The Pelican Brief
Directed by Alan J. Pakula
- thriller
- drama
The story
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.
What it’s like
Cool, cramped interiors and grey Washington light: Alan J. Pakula's thriller lives in fluorescent-lit offices, dim hotel rooms, and rain-slicked city streets, shot with a restrained, paranoid eye that favours long watchful takes and deep-focus framing where danger sits just outside the frame. The score is sparse and tense, with brooding strings that swell under pressure and drop away to quiet rooms where phones ring and papers rustle. The mood is sober, edgy and suspenseful rather than flashy, a slow-building unease that tightens as a young law student and a seasoned reporter piece together a conspiracy. Its intensity sits in the mid-range: a couple of sudden, sharp murders and a few tense chase and confrontation beats, with no gore and little overt sexual content. It suits a rainy weeknight, a focused evening alone, or a settle-in watch with someone who likes a grown-up thriller. It is for people who enjoy the methodical pleasures of 1990s paranoia: courtroom-adjacent intrigue, a relationship built on trust under pressure, and the satisfaction of pulling a tangled thread until the picture clears.
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