The Pelican Brief (1993)
Two Supreme Court Justices have been assassinated. One lone law student has stumbled upon the truth. An investigative journalist wants her story. Everybody else wants her dead.
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The Pelican Brief rating: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic
IMDb6.6/10· 103K votes
Rotten Tomatoes56%
Metacritic51%
TMDb6.598/10· 2K votesWith 56% on Rotten Tomatoes, backed by 6.6/10 on IMDb and 51/100 on Metacritic, critical reception of this film has been mixed.
About The Pelican Brief
A law student's theory about the recent deaths of two Supreme Court justices embroils her in a far-reaching web of murder, corruption, and greed.
Cast of The Pelican Brief
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
John Lithgow
as Smith Keen
Anthony Heald
as Marty Velmano
The Pelican Brief facts
- Budget
- $45M
- Box office
- $195.3M
Ranked by the iRankMovies editorial teamUpdated August 2026MethodologyData sources
Audience opinions
What the audience liked
- •Legal thriller mechanics build suspense through methodical investigation
- •Strong leads elevate familiar government conspiracy narrative framework
- •Complex plotting maintains engagement across extended runtime
What the audience disliked
- •Pacing suffers from overstuffed legal and political exposition
- •Emotional resonance diminishes during procedural mechanics
Trailer
Where to watch The Pelican Brief(US)
View on JustWatch →Rent / Buy
Amazon Video
Apple TV Store
Google Play Movies
YouTube
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Spectrum On DemandAvailability may change. Data by JustWatch.
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