The Pelican Brief
1993 · Movie · PG-13 · 141 min · ★ 6.6 · 54% critics
After two Supreme Court justices are killed, a law student pieces together a theory that points to powerful interests. When her ideas circulate, she’s pulled into a dangerous web of corruption and greed, forcing her to run, decide who to trust, and find a way to bring the truth into the open.
Based on The Pelican Brief
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Details
- Years
- 1993
- Release date
- 1993-09-17
- Language
- English
- Rated
- PG-13
- Runtime
- 141 min
- Critic score
- 54/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.6/10 (1,774 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a ’90s political conspiracy thriller with steady suspense, strong performances, and a newsroom angle, like The Client; Not for you if you need tight realism or nonstop action.
Pros: strong lead performances; engaging conspiracy mystery; tense cat-and-mouse moments | Cons: stretches believability; runs a bit long; uneven pacing at times
Themes
- based on novel or book
- judge
- professor
- mission of murder
- supreme court
- legal thriller
- dramatic
- suspenseful
Cast & crew
Julia Roberts
as Darby Shaw
Denzel Washington
as Gray Grantham
Sam Shepard
as Thomas Callahan
John Heard
as Gavin Vereek
Tony Goldwyn
as Fletcher Coal
James B. Sikking
as Denton Voyles
William Atherton
as Bob Gminski
Robert Culp
as The President
Stanley Tucci
as Khamel
Hume Cronyn
as Justice Rosenberg
Directed by Alan J. Pakula