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.
