John Steinbeck's fable of how wealth destroys the life of a simple man is given another screen adaptation in this drama. Kino (Lukas Haas) is a diver who scrapes together a meager living off the coast of Mexico. One day, Kino makes an amazing discovery -- he finds a giant pearl whose value could seemingly give his family a new lease on life. But Dr. Karl (Richard Harris), a man who deals the pearls scavenged by the local divers, wants Kino's remarkable find, and will stop at nothing to get it. As Kino struggles to hold on to his treasure, greater misfortune befalls his family, and he soon comes to regret ever pulling the pearl from the sea. The Pearl proved to be one of the last films to star Richard Harris, and the project didn't see release in the United States until three years after his death in the fall of 2002 - hence the posthumous screen credit.
~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide