatomi Plaza building in Century City for the company's Christmas party. While, the detective changes clothes, the party is disrupted by the arrival of terrorist Hans Gruber and his armed followers. The latter seize control of the tower and the partygoers as hostages. Only McClane, armed with a pistol, manages to evade capture. Gruber's intentions are revealed, when he interrogates Nakatomi executive Joseph Takagi for the code to the building's vault that holds $640 million in bearer bonds. When Takagi refuses to cooperate, Gruber executes him. McClane manages to kill one of Gruber's men, taking the latter's weapon and radio. He uses the radio to contact the Los Angeles Police Department during a gunfight with more of Gruber's men on the roof. The L.A.P.D. eventually sends patrolman Sergeant Al Powell to investigate. When McClane drops one of Gruber's dead associates on Powell's patrol car roof, the latter finally summons the police force to respond. The incident also draws the attention of an ambitious local news reporter named Richard Thornburg, who is determined to learn McClane's identity. Despite the arrival of Deputy Chief Dwayne Robinson, numerous men that include a S.W.A.T. team, and later the F.B.I., McClane and Holly eventually realizes that matters have grown worse for both of them.

Most moviegoers and critics view "DIE HARD" as the best in the franchise. Is it the best? Hmmm . . . I really cannot say. As much as I love the movie, I certainly do not consider it perfect. The movie possesses flaws that I had not noticed during previous viewings and one particular flaw that I have noticed since I first saw it years ago. One aspect about "DIE HARD" that I found particularly annoying was the movie's pacing. Director John McTiernan did a pretty good job with the movie's pacing. Unfortunately, two-thirds into the movie, McTiernan began to lose steam and the pacing began to drag. Trimming the story would not have helped. I had no problem with the narrative during this film's period. But I did have a problem with the director's pacing. One of Roger Ebert's complaints about "DIE HARD" was its unflattering portrayal of the Los Angeles Police Department. And if I must be brutally honest, I share his complaint. I am not a great admirer of the L.A.P.D. or any police force. But the police's incompetency portrayed in the movie struck me as damn near unrealistic. I feel that McTiernan and screenwriters Steven E. de Souza and Jeb Stuart went a bit to the extreme to make John McClane look good. And if I must be brutally frank, the movie does feature some rather cheesy dialogue - especially from the villains. However, my biggest complaint regarding "DIE HARD" - the one flaw I have been aware of since I first saw the film - occurred in the final action scene. Back in the 1980s, it was popular in action or thriller movies to temporarily "resurrect" a villain/villainess before killing him or her for good. This happened with Glenn Close's character in the 1987 movie, "FATAL ATTRACTION". This also happened to Alexander Godunov's character in "DIE HARD". And you know what? I hate this kind of showy action. I found it stupid and cringe-worthy when I first saw the movie. And I still find it a major blot on this otherwise first-rate movie.

Flaws or no flaws, "DIE HARD" is without a doubt, a first-rate action thriller that helped defined the genre during the 1980s. While reading the plot for Roderick Thorp's 1978 novel, I was surprised to discover how much it resembled the 1988 film. There were some changes made in the latter. The main hero acquired a new name and shed at least two decades in age. Instead of a daughter, McClane's wife ended up as one of the hostages. The franchise's producers used the daughter character in the fourth film, "LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD". The German terrorist - renamed Hans Gruber - was more interested in pulling a heist than making a political statement. The Al Powell character is at least fifteen years older. And unlike Thorp's novel, "DIE HARD" ended on a more optimistic note for the two main characters.

Producers Lawrence Gordon and Joel Silver were lucky to gather such a talented cast and director for this movie. Thanks to the actors and director John McTiernan, "DIE HARD" featured some excellent dramatic moments. My favorite dramatic scenes include the tense quarrel between John and Holly before Gruber's arrival at the Christmas party, Gruber's interrogation of Joseph Takagi for the codes to the executive vault, Holly's tense interactions with Gruber, Takagi employee Harry Ellis' attempt to convince McClane to surrender to Gruber, McClane's accidental encounter with Gruber, and the many radio conversations between McClane and Powell. I found the latter especially impressive, considering that Bruce Willis and Reginald VelJohnson spent most of the movie apart.

But "DIE HARD" is, above all, an action film. And thanks to some members of the cast, a group of talented stuntmen and crew, the action sequences featured in the movie proved to be very memorable. If I had to choose those scenes that really impressed me, they would have to be the ones that featured Al Powell's awareness of the presence of terrorists at the Nakatomi Tower thanks to some gunfire and a dead body that landed on his patrol car, the S.W.A.T. team's failed assault on the building, and McClane's retaliation against the terrorists' massacre of the S.W.A.T. team (using explosives strapped to a chair). I was also impressed by the brief, yet final confrontation between the McClanes and Gruber. But for me, the most spectacular sequence turned out to be the rooftop explosion that claimed the lives of more Gruber men and two F.B.I. agents hovering above in an helicopter. Well-known cinematographer Jan de Bont and the special effects team really outdid themselves in that particular sequence.

As I had earlier pointed out, "DIE HARD" featured some outstanding performances. Bruce Willis was already a television star thanks to the 1980s series, "MOONLIGHTING". But his superb, yet tough performance as the besieged N.Y.P.D. detective John McClane not only made him an action star, but also a bonafide movie star. I believe that Holly Gennero McClane proved to be one of Bonnie Bedelia's best roles, thanks to her excellent performance as McClane's passionate and no-nonsense wife. "DIE HARD" also made a star of Alan Rickman, thanks to his deliciously sardonic performance as the ruthless Hans Gruber. In fact, his Gruber happens to be one of my favorite cinematic villains of all time. Reginald VelJohnson's career also benefited from his first-rate performance as the compassionate L.A.P.D. officer, Sergeant Al Powell.

There were other performances in "DIE HARD" that caught my attention. Ballet dancer Alexander Godunov gave a very competent performance as Gruber's right-hand man, Hans, who wants revenge for McClane's killing of his younger brother. Hart Bochner was very entertaining as Holly's gauche co-worker, Harry Ellis. However, I must admit that I found the character somewhat one-dimensional. William Atherton was very memorable as the ambitious and slimy news reporter, Richard Thornburg. Clarence Gilyard revealed a talent for comic acting, in his excellent portrayal of Gruber's sardonic and cold-blooded computer specialist, Theo. Andreas Wisniewski was excellent as Hans' younger brother, the no-nonsense Karl. Robert Davi and Grand L. Bush (who reunited in the 1989 James Bond movie, "LICENSE TO KILL") made a great screen team as the arrogant F.B.I. Special Agents Johnson and Johnson. De'voreaux White, someone I have not seen in years, provided his own brand of sharp humor and the movie's best line as McClane's limousine driver, Argyle. And finally, the late Paul Gleason proved to be very entertaining as the not-so-bright Deputy Police Chief Dwayne Robinson.

I find myself back at that moment in which I pondered over the reputation of "DIE HARD". Do I still believe it is one of the best action movies ever made? Perhaps. Perhaps not. I have seen my share of action movies that strike me as equally good - including other films in the DIE HARD franchise. And the movie does have its share of flaws. But "DIE HARD" is also a personal favorite of mine, thanks to John McTiernan's excellent direction, a first-rate adaptation of Roderick Thorp's novel, superb action-sequences and outstanding performances from a stellar cast led by Bruce Willis. Over twenty-five years have passed since the movie's initial release. And honestly . . . it has not lost one bit of its magic.





Fox Plaza Tower in Century City, CA aka the Nakatomi Tower

"DIE HARD" (1988) Photo Gallery

Below are images from the 1988 action film, "DIE HARD". Based on Roderick Thorp's 1979 novel, "Nothing Lasts Forever", and directed by John McTiernan, the movie starred Bruce Willis, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald Vel Johnson and Alan Rickman: 


"DIE HARD" (1988) Photo Gallery