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The Pelican Brief
Directed by
Alan J. Pakula
PG-13
1993
2h 21m
Mystery
,
Thriller
,
and more
6.6
54%
61%
Add to Watchlist
A law student uncovers a conspiracy, putting herself and others in danger.
More
Where to Watch The Pelican Brief
Amazon Video
Rent $3.79
Buy $11.69
Apple TV
Rent $3.99
Buy $12.99
Fandango At Home
Rent $3.99
Buy $12.99
+3 more
Cast of The Pelican Brief
Julia Roberts
Darby Shaw
Denzel Washington
Gray Grantham
Sam Shepard
Thomas Callahan
John Heard
Gavin Vereek
Tony Goldwyn
Fletcher Coal
James B. Sikking
Denton Voyles
William Atherton
Bob Gminski
Robert Culp
The President
Stanley Tucci
Khamel
Hume Cronyn
Justice Rosenberg
John Lithgow
Smith Keen
Anthony Heald
Marty Velmano
Nicholas Woodeson
Stump
Stanley Anderson
Edwin Sneller
John Finn
Matthew Barr
Cynthia Nixon
Alice Stark
Jake Weber
Curtis Morgan
Casey Biggs
Eric East
Christopher Murray
Rupert
Sonny Jim Gaines
Sarge
Kevin Geer
K.O. Lewis
Joe Chrest
Song and Dance Man from Bar
Richard Bauer
Managing Editor
Michelle O'Neill
Sara Ann Morgan
Peter Carlin
Edward Linney
Ralph Cosham
Justice Jensen
Terrence Currier
Rosenberg's Nurse
Edwin Newman
Edwin Newman
Helen Carey
Federal Clerk
Howard Shalwitz
Washington Herald Journalist
Kyle Prue
News Desk Reporter
Jewell Robinson
Senior Washington Herald Editor
Kim Peter Kovac
Senior Washington Herald Editor
Norman Aronovic
Senior Washington Herald Editor
Carl Palmer
Cop in Cowboy Boots
Carol Sutton
New Orleans Policewoman
Scott M. Jefferson
Lieutenant Olsen
Danny Kamin
Hooten
Mark McLaughlin
CIA Agent in Hotel Room
Robert Pavlovich
CIA Agent in Hotel Room
Magee Hickey
Magee Hickey
Constance Yelverton
Clerk at Sheraton Hotel
Kim Kettle
Gavin Verheek's Wife
Ellie K. Wang
Reporter at National Cathedral
Franchelle Stewart Dorn
University Registrar
Karen Bralove
University Placement Clerk
Teagle F. Bougere
Male University Student
Carey Varner
Female University Student
Sandra Quarterman
Laura Kass
Cynthia Hood
Parklane Receptionist
Alan Wade
Parklane Administrator
Harold Surratt
Parklane Security Officer
Paul Morella
White & Blazevich Attorney
Ed Johnson
White & Blazevich Security Guard
Jurian Hughes
White & Blazevich Receptionist
Dick Stilwell
White & Blazevich Security
Tom Quinn
Sara Ann Morgan's Father
Beverly Brigham
Safe Deposit Teller
Eliza Coleman
Female Pursuer with Gun
Doug Coleman
Male Pursuer with Gun
Michael Port
Tulane Law Student
Shanna Connell
Tulane Law Student
Gene Babb
Reporter
Kyle Duvall
Reporter
Karl Warren
Reporter
Carrie Boren
Reporter
James Earl Reed
Reporter
Marianne Hettinger
Eyewitness (uncredited)
Shane LeCocq
Mardi Gras Party Patron (uncredited)
Kimberley Roper
French Quarter Prostitute (uncredited)
Codie Scott
Man Partying in Quarter (uncredited)
William Shipman
Office Worker (uncredited)
Alan J. Pakula
Director / Writer / Producer
John Grisham
Writer
Pieter Jan Brugge
Producer
The Pelican Brief Ratings & Reviews
Roderick Vaughn Bridges
March 26, 2025
A enjoyable Movie, with some great actors. Not a lot of mystery. And somewhat slow paced.
Newsweek
David Ansen
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.
Hartford Courant
Malcolm Johnson
Both Roberts, with her intense fragility, and Washington, with his thoughtful heroism, prove invaluable in pulling us into the heart of the film.
Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews
Dennis Schwartz
A juicy conspiracy theory thriller.
EmanuelLevy.Com
Emanuel Levy
A routine thriller, curiosuly disappointing from Alan Pakula that even stars like Denzel Washington and Julia Roberts can't rescue
Common Sense Media
Joyce Slaton
Talky political thriller won't engage kids.
Antagony & Ecstasy
Tim Brayton
If I would still call it one of Pakula's very best films since the end of the 1970s, that says far more about the decline of his career than anything else.
Film Freak Central
Walter Chaw
If only The Pelican Brief were purposefully controversial.
TV Guide
A shallow bore.
Chicago Reader
Jonathan Rosenbaum
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.
Groucho Reviews
Peter Canavese
You'd think that Pakula would be just the man to tease the intellectual and emotional depth out of a Grisham potboiler, but you'd be wrong. [Blu-ray]
Variety
Brian Lowry
Pakula has improved on Grisham's book by excising much of the detritus, crafting a taut, intelligent thriller that succeeds on almost every level.
JoBlo's Movie Network
JoBlo
Definitely an easy rental and a good way to drown a couple of hours if you're looking for a little suspense, some law stuff, lotsa secondary players and a couple of renowned leads delivering the goods.
Greenwich Village Gazette
Eric Lurio
Julia good Denzel better.
New York Times
Janet Maslin
As the film piles on shovelfuls of further exposition, Mr. Washington and Ms. Roberts are left to look terrific and recite perfunctory lines.
Chicago Sun-Times
Roger Ebert
A clever device to take your mind off your problems for 141 minutes.
Austin Chronicle
Marc Savlov
Grisham's novel was no landmark of literary originality to begin with, but Pakula streamlines the story into a corner, and then lets it run 30 minutes longer than necessary.
Washington Post
Desson Thomson
A brightly wrapped, ketchup-drenched mush-burger, it slides down the Zeitgeist esophagus like a slippery McPelican. You pay, you swallow, you drive home. You're left with nothing except, possibly, heartburn.
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