MovieChat Forums > The Pelican Brief (1993) Discussion > Worst assassins in movie history

Worst assassins in movie history

posted 3 years ago by Heisenberg (6730)
6 replies | jump to latest

Tucci is established as a great professional.
Yet he shoots and strangles scjs in a plot where there is no fall guy to blame, raising all sorts of red flags.

Then they blow up a car with a possible whistleblower, just to be even more conspicuous.

Then, the short guy and two more clowns, cannot take out Roberts in any way, even if they always find her and know her whereabouts.

The whole movie is ruined by how amateurish and idiotic the assassins are.

[–] Philhelm (509) 3 years ago

I hadn't seen the movie in years, and recently had it running in the background while I was working.

When Khamel is about to kill Julia Roberts, the first thing that came to mind is why would an assassin murder her in broad daylight with hundreds of witnesses while standing right next to her? WTF?

[–] Heisenberg (6730) 3 years ago

Not only that is his stupid plan. He fucks it up!

[–] Philhelm (509) 3 years ago

By someone with a better plan (shoot him while being unseen). It's actually comical the more I think about it, and the way he protrudes the pistol beneath his jacket so that we know he has a gun.

[–] [deleted] 2 years ago

"...why would an assassin murder her in broad daylight with hundreds of witnesses while standing right next to her?
I seem to recall they murdered a president this way. More than once.

[–] Philhelm (509) 2 years ago

Most assassins aren't the CIA trying to send a message though.

[–] HurdyGurdyMan (28) 2 months ago

"Yet he shoots and strangles scjs in a plot where there is no fall guy to blame"

Actually, there are. When FBI Director Voyles and CIA director Gminsky are briefing the President, they mention that members of a militia group named "Underground Army" are in the D.C. area. Also, the SC judges have plenty of enemies, hence the protection.

Aside from this, I agree with you that the car bomb makes no sense in the novel or in the film.

In the novel, Khamel plans to assassinate Darby Shaw either on the riverboat or after the ride, not right there on the riverfront amidst hundreds of people. The film goes for a ridiculous closeup shot only in order to pull a twist when Khamel himself is killed.

Also, we are led to believe that all those people pursuing Darby Shaw mean to murder her but in the end it is revealed that at least one of them is a CIA operative who killed Khamel and saved Darby. It's quite confusing.