16 Underrated '90s Thrillers Based On Paperback Bestsellers

A Time to Kill was the second adaptation of John Grisham's works to be directed by Joel Schumacher, released in 1996. Focused on the legal world like most of Grisham's works, the story documents the trial of Carl Lee Hailey (Samuel L. Jackson) who killed two men for attacking his daughter, and his legal defense conducted by Jake Brigance (Matthew McConaughey) and Ellen Roark (Sandra Bullock). Additionally, the film encompasses events surrounding the trial, such as how the justice system treats Hailey due to his race. Though successful at the time of its release, it has largely faded from cultural relevance. Great performances by Jackson, McConaughey, and Bullock make A Time to Kill worthy of a rewatch.

Fans of mystery movies in the early 2000s likely remember Along Came a Spider, but they might not know the movie was actually a sequel to the 1997 neo-noir Kiss the Girls. Both films star Morgan Freeman as Alex Cross, the lead character in James Patterson’s original novel. When Cross's niece, Naomi, is kidnapped, he teams up with Dr. Kate McTiernan (Ashley Judd) to track the culprit in a psychological showdown. Compared to the follow-up, Kiss the Girls had a smaller budget and a harsher critical reception, so it's possible that many viewers saw Along Came a Spider without realizing they had missed the underrated first film.

The Client followed in the successful line of legal thrillers adapted from John Grisham’s books in the ‘90s. The 1994 film follows 11-year-old Mark Sway, played by Brad Renfro, who stumbles into learning the location of a body hidden by the mob. Mark and his family are aided by their lawyer, Reggie Love (Susan Sarandon), to get the legal and physical protection they need as they assist in the investigation. With generally positive reviews, The Client's release spawned a TV adaptation the following year, which only lasted for one season. Though it has faded from memory, this film still provides peak tension with a young boy at the center of a high-stakes investigation.

Scott Turow’s novel Presumed Innocent had so much buzz around it that the film rights were bought before the book was even released. After several bids, Warner Bros. came out the victor to produce the film in 1990, telling the tale of Rusty Sabich (Harrison Ford), a prosecutor who must unravel the death of his mistress while under suspicion for her murder. While the movie was both a commercial and critical success, it didn’t receive consideration for any major awards, leading to its forgotten status today.

William Diehl’s novel Primal Fear carved out a space in the '90s hunger for legal thrillers, even with John Grisham dominating the market. The movie adaptation details the journey of attorney Martin Vail (Richard Gere) as he fights to prove 19-year-old altar boy Aaron Stampler (Edward Norton) is innocent of killing an archbishop. The film was well-received, with Edward Norton winning a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination for his performance as the altar boy, yet is rarely remembered as a standout as it ought to be.

The Pelican Brief was the second John Grisham novel to hit movie theaters in 1993, and it made a splash with its debut. The movie features a strong duo of leads, law student Darby Shaw (Julia Roberts) and reporter Gray Grantham (Denzel Washington), who work to uncover the truth behind the assassination of two Supreme Court justices. Despite mixed reviews and a release overshadowed by The Firm six months earlier, The Pelican Brief stands out upon rewatch as a thriller that delivers.