Movies like The Pelican Brief: 20 to watch next

If you loved The Pelican Brief (1993) — a thriller and drama film directed by Alan J. Pakula — these 20 movies are the closest matches.

The first picks are what fans of The Pelican Brief most often go on to watch; the rest share its genres and themes like based on novel or book, judge and professor. 5 of them are streaming in India right now — each entry shows where.

Where to watch The Pelican Brief →·Get picks for your whole taste →

1
The Rainmaker 1997★ 7.0
Shares: Drama
Fresh out of law school and desperate for work, idealistic rookie Rudy Baylor takes on a powerful insurance company accused of denying a dying boy’s claim. Teaming up with a scrappy, unlicensed paralegal, he finds himself in a David-versus-Goliath courtroom battle that tests his ethics, courage, and belief in justice.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
2
Winged Creatures 2009★ 5.9
Shares: Drama
A psychotic man opens fire in a diner, murdering numerous people before killing himself. The survivors struggle in different ways following this horrendous event: a doctor doubts his own instincts and elects to use an experimental medical procedure on his wife, while a gambler believes he's on a lucky streak. A waitress begins engaging in promiscuous sex, and a young girl whose father is among the dead gains unexpected fame.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
3
Murder in Three Acts 1986★ 6.0
Shares: Drama
In Acapulco, Hercule Poirot attends a dinner party in which one of the guests clutches his throat and suddenly dies. The causes seem to be natural until another party with most of the same guests produces another corpse.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
4
The Woman in the Window 1944★ 7.4
Shares: Drama, Thriller
A seductive woman gets an innocent professor mixed up in murder.
Stream in India on Bloodstream
5
Cry of the City 1948★ 6.7
Shares: Drama
Petty crook and cop-killer Martin Rome, in bad shape from wounds in the hospital prison ward, still refuses to help slimy lawyer Niles clear his client by confessing to another crime. Police Lt. Candella must check Niles' allegation; a friend of the Rome family, he walks a tightrope between sentiment and cynicism. When Martin fears Candella will implicate his girlfriend Teena, he'll do anything to protect her. How many others will he drag down to disaster with him?
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
6
Miss Marple: They Do It with Mirrors 1992★ 6.9
Shares: Drama
At the insistence of Ruth Van Rydock, an old schoolfriend who is convinced that there is something wrong, Miss Marple agrees to visit 'Stonygates', the country house of Ruth's sister.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
7
The Seven-Ups 1973★ 6.3
Shares: Thriller
A tough detective who is part of an elite New York City unit is trying to find out who killed his partner, but uncovers a plot to kidnap mobsters for money.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
8
Appointment with Death 1988★ 6.1
Shares: Thriller, Drama
Emily Boynton, the stepmother to three children, blackmails the family lawyer into destroying a second will of her late husband that would have freed the children from her dominating influence. She takes herself, the children, and her daughter-in-law on holiday to Europe and the Holy Land. At a dig, Emily is found dead and Hercule Poirot investigates.
Stream in India on MGM Plus Amazon Channel
9
TalhotBlond 2012★ 6.3
Shares: Drama
Thomas Montgomery, a married father of two young daughters, gets seduced by the world of online gambling and chat rooms where a virtual romance and sexual obsession ultimately leads to the murder of an innocent man.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
10
The Star Chamber 1983★ 6.0
Shares: Drama, Thriller
As violence escalates in Los Angeles and heinous murders are committed, Steven Hardin, a young judge of the California Supreme Court, must struggle with his tortured conscience and growing despair as he watches helplessly as the ruthless criminals brought before his court go free because clever lawyers find obscure loopholes in the law.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
11
16 Blocks 2006★ 6.5
Shares: Thriller
An aging cop is assigned the ordinary task of escorting a fast-talking witness from police custody to a courthouse, but they find themselves running the gauntlet as other forces try to prevent them from getting there.
Stream in India on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, JioHotstar
12
They Made Me a Fugitive 1947★ 6.6
Shares: Drama, Thriller
After being framed for a policeman's murder, a criminal escapes prison and sets out for revenge.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
13
The Mirror Crack'd 1980★ 6.1
Shares: Thriller
Jane Marple solves the mystery when a local woman is poisoned and a visiting movie star seems to have been the intended victim.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
14
The Mask of Dimitrios 1944★ 7.1
Shares: Drama
A mystery writer is intrigued by the tale of notorious criminal Dimitrios Makropolous, whose dead body was found washed up on the shore in Istanbul. He decides to follow the career of Dimitrios around Europe, in order to learn more about the man. Along the way he is joined by the mysterious Mr. Peters, who has his own motivation.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
15
Riddled with Deceit: A Martha's Vineyard Mystery 2020★ 7.2
Shares: Drama
Former detective Jeff Jackson teams up with Dr. Zee Madieras to track down their friend's missing emerald brooch, a thief, and also... a murderer.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
16
Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Reunited and It Feels So Deadly 2020★ 7.3
Shares: Drama
Aurora's high school reunion turns deadly when a body is found in the hotel pool. Aurora and her Real Murders Club help investigate which classmate was most likely to kill.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
17
Woman on the Run 1950★ 6.8
Shares: Thriller
Frank Johnson, a sole witness to a gangland murder, goes into hiding and is trailed by Police Inspector Ferris, on the theory that Frank is trying to escape from possible retaliation. Frank's wife, Eleanor, suspects he is actually running away from their unsuccessful marriage. Aided by a newspaperman, Danny Leggett, Eleanor sets out to locate her husband. The killer is also looking for him, and keeps close tabs on Eleanor.
Stream in India on Artiflix, Brew, Plex
18
Just Mercy 2019★ 7.8
Shares: Drama
The powerful true story of Harvard-educated lawyer Bryan Stevenson, who goes to Alabama to defend the disenfranchised and wrongly condemned — including Walter McMillian, a man sentenced to death despite evidence proving his innocence. Bryan fights tirelessly for Walter with the system stacked against them.
Stream in India on JioHotstar
19
The Enforcer 1951★ 7.1
Shares: Drama, Thriller
After years of investigation, Assistant District Attorney Martin Ferguson has managed to build a solid case against an elusive gangster whose top lieutenant is about to testify.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
20
The Quiller Memorandum 1966★ 5.9
Shares: Thriller, Drama
After two British Secret Intelligence Service agents are murdered at the hands of a cryptic neo-Nazi group known as Phoenix, the suave agent Quiller is sent to Berlin to investigate.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now