Plenty of Hollywood movies are based on best-selling books. While some come from source material that's well-known as literature first, like Lord of the Rings and the Hunger Games series, audiences may not know how many famous '90s thrillers are adapted from paperback best-sellers from authors like John Grisham and Michael Crichton.
Fans can be a little picky when it comes to adaptations of their favorite books. Now, it is true that some adaptations go poorly, and it would probably be best if Hollywood gave it another try. Many thriller novel adaptations hold up to the test of time, yet, for various reasons, didn’t get the love they deserved. These underrated '90s thrillers based on bestseller novels are definitely worth revisiting.
- Photo:
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.
Underrated thriller?- Photo:
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.
Underrated thriller?- Photo:
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.
Underrated thriller?- Photo:
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.
Underrated thriller?- Photo:
Much like James Bond, fictional CIA operative Jack Ryan has been played by several different actors across multiple film and TV adaptations of Tom Clancy’s books. Clear and Present Danger is one of two Jack Ryan movies made in the ‘90s, starring Harrison Ford. In this installment, Ryan investigates an unsanctioned CIA operation to wage war against a Colombian cartel. As often happens when a series gets remade or rebooted, many have forgotten this installment, since John Krasinski is the face currently associated with the character in the Jack Ryan TV series. Still, Ford's portrayal deserves recognition, even in an underrated film like Clear and Present Danger.
Underrated thriller?- Photo:
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.
Underrated thriller?- Photo:
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.
Underrated thriller?- Photo:
The film adaptation of Stephen King's Needful Things came in 1993, only two years after the novel landed on bookshelves. In typical King fashion, the horror-thriller builds tension from the first appearance of mysterious shopkeep Leland Gaunt (Max von Syndow), who always stocks exactly what the people in his new town need. However, Gaunt’s true intentions are to sow discourse and contempt amongst the people of the town. Although the movie's general premise went over well, it wasn’t nearly as well-received as some other adaptations of King’s work - though there's plenty of competition in that category.
Underrated thriller?- Photo:
Throughout the 1990s, author John Grisham was immensely popular. The Firm was far from his only novel to be adapted into a film, but it was the first, released in 1993. The movie stars Tom Cruise as a recent Harvard Law graduate who joins a law firm only to find out they are mainly dedicated to helping wealthy people hide money from the government. While the film followed the book's success with major box office profits, it hasn’t had the cultural staying power it deserves.
Underrated thriller?The 25 Best Movies Like 'The Firm', Ranked By FansSee all
- 1The Rainmaker13 Votes
- 2The Client7 Votes
- 3The Pelican Brief16 Votes
- Photo:
Single White Female, a 1992 film adaptation of John Lutz’s book SWF Seeks Same, is known for its often-quoted title referring to the personal ad that main character Allie puts out looking for a roommate. She ends up rooming with a woman named Hedy, who becomes a bit too attached to Allie, while hiding dark secrets underneath her affection. Unfortunately, the great performances by Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh were overlooked due to some of the more sensational elements of the film’s plot. While frequently brought up in other films and TV shows, Single White Female has fallen out of the consciousness of viewers and deserves another look.
Underrated thriller?- Photo:
1998's Out of Sight is a thriller-comedy adapted from the Elmore Leonard novel of the same name. The cast was packed with stars, including George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez as the leads, plus Don Cheadle, Ving Rhames, and Catherine Keener. Michael Keaton even briefly reprised his role from Jackie Brown, another film based on one of Leonard’s novels. As career thief Jack Foley (Clooney) breaks out of prison and ends up in a high-stakes string of crimes, US Marshal Karen Sisco (Lopez) chases him down - ending up romantically entangled with the con man along the way. Though the film scored a nomination for best Adapted Screenplay at the Academy Awards, Out of Sight isn’t quite as popular as its contemporaries, even if it deserves to be.
Underrated thriller?- Photo:
- Paramount Pictures
Patricia Highsmith’s novel The Talented Mr. Ripley was the first in a series of psychological thrillers that followed Tom Ripley through various intense relationships. In the 1999 film adaptation, a case of mistaken identity leads Ripley (Matt Damon) to meet Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law), a wealthy man whose life Ripley envies, leading him to eventually steal Dickie's identity. The adaptation was very well-received and even scored five Oscar nominations. Although the movie was a success, the film is forgotten more than it should be given its quality.
Underrated thriller?- Photo:
- Photo:
Author Michael Crichton is best known for writing the novel Jurassic Park, among a slew of other bestsellers. Though not nearly as successful as Jurassic Park, another of his books, Disclosure, was adapted into a film in 1994. With a powerhouse cast including Demi Moore, Michael Douglas, and Donald Sutherland, story focuses on workplace sexual harassment and power dynamics, though in a more sensationalized way than most modern films would likely utilize for the sensitive subject matter. The movie was praised for its performances, especially Demi Moore’s, and had a solid box office performance, though it's been largely forgotten since then.
Underrated thriller?- 14
- Photo:
Congo is one of several Michael Crichton novels that was adapted into a movie shortly after the huge success of Jurassic Park. The 1995 sci-fi thriller adventure begins when a gorilla attacks a wealthy mogul’s diamond hunting team in the Congo, forcing him to send a rescue mission to salvage the operation from hostile apes. The rescue team includes some unusual experts, like a primatologist and the ape he has trained to communicate using a device that translates her gestures. The film received poor reviews from critics, but notable performances from Laura Linney and Ernie Hudson make the action-packed flick a great candidate for a movie night.
Underrated thriller? - Photo:
The Rainmaker hit movie theaters in 1997, after several of John Grisham's works had already made it to the big screen, though this one nabbed a big-name director in Francis Ford Coppola. The story manages to create thrills even in a more family-focused drama, as attorney Rudy Baylor (Matt Damon) and paralegal Deck Shifflet (Danny DeVito) take on an insurance company denying coverage to a woman’s dying son. Even with such a stacked cast, also featuring Claire Danes and Jon Voight, The Rainmaker is usually lost among the sea of Grisham adaptations from the era. Despite praise from critics like Roger Ebert, and Coppola's stunning directorial choices, the movie remains underrated.
Underrated thriller?- Photo:
Before he directed the first Spider-Man movie, Sam Raimi found work in lesser-recognized titles. In 1998, Raimi helmed an adaptation of Scott B. Smith’s book A Simple Plan, following a group of friends who come across a massive amount of cash in a crashed plane and slowly turn suspicious of one another’s intentions to share it. With its neo-noir thrills, the movie earned a couple of Oscar nominations, but remains largely overlooked today. Fans of Raimi's more famous films should consider coming back to this quality crime flick.
Underrated thriller?
