Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- tense
- serious
- paranoid
- suspenseful movie night
- 1990s movie marathon
What critics said
Critics generally found Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington compelling together and the conspiracy suspense effective, while considering the film overlong and less intellectually satisfying than its premise suggests.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Darby Shaw's brief identifies a possible motive behind the murders and becomes the object that powerful figures seek to suppress.
The brief implicates a powerful presidential ally whose interests could damage the president and influence a Supreme Court case.
Darby and Gray assemble theories, sources, and corroborating information while evading assassins and political pressure.
The FBI, the White House, law enforcement contacts, and political insiders all become possible sources of danger or suppression.
Films like The Pelican Brief, and why
The Firm
shares a bestselling legal-thriller premise, institutional corruption, escalating danger, and a determined protagonist uncovering a powerful conspiracy
All the President's Men
shares paranoid political intrigue, investigative journalism, government power struggles, and a suspense-driven conspiracy narrative
Enemy of the State
shares a resourceful outsider pursued by hidden forces, escalating political paranoia, and a grounded conspiracy-thriller tone
The Manchurian Candidate
shares courtroom-adjacent political corruption, murder investigation, and a high-stakes thriller centered on evidence and institutional power
Movie Details
- Director
- Alan J. Pakula
- Release Date
- 1993-09-17
- Runtime
- 141 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (1838)
Cast
- Julia Roberts
- Denzel Washington
- Sam Shepard
- John Heard
- Tony Goldwyn
- James B. Sikking
- William Atherton
- Robert Culp
- Stanley Tucci
- Hume Cronyn
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Howdy Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Pelican Brief about?
- A law student's murder theory turns her and a determined Washington reporter into targets of a conspiracy reaching the highest levels of government.
- What is The Pelican Brief like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Pelican Brief as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Pelican Brief violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Pelican Brief as mild.
- What did critics think of The Pelican Brief?
- Critics generally found Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington compelling together and the conspiracy suspense effective, while considering the film overlong and less intellectually satisfying than its premise suggests.
- Which films are like The Pelican Brief?
- Films with a similar feel include The Firm, All the President's Men, Enemy of the State, and The Manchurian Candidate.
- How long is The Pelican Brief?
- The Pelican Brief runs 141 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Pelican Brief?
- In United States, The Pelican Brief streams on Howdy Amazon Channel.
