Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

The Pelican Brief

Play trailer Poster for The Pelican Brief PG-13 1993 2h 21m Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
56% Tomatometer 52 Reviews 61% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
Taut thriller about a young law student whose legal brief about the assassination of two Supreme Court justices causes her to be targeted by killers. She realizes just how accurate her accusations have been when her lover and mentor is murdered. Forced to go on the run in New Orleans, she is aided by a journalist who helps her unravel a conspiracy involving senior government figures.
Watch on Fandango at Home Stream Now

Where to Watch

The Pelican Brief

The Pelican Brief

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington are a compelling team in the overlong Pelican Brief, a pulpy thriller that doesn't quite justify the intellectual remove of Alan J. Pakula's direction.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
David Ansen Newsweek 05/03/2018
Pakula's always had a cool style, tending toward solemnity, but let's face it, All the President's Men this movie is not. You wish he'd have a little more fun with the pulpy material. Go to Full Review Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader 03/30/2009
It's too bad that Pakula allows this 1993 movie to dawdle after its climax, but prior to that he's adept at suggesting unseen menace and keeping things in motion. Go to Full Review Brian Lowry Variety 11/05/2008
Pakula has improved on Grisham's book by excising much of the detritus, crafting a taut, intelligent thriller that succeeds on almost every level. Go to Full Review John Ferguson Radio Times 01/25/2024
4/5
The two leads are fine, but the real coup is the depth of talent in the supporting cast - Sam Shepard and John Heard are among those delivering killer cameos, but everyone is eclipsed by Robert Culp's witty portrayal of a shifty president. Go to Full Review Quentin Crisp Christopher Street 05/26/2022
The movie has a foolish ending, but it is worth seeing. Go to Full Review Nick Rogers Midwest Film Journal 06/24/2019
3/4
Not on par with Alan J. Pakula's preeminent paranoid cinema. But depicting a POTUS at odds with his FBI director and creating obstruction of justice concerns aligns it with Pakula's other preternaturally predictive potboilers. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
thiago s Nov 21 Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom See more Darren C Sep 10 Old school government 'conspiracy thriller movie 101'. - Exploding cars. Check - Chase scene through a hotel kitchen tipping over serving trays to slow down the bad guys. Check - Panic scene with crowds of people in famous landmark area. Check - Dodgy US President (how relevant!). Check - Awkwardly weird romantic style ending. Check - Great actors being a bit average and overly dramatic. Check check check! See more Matteo G Aug 19 Amazing movie, fantastic actors, great plot.. See more Nisha Y Jun 21 I just wrote a thoughtful and long review but the page lost it :( This is a rich film, still relevant today and with a masterly pacing that is lacking in current films and unfortunately is why so many people dismiss this one. Real change happens with dedicated resolve, that's what the Pelican Brief illustrates. The half star missing is for a couple of moments of clunky dialogue delivery from Roberts and Shepard. Despite that, the film hits greatness on many levels. In particular, the main female character is treated in a way that is scarce in films, especially in films set in male dominated arenas such as politics. It's worth watching just for that. See more Eye C May 11 The couple of Roberts/Washington is amazing. The story is so entertaining. One of my favorite of my long gone youth. See more Garry A @heavyg May 4 I started watching this passively while I was looking at my phone. It has It's moments but it's too long and a little hard to follow sometimes. See more Read all reviews
The Pelican Brief

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

View All

Alan J. Pakula

Director

Julia Roberts

Darby Shaw

Denzel Washington

Gray Grantham

Sam Shepard

Thomas Callahan

John Heard

Gavin Vereek

Tony Goldwyn

Fletcher Coal

More Like This

View All
The Client 79% 68% The Client Watchlist The Net 44% 44% The Net Watchlist Deceived 38% 46% Deceived Watchlist The Real McCoy 25% 35% The Real McCoy Watchlist Firewall 19% 37% Firewall Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More
View All

The Pelican Brief

The Pelican Brief (1993) The Pelican Brief (1993) The Pelican Brief (1993) The Pelican Brief (1993) The Pelican Brief (1993) The Pelican Brief (1993) The Pelican Brief (1993) The Pelican Brief (1993) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Taut thriller about a young law student whose legal brief about the assassination of two Supreme Court justices causes her to be targeted by killers. She realizes just how accurate her accusations have been when her lover and mentor is murdered. Forced to go on the run in New Orleans, she is aided by a journalist who helps her unravel a conspiracy involving senior government figures.
Director
Alan J. Pakula
Producer
Alan J. Pakula, Pieter Jan Brugge
Screenwriter
Alan J. Pakula
Production Co
Warner Bros.
Rating
PG-13
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 17, 1993, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 28, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA)
$100.7M
Runtime
2h 21m
Sound Mix
Surround, Stereo
Most Popular at Home Now