Best John Grisham Movie Adaptations, Ranked

The Best John Grisham Movie Adaptations

In the 1990s, author John Grisham was pretty much a brand all by himself. The prolific author has penned over 40 books and his 300 million sold books have been translated into 42 languages. Most of his novels are legal thrillers, making them ripe to be plucked by Hollywood for movie adaptations.

Before video games and comic books became the “go-to” in Tinseltown, novels were where ideas were found. Authors like Stephen King and John Grisham were the popular choices as they constantly cranked out one bestseller after another. Grisham’s novels were so popular that movie studios would purchase the rights to his works even before the books were published.

There have been many of John Grisham’s novels turned into films. We have found the top six.

6. The Client (1994)

The Client is a legal thriller directed by Joel Schumacher from a script written by Akiva Goldsman and Robert Getchell. They based their story on John Grisham’s 1993 novel of the same name. The movie stars Susan Sarandon, Tommy Lee Jones, Mary Louise Parker, Anthony LaPaglia, Anthony Edwards, and in his debut role, Brad Renfro.

The story follows two young brothers who witness the suicide of a mob lawyer. The police and the mob both think the mob lawyer shared incriminating evidence with the boys, so they both want to know what the boys were told. Enter Reggie Love (Sarandon), a lawyer and ex-alcoholic who steps in to represent the boys.

5. The Rainmaker (1997)

The Rainmaker is a 1997 legal thriller written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola that is based on the 1995 John Grisham novel of the same name. Matt Damon is Rudy Baylor, a young lawyer who is out to make a difference.

When he takes on an elderly couple’s case against a corrupt insurance company, it is possible Baylor is in deep water. His fight is against corrupt judges and corrupt corporate lawyers. Along with Damon, The Rainmaker stars Danny DeVito, Claire Danes, John Voight, and Roy Scheider.

4. The Pelican Brief (1993)

Alan J. Pakula wrote and directed this John Grisham legal thriller, The Pelican Brief which stars Denzel Washington and Julia Roberts. After two Supreme Court Justices are killed, law student Darby Shaw writes a legal brief with her theory on who and why they were killed.

When the brief proves accurate and gets into the wrong hands, Darby’s life is now at risk.

3. Runaway Jury (2003)

It is a stacked cast for the 2003 legal thriller, Runaway Jury which is based on John Grisham’s 1996 novel of the same name. John Cusack is Nick Easter, a man who has been selected for jury duty in a case that involves a mass shooting that killed 11 people.

While the battle in court pits Wendell Rohr (Dustin Hoffman) against jury consultant Rankin Fitch Easter (Gene Hackman) and his girlfriend Marlee (Rachel Weisz) feel they can sway the jury any which way they want.

2. The Firm (1993)

In one of the best film adaptations of a John Grisham novel, The Firm stars Tom Cruise as Mitch McDeere, a top graduate from Harvard Law School and a highly sought-after man.

When Mitch finally accepts a lucrative offer from the prestigious law firm of Bendini, Lambert & Locke, he quickly finds out that there are consequences to all the perks the law firm hands out.

Gene Hackman, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Ed Harris, and Holly Hunter co-star.

1. A Time to Kill (1996)

Joel Schumacher is back behind the camera for a second time in this riveting legal thriller, A Time to Kill. The movie is based on John Grisham’s 1989 novel with the screenplay written by Akiva Goldsman. The film stars Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock, and Samuel L. Jackson.

This harrowing story follows the rape and attempted murder of a 10-year-old African American girl by two white men. The girl’s father, Carl Lee Hailey (Jackson) contacts lawyer Jake Brigance (McConaughey), who informs Carl Lee that the men may possibly get off.

Carl Lee then makes his way to the courthouse with a loaded rifle, killing both men in cold blood. Brigance, with the help of Ellen Roark (Bullock), now must defend Carl Lee from death row.