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.
Directed by Alan J. Pakula
Produced by Warner Bros. Pictures
A taut legal thriller built on intellectual puzzle-solving and paranoid pursuit, where a law student's dangerous discovery puts her at odds with powerful forces.
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.
Clusters
Where to watch
Questions people ask
Is The Pelican Brief sad? Not especially. Less sad than 67% of films.
Is The Pelican Brief scary? Somewhat. More frightening than 61% of films.
Does The Pelican Brief end with hope? About average. Almost exactly mid-range.
Is The Pelican Brief violent? About average. Almost exactly mid-range.
Is The Pelican Brief easy watching? About average. Almost exactly mid-range.
These describe how the film comes across, measured across the whole film and compared with other well-known films. They are not a content list — nothing here was counted or checked scene by scene, so for age-suitability or specific content use a classification board or a dedicated content-warning service.
Written about
Cinnamon Score
How much this film gives you that nothing else will, and whether it delivers.
Familiar shape, done well.
How unlike any other film this one feels
How much more it delivers than it promises
How much audiences actually like it
Ensemble
Everything like The Pelican Brief, and what each one shares →
Like The Pelican Brief
Nearest across the full emotional profile.
Same Mood as The Pelican Brief
Nearest on what's most distinctive about this one.
Like The Pelican Brief, But Darker
Similar, pushed toward heavier and more intense.
Like The Pelican Brief, But Lighter
Similar, pushed toward warmer and easier.
Like The Pelican Brief, But Less Popular
Same territory, far fewer people have seen it.
