The Pelican Brief
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.
1993 | 141m | English
Popularity: 3 (history)
| Director: | Alan J. Pakula |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Alan J. Pakula, John Grisham |
| Staring: |
| 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. | |
| Release Date: | Sep 17, 1993 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Alan J. Pakula |
| Writer: | Alan J. Pakula, John Grisham |
| Genres: | Drama, Crime, Thriller |
| Keywords | judge, professor, mission of murder, supreme court, legal thriller, dramatic, suspenseful |
| Production Companies | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $195,268,056
Budget: $45,000,000 |
| Updates |
Updated: Jul 30, 2025 Entered: Apr 13, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| 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) |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Louis Sabat | Boom Operator |
| Rick Dior | Sound Re-Recording Mixer |
| Dianne Dreyer | Script Supervisor |
| Doug Coleman | Stunt Coordinator |
| Richard Portman | Sound Re-Recording Mixer |
| Ken Regan | Still Photographer |
| Trudy Ship | Editor |
| Alixe Gordin | Casting |
| Robert Guerra | Art Direction |
| James Sabat | Production Sound Mixer |
| Tom Rolf | Editor |
| Philip Rosenberg | Production Design |
| Rick Simpson | Set Decoration |
| Michael J. Cerone | Sound Re-Recording Mixer |
| John Shoemaker | Rigging Gaffer |
| Kelly Irvine | First Assistant Editor |
| Magdaline Volaitis | Dialogue Editor |
| Cheryl A. Stone | Production Accountant |
| Jeanmarie Murphy-Burke | Unit Publicist |
| Michael Wallace | Location Manager |
| Gary Huckabay | Location Manager |
| Michele Ortlip | Casting Associate |
| Benita Hofstetter | Local Casting |
| Peter Kohn | First Assistant Director |
| Lisa Fischer | Set Decoration |
| Dick Mingalone | Camera Operator |
| Marissa Littlefield | Dialogue Editor |
| Thomas Saccio | Property Master |
| Tabby Hanson | Stunts |
| Ted Churchill | Steadicam Operator |
| Robert Hein | Dialogue Editor |
| David Efron | Stunts |
| Shinique Smith | Production Assistant |
| Richard L. Blackwell | Stunts |
| Allison Sherman | Production Office Coordinator |
| Michael R. Kern | Assistant Accountant |
| Edward Allen | Assistant Accountant |
| Foongy Lee | Location Manager |
| Kimberly Skyrme | Extras Casting |
| Ramsay King | Local Casting |
| Patricia Serafina Madiedo | Production Office Coordinator |
| Sallie Jones Arata | Production Secretary |
| Charles Lum | Location Manager |
| Elizabeth Sherry | Assistant Editor |
| Rick Landry | Extras Casting |
| Kerry Orent | Post Production Supervisor |
| Michael Proscia Jr. | Additional Second Assistant Director |
| Alan J. Pakula | Screenplay, Director |
| Stephen Goldblatt | Director of Photography |
| John Grisham | Novel |
| James Horner | Original Music Composer |
| Albert Wolsky | Costume Design |
| Ron Bochar | Supervising Sound Editor, Sound Re-Recording Mixer |
| Celia D. Costas | Unit Production Manager |
| Linda Perlin | Stunts |
| Mick O'Rourke | Stunts |
| Roy Farfel | Stunts |
| Eric Chambers | Stunts |
| Eliza Coleman | Stunts |
| David M. Bernstein | Set Production Assistant |
| John Rusk | Second Assistant Director |
| Jerome Chen | Lead Animator |
| Trey Batchelor | Second Second Assistant Director |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Donald Laventhall | Associate Producer |
| Alan J. Pakula | Producer |
| Pieter Jan Brugge | Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 43 | 71 | 28 |
| 2024 | 5 | 84 | 95 | 70 |
| 2024 | 6 | 52 | 91 | 22 |
| 2024 | 7 | 35 | 56 | 23 |
| 2024 | 8 | 23 | 36 | 13 |
| 2024 | 9 | 17 | 24 | 13 |
| 2024 | 10 | 22 | 40 | 13 |
| 2024 | 11 | 20 | 37 | 11 |
| 2024 | 12 | 21 | 38 | 14 |
| 2025 | 1 | 20 | 33 | 15 |
| 2025 | 2 | 16 | 25 | 3 |
| 2025 | 3 | 6 | 18 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 2 |
| 2025 | 5 | 3 | 10 | 2 |
| 2025 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 2 |
| 2025 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 2025 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| 2025 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| 2025 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 2 |
| 2025 | 11 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
Trending Position
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 9 | 743 | 887 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 8 | 875 | 875 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4 | 873 | 910 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3 | 88 | 466 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 12 | 933 | 933 |
Wuchak
6.0
Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington team-up in this crime thriller RELEASED IN 1993 and directed by Alan J. Pakula from John Grisham’s novel, "The Pelican Brief” is a political drama/thriller about a law student (Julia Roberts) who researches the murders of two supreme court justices and shares h ... er theory with her college professor (Sam Shepard) who, in turn, gives it to an FBI friend on a lark. The brief hits a nerve because people start dying one-by-one. Denzel Washington plays a DC reporter who teams-up with the student while Robert Culp appears as the president. While I prefer “The Firm” (1993), which was also written by Grisham, this one is along the same lines, albeit with a totally different story (naturally). “Pelican” has more action, but the plot/characters aren’t quite as interesting IMHO. Still, if you liked one, you’ll probably appreciate the other. THE MOVIE RUNS 2 hours, 21 minutes and was shot in New Orleans and Washington DC/Maryland. ADDITIONAL CAST: John Heard plays an FBI agent, Stanley Tucci a hitman and John Lithgow an editor. GRADE: B/B-
Jun 23, 2021