in the oil and gas division at the Washington, D.C. law firm of White & Blazevich. Darby visits the firm, pretending to have an appointment with Morgan, and is told that he was killed in a mugging. Suspecting that his murder was related to the incriminating information, she and Grantham visit his widow, who gives them a key to a safe deposit box. Darby visits the bank to retrieve the contents of the box. After barely escaping death via a car bomb, they reach the Washington Herald building, where they review the documents and a videotape recovered from Morgan's box. The tape corroborates Darby's theory, as Morgan's documents verify that Mattiece ordered the Justices to be assassinated. With this evidence, Grantham writes his story. He gives the FBI a chance to comment and FBI Director Voyles confirms that Darby's "Pelican Brief" was delivered to the White House. He reveals the President ordered the FBI to "back off," and that the CIA is investigating Mattiece, with one of them killing Khamel to save Darby's life. A plane that the FBI arranges for Darby flies her away to safety under the United States Federal Witness Protection Program. Sometime later, Darby watches a TV interview of Grantham where it is revealed that Mattiece and four of his aides and lawyers have been indicted, the President's chief of staff Fletcher Coal has resigned, and the President (who received $4.2million in contributions from Mattiece) is unlikely to run for reelection. Grantham deflects speculation that Darby is fictional, but does agree that she is "almost" too good to be true, causing Darby to smile. Cast Julia Roberts as Darby Shaw Denzel Washington as Gray Grantham Sam Shepard as Thomas Callahan John Heard as Gavin Verheek Tony Goldwyn as Fletcher Coal James Sikking as FBI Director Denton Voyles John Finn as Matthew Barr William Atherton as Bob Gminski Robert Culp as The President Stanley Tucci as Khamel Hume Cronyn as Justice Rosenberg John Lithgow as Smith Keen Anthony Heald as Marty Velmano Cynthia Nixon as Alice Stark Jake Weber as Curtis Morgan / Garcia Ralph Cosham as Justice Jensen Casey Biggs as Eric East Stanley Anderson as Edwin Sneller Christopher Murray as Rupert Reception Box office The Pelican Brief grossed $100.8million in the United States and Canada, and $94.5million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $195.3million, against a production budget of $45million. Critical response On