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The Pelican Brief

  • 1993
  • PG-13
  • 2h 21m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
105K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,575
267
Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington in The Pelican Brief (1993)
Home Video Trailer from Warner Home Video
Play trailer0:31
1 Video
99+ Photos
Conspiracy ThrillerDark ComedyLegal ThrillerPolitical ThrillerCrimeDramaMysteryThriller

A law student uncovers a conspiracy, putting herself and others in danger.A law student uncovers a conspiracy, putting herself and others in danger.A law student uncovers a conspiracy, putting herself and others in danger.

  • Director
    • Alan J. Pakula
  • Writers
    • John Grisham
    • Alan J. Pakula
  • Stars
    • Julia Roberts
    • Denzel Washington
    • Sam Shepard
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • IMDb RATING
    6.7/10
    105K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    2,575
    267
    • Director
      • Alan J. Pakula
    • Writers
      • John Grisham
      • Alan J. Pakula
    • Stars
      • Julia Roberts
      • Denzel Washington
      • Sam Shepard
    • 181User reviews
    • 34Critic reviews
    • 51Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 2 nominations total

    Videos1

    The Pelican Brief
    Trailer 0:31
    The Pelican Brief

    Photos105

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    + 97
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    Top Cast82

    Julia Roberts
    Julia Roberts
    • Darby Shaw
    Denzel Washington
    Denzel Washington
    • Gray Grantham
    Sam Shepard
    Sam Shepard
    • Thomas Callahan
    John Heard
    John Heard
    • Gavin Verheek
    Tony Goldwyn
    Tony Goldwyn
    • Fletcher Coal
    James B. Sikking
    James B. Sikking
    • FBI Director Denton Voyles
    • (as James Sikking)
    William Atherton
    William Atherton
    • Bob Gminski
    Robert Culp
    Robert Culp
    • President
    Stanley Tucci
    Stanley Tucci
    • Khamel
    Hume Cronyn
    Hume Cronyn
    • Justice Rosenberg
    John Lithgow
    John Lithgow
    • Smith Keen
    Anthony Heald
    Anthony Heald
    • Marty Velmano
    Nicholas Woodeson
    Nicholas Woodeson
    • Stump
    Stanley Anderson
    Stanley Anderson
    • Edwin Sneller
    John Finn
    John Finn
    • Matthew Barr
    Cynthia Nixon
    Cynthia Nixon
    • Alice Stark
    Jake Weber
    Jake Weber
    • Charles Morgan…
    Casey Biggs
    Casey Biggs
    • Eric East
    • Director
      • Alan J. Pakula
    • Writers
      • John Grisham
      • Alan J. Pakula
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews181

    6.7105.3K
    1
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    Summary

    Reviewers say 'The Pelican Brief' Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Curabitur pretium tincidunt lacus.

    Nulla facilisi etiam dignissim diam quis enim lobortis scelerisque
    Lorem ipsum dolorSit amet consecteturAdipiscing elitSed do eiusmodTempor incididuntUt labore et doloreMagna aliquaUt enim ad minimVeniam quisNostrud exercitation
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    Related interests

    Gene Hackman in The Conversation (1974)
    Conspiracy Thriller
    Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Sian Clifford in Fleabag (2016)
    Dark Comedy
    George Clooney in Michael Clayton (2007)
    Legal Thriller
    Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford in All the President's Men (1976)
    Political Thriller
    James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Sharon Angela, Max Casella, Dan Grimaldi, Joe Perrino, Donna Pescow, Jamie Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Michael Drayer in The Sopranos (1999)
    Crime
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, and Kelvin Harrison Jr. in Chinatown (1974)
    Mystery
    Cho Yeo-jeong in Parasite (2019)
    Thriller

    Storyline

    Did you know

    • Trivia
      John Grisham typically signs over the rights to his books and does not participate in film production decisions. For "The Pelican Brief," he campaigned to get Julia Roberts the role of Darby Shaw.
    • Goofs
      Justice Jensen is killed by Khamel using a rope to strangle him. It takes him no more than a second to kill him. It seems highly unlikely that one could strangle a person in just one second. However, the strangulation is not shown, but judging by Khamel's quick yank and the sound Jensen made, it seems likely that he successfully dislocated or crushed a vertebra in his neck, which would quickly cause suffocation.
    • Quotes
      • Gray Grantham: How'd you find me?
      • Darby Shaw: I called the paper and asked for your editor.
      • Gray Grantham: And he told you?
      • Darby Shaw: I told him I was your sister Mary in from out of town and couldn't find you.
      • Gray Grantham: [looks impressed] How'd you know I had a sister Mary?
      • Darby Shaw: You're not the only one that does research.
    • Alternate versions
      The Blu-ray release plastered the opening Warner Bros. Pictures logo with the silent version of the 2003 variant.
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper: Schindler's List/Geronimo: An American Legend/Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit/Wayne's World 2/Six Degrees of Separation (1993)
    • Soundtracks
      Blues For Carol
      Written and Performed by Clarence Hollimon
      Courtesy of Black Top Records

    Top picks

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    FAQ3

    • What is "The Pelican Brief" about?
    • Is "The Pelican Brief" based on a book?
    • How did Darby know to get out of the rental car before it blew up?

    Details

    • Release date
      • December 17, 1993 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • El Informe Pelícano
    • Filming locations
      • New Orleans, Louisiana, USA(on location)
    • Production company
      • Warner Bros.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    • Budget
      • $45,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $100,768,056
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $16,864,404
      • Dec 19, 1993
    • Gross worldwide
      • $195,268,056
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    • Runtime
      • 2h 21m(141 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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