Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsCannes Film FestivalStar WarsAsian Pacific American Heritage MonthSummer Watch GuideSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

The Pelican Brief

  • 1993
  • PG-13
  • 2h 21m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
100K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,414
1,809
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
    6.6/10
    100K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    2,414
    1,809
    • Director
      • Alan J. Pakula
    • Writers
      • John Grisham
      • Alan J. Pakula
    • Stars
      • Julia Roberts
      • Denzel Washington
      • Sam Shepard
    • 165User reviews
    • 47Critic reviews
    • 51Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 2 nominations total

    Videos1

    The Pelican Brief
    Trailer 0:31
    The Pelican Brief

    Photos103

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 95
    View Poster

    Top cast81

    Edit
    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 Sikking
    James Sikking
    • FBI Director Denton Voyles
    • (as James B. 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

    More like this

    Man on Fire
    7.7
    Man on Fire
    Jack Reacher: Never Go Back
    6.2
    Jack Reacher: Never Go Back
    The Client
    6.7
    The Client
    The Firm
    6.9
    The Firm
    Conspiracy Theory
    6.7
    Conspiracy Theory
    Courage Under Fire
    6.6
    Courage Under Fire
    A Time to Kill
    7.5
    A Time to Kill
    The Bone Collector
    6.7
    The Bone Collector
    Sleeping with the Enemy
    6.3
    Sleeping with the Enemy
    Philadelphia
    7.7
    Philadelphia
    The Rainmaker
    7.2
    The Rainmaker
    The Siege
    6.4
    The Siege

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • 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 address.

      Gray Grantham: And he told you?

      Darby Shaw: I told them I was your sister Mary in from out of town and couldn't find you.

      Gray Grantham: [looks surprised] 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 Siskel & Ebert: 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

    User reviews165

    Featured review
    7/10

    A solid popcorn thriller

    Back in 93 when this film rocked box offices, I was 13 and obsessed with it. I was such a weirdo lol. It was mostly Julia Roberts and she is still one of my favorite actresses. She stars as Darby Shaw a young law student having relations with her professor. She creates a document called the pelican brief as an explanation of why some Judges were murdered. Her lover passes it off to his friend in the bureau and it begins to circulate leaving dead bodies in its wait, Including her boyfriend. Suddenly she's on the run and finds solace when she reaches out to an investigative reporter played by a solid Denzel Washington. Together they must try and survive so that can get the truth out. Watching it now it's still quite entertaining but Roberts is a little over emotional and the actual brief is never fully explained. It's undoubtedly fun but their characters and the plot aren't developed enough to truly be effective. The end it's smart popcorn entertainment.

    Budget: $45m Domestic Box Office: $101m Worldwide Box Office: $195m

    3.5/5
    • rivertam26
    • Mar 18, 2020
    • Permalink

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ22

    • How long is The Pelican Brief?Powered by Alexa
    • 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

    Edit
    • 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

    Edit
    • 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

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 21 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington in The Pelican Brief (1993)
    Top Gap
    What is the Hindi language plot outline for The Pelican Brief (1993)?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb app
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb app
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb app
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.