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The Pelican Brief

Movie · 1993 · 135 min

A sleek, paranoid chase through law libraries and city streets, always one step ahead of danger, gripping without ever feeling gratuitous.

About
1993 film directed by Alan J. Pakula
Admit oneThe Pelican Brief
Class
Movie
Year
1993
Runtime
135 min
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • tensestrength 3 of 3
  • darkstrength 2 of 3
  • earneststrength 2 of 3
  • cynicalstrength 1 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • conspiracy
  • corruption
  • justice
  • power
  • survival
Places
  • big city
  • small town
  • workplace
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • twist ending
  • serialised
Content intensity
  • Gore mild
  • Language mild
  • Violence mild
  • Sex mild
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action5
Horror2
Humour2
Realism7
Romance2
Tension8
Darkness6
Complexity6
Emotional weight6

Details

Genres
drama, crime, action thriller, political thriller
Directed by
Alan J. Pakula
Written by
John Grisham, Alan J. Pakula
Starring
Julia Roberts, Denzel Washington, John Lithgow, Stanley Tucci, Sam Shepard, Cynthia Nixon, Tony Goldwyn, John Heard
Music
James Horner
Cinematography
Stephen Goldblatt
Runtime
135 min
Country
United States
Languages
English

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