The Tom’s Guide Verdict: ‘The Pelican Brief’
Rating: ★★ stars
Verdict: “The Pelican Brief” has so much potential. It centers around a dark conspiracy that sees two Supreme Court Justices murdered by Stanley Tucci. It stars Denzel Washington and Julia Roberts, forced together to solve it. There are plenty of people wanting to take them down the closer they get to the truth, even if it means using a car bomb. That’s why it’s such a bummer that this legal thriller is so often a boring movie without any propulsion. Tighter pacing would instantly make this a significantly better film, but it really needs to give more screen time to Denzel, who feels ancillary at times.
Where to watch: Buy or rent “The Pelican Brief” from Amazon now
This week in the Denzel Watchathon, I’m revisiting the 1993 legal thriller, “The Pelican Brief.” It’s one of two John Grisham adaptations that came out that year, and because it’s a star-studded Grisham adaptation, I had high hopes going into this movie. Perhaps I shouldn’t have; it’s rated just 56% fresh by critics on Rotten Tomatoes, and audiences rate it not much higher. But I’ve disagreed with critics and audiences before, and I just couldn’t believe that a legal thriller starring Denzel Washington and Julia Roberts would be anything less than good.
There is a chance some of this comes down to the writing. I haven’t read “The Pelican Brief,” but based on some cursory research, this movie appears to be a relatively faithful adaptation of its source material. Maybe that type of slower burn plays out better in the pages of a paperback, but in a feature-length film, we spend too much time stuck in place. Only when we get to the third act does the movie really get you on the edge of your seat. Up until then, it’s a lot of Denzel Washington and Julia Roberts (but particularly Denzel) talking. That can work in some instances, but the lack of emotion with which most of the dialogue in this movie is delivered prevents you from being drawn in as they hash out this mystery.
Article continues below
If you want to watch this movie before you read on, I have bad news. “The Pelican Brief” isn’t streaming on any of the best streaming services, nor is it streaming on any of the best free streaming services. Instead, you’ll need to buy or rent “The Pelican Brief” from Amazon or the digital storefront of your choice. But having watched it for myself, I’m not sure my $5.99 was money well spent.
Malcolm McMillan
Malcolm has been with the Streaming team at Tom’s Guide since 2023, reviewing dozens of movies each year so you don’t have to watch the bad ones.
Denzel and Julia Roberts fail to light a fire under this legal drama
If you are new to this ongoing series, I’m currently watching every one of Denzel’s 52 movies in his filmography, one per week, throughout 2026. I started with 1981’s “Carbon Copy,” and I’m ending with last year’s “Highest 2 Lowest.” I’ve already seen 13 of the 52 movies, not including “The Pelican Brief,” meaning I’ve already gone through a quarter of Denzel’s filmography. Incredibly, this might be the most disappointed I’ve been after watching one of his movies.
Read more Denzel Watchathon
Now, some of this is down to expectation. “The Pelican Brief” is not the worst Denzel movie. It’s not even in the top 3. But those were movies I didn’t have particularly high expectations of. The closest comparison would be “Power,” which similarly paired Denzel with a big star in a politically charged thriller and failed to use Denzel properly. But even then, I went in expecting a poor movie based on the reviews I saw during my research before screening the movie.
Similarly, I think the problem with this legal thriller is that it’s painting Denzel as a lead character when, in reality, he’s supporting the lead. This movie is Julia Roberts’ movie, first and foremost. The more time we spend with her, the more intimate details of her life we learn; the romances in this movie are all centered around her, etc. Yes, Denzel plays a big part in the movie, but it’s to facilitate Roberts’ character’s journey through the story.
Had Denzel been more front and center in this movie, perhaps I’d have connected with his character more. Gray Grantham seems like a character worth exploring. He’s a hotshot reporter. He’s cultivated sources over decades. He’s got long relationships with some people in this movie that feel like they could have played a role in this film. But ultimately, he’s just a guy who helps Roberts’ character, Darby Shaw, prove that her theory about the deaths of two Supreme Court Justices is legitimate enough to merit protection from the multitude of people trying to silence her by any means necessary.
On the subject of Grantham and Darby, the movie seems to want you to both want them to have a romantic spark, but then also seems afraid to push the Black Denzel and white Roberts to the point where they act on their impulses. It’s clear at the very least that they feel some sort of way about each other in the end, but it’s just as clear that the movie is intentionally not exploring it further.
Grantham isn’t the only character who feels insufficiently explored. We could have also used more from the point of view of the movie’s villain, though I think that such an omission likely comes down to the source material. Still, if we’re not going to be on an edge-of-your-seat thrill ride like “The Fugitive,” these characters needed to be developed more to get us emotionally invested in them before their story resolution. At no point do I ever feel like I care what happens to anyone in this movie, save for maybe Roberts when she’s running for her life in New Orleans.
Verdict: Save your money and wait to stream ‘The Pelican Brief’
I know up to this point I’m making this sound like the dullest movie ever made. It’s not. There are multiple assassinations, car bombings and chase sequences. There’s even a chase sequence in a parking garage to avoid an assassination that then leads to an accidental car bombing. The body count in this movie is not insignificant.
But up until the third act of the movie, these deaths fail to surprise, save for one crucial explosion that propels the movie into its second act. Before that moment, every death in this movie feels telegraphed and inevitable. You know they’re coming, so the moment is diminished.
So I can’t recommend spending money to stream this legal thriller. If it were ever to come on Netflix or one of the best streaming services, and you could watch it as part of your subscription, it’s worth giving a shot. The more I think about this movie, the more I’m shocked it disappointed me so much; though, I also remember that the movie is simply too long. I’d be open to revisiting it, I just wouldn’t be willing to spend $5.99 to do so.
Buy or rent “The Pelican Brief” from Amazon
Follow Tom’s Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!