The Pelican Brief
1993 · 141 min · Director: Alan J. Pakula
Show plot summary (may contain spoilers)
Two Supreme Court Justices have been killed. Now a college professor, who clerked for one of the two men and who is also having an affair with one of his students, is given a brief by her that states who probably wanted to see these two men dead. He then gives it to one of his friends, who works for the FBI. When the FBI director reads it, he is fascinated by it. One of the president's men who read it is afraid that if it ever got out, the president could be smeared. So he advises the president to tell the director to drop it, which he does. But later the professor and the girl were out and he was drunk and when he refused to give her the keys, she stepped out of the car. When he started it, it blew up. She then discovers that her place has been burglarized and what was taken were her computer and her disks. Obviously, her brief has someone agitated. She then turns to her boyfriend's friend at the FBI. He agrees to come meet her but before he does, someone shoots him and takes his place. At the meeting, he was about to kill her when someone shoots him. She then decides to turn to Gray Grantham, an investigative reporter, who was contacted by someone who says he has info on the killings but backed out at the last minute. He then meets her and tells her what her brief is, and basically, the man she suspects is a good friend of the president, and is trying to manipulate the outcome of a trial that is now before the Supreme Court. Grantham tells her that her brief can harm the president and although all they have are theories, he asks her to help him, but she wants to leave the country. Then Grantham's editor tells him that they have nothing, that he should drop cause the man she implicated is extremely powerful. Grantham is about to drop it when she says that she will help him. But can they stay alive?
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Emotional fingerprint
The Pelican Brief (1993) — Movie. Top emotional signals: Anxiety 30%, Tension 25%, Curiosity 20%. Source: AI estimate. Shares describe emotional signal, not percentages of people. Your experience may differ. How we measure
AI estimate · no viewer votes yet
How we measure
AI estimate
Share of emotional signal, not the percentage of people or a probability of enjoyment.
Each viewer contributes one response, split equally across their selected emotions. When available, an automated estimate supplies a prior that is blended with those responses. Counts include distinct viewers, not automated estimates or archived anonymous votes. Fewer than 3 viewers is an early estimate; more responses do not guarantee certainty.
Why it feels this way
The strongest emotional signals are Anxiety, Tension, Curiosity. Genres: Drama, Mystery, Crime. AI estimate.
Is it worth watching?
Consider this title if you are looking for Anxiety, Tension and Curiosity. Its IMDb rating of 6.7/10 suggests a generally positive audience reception. For these leading emotions, its Feel Score is 69/100.
How did it make you feel?
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Emotional journey
- Curiosity
- Tension
- Relief
Not enough subtitle evidence
No dominant emotion
Dominant emotion: Curiosity
Dominant emotion: Tension
Dominant emotion: Sadness
Dominant emotion: Relief
Dominant emotion
| % | Approximate minute | Dominant emotion | Overall intensity | Curiosity | Tension | Relief |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 % | ≈ 4′ | Curiosity | 33 % | 33 % | 27 % | 0 % |
| 7.5 % | ≈ 11′ | Curiosity | 41 % | 43 % | 33 % | 0 % |
| 12.5 % | ≈ 18′ | Curiosity | 49 % | 53 % | 38 % | 0 % |
| 17.5 % | ≈ 25′ | Curiosity | 50 % | 51 % | 39 % | 0 % |
| 22.5 % | ≈ 32′ | Tension | 55 % | 48 % | 49 % | 0 % |
| 27.5 % | ≈ 39′ | Tension | 61 % | 48 % | 60 % | 1 % |
| 32.5 % | ≈ 46′ | Tension | 60 % | 45 % | 60 % | 4 % |
| 37.5 % | ≈ 53′ | Tension | 60 % | 45 % | 60 % | 6 % |
| 42.5 % | ≈ 60′ | Tension | 63 % | 53 % | 61 % | 9 % |
| 47.5 % | ≈ 67′ | Curiosity | 60 % | 59 % | 55 % | 8 % |
| 52.5 % | ≈ 74′ | Curiosity | 56 % | 59 % | 49 % | 5 % |
| 57.5 % | ≈ 81′ | Curiosity | 54 % | 55 % | 49 % | 5 % |
| 62.5 % | ≈ 88′ | Tension | 53 % | 51 % | 49 % | 3 % |
| 67.5 % | ≈ 95′ | Curiosity | 57 % | 48 % | 50 % | 3 % |
| 72.5 % | ≈ 102′ | Sadness | 66 % | 48 % | 59 % | 9 % |
| 77.5 % | ≈ 109′ | Tension | 68 % | 55 % | 64 % | 14 % |
| 82.5 % | ≈ 116′ | Curiosity | 64 % | 54 % | 55 % | 26 % |
| 87.5 % | ≈ 123′ | Relief | 60 % | 40 % | 35 % | 48 % |
| 92.5 % | ≈ 130′ | Relief | 57 % | 32 % | 18 % | 57 % |
| 97.5 % | ≈ 137′ | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence |
Man in a hole
Rags to riches: The emotional tone rises from negative to positive.
Riches to rags: The emotional tone falls from positive to negative.
Man in a hole: The tone falls, then recovers.
Icarus: The tone rises, then falls.
Cinderella: The tone rises, falls, then rises again.
Oedipus: The tone falls, rises, then falls again.
AI reading of the film’s English subtitles (dialogue and sound cues) — not viewer votes. How we measure ↗
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Premise onlyAfterward Reveal viewer responses · may contain spoilers
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Cast
Sarge
Details
- Directed by
- Alan J. Pakula
- Written by
- Alan J. Pakula, John Grisham
- Type
- Movies
- Released
- 1993
- Runtime
- 141 min
- Country
- United States
- Ratings
- Feels mostly
- Anxiety
- Data updated
Where to watch
Rent
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