User reviews

In this excitingly convoluted genre piece by Sydney Pollack---who blossomed into a straightforwardly commercial director who was happily a part of the commercial mainstream, unlike such surviving contemporaries as Sidney Lumet and Woody Allen---Tom Cruise plays Mitch McDeere, a poor boy who is embarrassed by his meager roots now that he has graduated from Harvard Law fifth in his class. He gets offers from the top law firms in New York and Chicago, yet ultimately opts for a smaller firm stationed in Memphis. His choice is money-minded. He regards money as peace of mind, however later in the film he is less certain than he's ever been of how flush he'd need to have to be truly at peace.

Some movies about the law reduce the judiciary elements to the rank of incidental. This one squeezes them for all they're worth. Without betraying too much of the story, I can say that McDeere is soon enough being blackmailed by both the FBI and the firm's security chief, grizzled and mild Wilford Brimley, quite compelling in an unusual jaunt as a bad guy. To protect himself, Mitch has to exercise both mind and body, eluding hit men and outwitting lawyers, to save both his life and his license to practice law.

Drawn from the novel by John Grisham, as adapted by three of the most high-priced screenwriters at the time, this star-studded suspense melodrama takes an admirable two and a half hours to work its way through a hair-splitting ethical hodgepodge. By the finale, regardless of McDeere's gasping expounding during phone calls in the middle of a chase sequence, his plan of action is bewildering. And then there is the one character who never saw two particular killers when she witnessed another character's death because she was totally enclosed and hidden, which is how she survived, but in a later scene with Mitch, she says she saw the killers and details what they looked like, even the color of one's eyes, the one actually being an albino. However, it doesn't seem as far-fetched as it would were the style of the movie not as competent even when the fine points were bleary.

Sydney Pollack, usually a solid director of easy-going entertainment, liked to make big, demanding movies and he was secure working with huge stars. Whether or not that colors his movies with a sugar-coated worthiness, he utilized them as abbreviated exposition. Case in point: One glance at Hal Holbrook as the top dog of the Firm and we sense it's a suspicious organization. Holbrook almost always plays the ostensibly dignified man with skeletons in his closet. One look at Gene Hackman, as the law partner who becomes Cruise's coach, and we know he's an incredibly faulty yet essentially not such a bad man, as he always is. One look at Cruise and we get a complacent feeling, because he is, in lots of his roles, just a little slow to figure things out. His characters appear to trust people too readily, and so it seems authentic when he accepts the Firm's song and dance and inducements.

The movie is practically a compilation of great small character performances. Ed Harris, menacing with a shaved head, mainly requires little more than a couple of concise appearances to persuasively disclose the FBI's case against the Firm, and to divulge its airy readiness to force a potential witness to undergo impossible duress. Another potent performance is by David Strathairn, as the brother McDeere hasn't told the Firm about. Strathairn has arisen as one of the most commanding character actors around. There are also rich performances by Gary Busey, as an articulate private eye, and especially by Holly Hunter, as his allegiant secretary. Actually, watching this high falutin' legal thriller, it hit me that law firms have to some extent usurped Army platoons as Hollywood's most enjoyed universal human setting. The new law thrillers have the same components as those reliable old World War II action films: Assorted cultural and character archetypes who battle each other when they're not battling the enemy. The law movies have one formidable leg-up: the female characters engage equally in the fray, rather than simply cooking, cleaning and writing letters.

The vast peanut gallery of characters makes The Firm into a persuasive Hollywood landscape. There are enough convincing people here to give McDeere a genuine environment to inhabit. And Pollack was forbearing inwith some ways with his material. He would allow a scene to go on until the point was made somewhat more acutely. That would let an actor like Hackman be stunningly compelling in scenes where he delicately authenticates that, in spite of everything, he has a decent soul. A sensitive scene near the climax between Hackman and Tripplehorn is like an advanced course in acting. The parts of The Firm seem better than the whole. And there are some great parts.

This is a long (154 minutes) but pretty solid drama-suspense story about corporate corruption. The film features a well-known cast, and as soon as the action kicks in this becomes a very tense story.

Tom Cruise is very good as the hotshot lawyer, as is Jeanne Tripplehorn who plays his unhappy wife. This is a complex story at times, one not always easily understood, especially the ending. So much is explained so fast at the end it's tough to comprehend it all.

Wilfred Brimley, Gene Hackman, Hal Holbrook, Holly Hunter, Robert Strathairn and Ed Harris all make this a really deep, impressive cast. For more details of the story, check some of the other reviews.

When "The Firm" came out was - believe it or not - the first time that I had ever heard of Tom Cruise (although I didn't see the movie until several years later). And let me tell you, this was a great introduction. Cruise plays novice lawyer Mitch McDeere, who goes to work for a Memphis firm. With this firm, he has everything that anyone could want. But there's the question: why does everything seem so perfect? The answer lies in the firm's unseemly other side. And they're not just going to let Mitch blow their cover.

Sydney Pollack pulled off everything perfectly here. It's sort of like an Ira Levin novel how everything plays out. You may be suspicious of everything after seeing this movie. Above all, it shows that Tom Cruise can actually do a good job when he tries. Also starring Jeanne Tripplehorn, Gene Hackman, Hal Holbrook, Wilford Brimley, Ed Harris, Holly Hunter, David Strathairn and Gary Busey.

It's hard to believe that this was the first movie adaptation of a John Grisham novel.

All the elements to make a hard-hitting melodrama of corruption (with FBI and Mafia aspects present) are unfolded here in a gripping yarn from John Grisham's novel. Tom Cruise is excellent as a young man who joins a small but prosperous law firm, only to discover that all the perks he enjoys come at great expense to his integrity, not to mention his life. The plot thickens when members of the firm are murdered and Cruise gets drawn into the unmasking of the firm, risking his life to reveal the criminals. Gene Hackman, Ed Harris, Holly Hunter and Hal Holbrook all give strong performances, with Hunter fully deserving her Oscar nomination. The pacing is good despite the film's length (well over 2 1/2 hrs.) and there's seldom a dull moment. Especially gripping is the supercharged climax.

Not having read the book, I see where others are disappointed with the ending. Having no comparison to make, I can only say that it kept me absorbed until the final scene. Definitely a must-see if you enjoy action thrillers with a climactic punch. One of the best films of the '90s, full of suspenseful twists and turns.

The Firm (1993)

The twist in the plot as you realize this Memphis law firm is not what it seems, and the rather innocent freshman lawyer played by Tom Cruise is slow to catch on, is the core of the movie, and a relief. It starts steadily, or slowly, depending on your patience, and in fact plays many scenes out in more detail than we need for a kind of bookish thriller. It's not a bad ride, and there are some further, minor twists, but it's not packed tightly enough, or frankly original enough, to lift its boots out of the sand.

Director Sydney Pollack, hugely successful as a director and actor, might have just had bad scriptwriting here by David Rabe, because John Grisham's book had proved itself. The acting is really solid (I'm no Cruise fan, but he's fine), but the characters are often doing things that just don't quite follow, or that are improbable or stupid. Or they end up doing something dangerous and the danger is either watered down or ridiculous. Examples that come to mind are how they show Cruise discovering or stealing or xeroxing files. We get the plot, but it lumbers along, or is just shown, not built up with suspense. The cinematographer takes a hit here, I think. Things are often nicely framed and routinely well done, but a thriller needs to hide some things, show some things, create ambiance and mystery, and so on, visually. It doesn't really happen.

So, for a kind of technical high-stakes, rich person's good-guy bad-guy suspense film, it will get you through, but barely. By the last five minutes, if you aren't sucked in, you'll want to scream "hurry up!"

Got to love Tom Cruise cruising his way through the Firm. Good screen play, great acting and exciting story. Don't get tired at all during these 2.5h of parallell stories of the characters and to see how they all intervene in each others lives.

Even get some action in the film toward the end. If you feel like an exciting film with all your traditional 90 vibe in style, talk and play - make sure to watch the Firm. Great job everyone!

Sydney Pollak made an interesting and remarkable movie, "The Firm" is an intense drama movie with many dramatic moments worth watching. Though it's a two and a half hour movie where it's mostly "walk and talk" scenes and can feel boring at some point. "The Firm" does deliver it's moments and advantages, such as the score composed by Dave Grusin. Tom Cruise is also an advantage cause of his acting skills and devotion to the role. Overall a nice movie with drama that gets intense at the very end. Maybe not suggested for everyone, if you don't like the kind of movies where it's mostly lawyer stuff and "walk and talk" scenes, so this movie may not be for you.

Tom Cruise, the All American kid from the trailer park who worked his way through Harvard Law School, just got the dream job with a prestigious white shoe law firm in Memphis, Tennessee. Sounds like he's on his way to the top with wife Jeanne Tripplehorn. But it turns out to be a nightmare.

This Firm's main client is a Chicago crime family and they launder the mob's money. Now the FBI in the persons of fatherly Steven Hill and hard-nosed Ed Harris are squeezing Cruise to infiltrate and get incriminating information. That would result in disbarment for violating lawyer/client privilege. And The Firm isn't a gang of boy scouts either. They're not above a little blackmail and entrapment and they've got a security man in Wilford Brimley who's real good at it.

How Tom Cruise gets out of this rock and a hard place situation is the plot of The Firm. Sydney Pollak gave him one stylish cast in support and everyone of them delivers. Even players like Gary Busey, Hal Holbrook, Gene Hackman, take essentially supporting roles because this film was a guaranteed blockbuster. All of John Grisham's novels have their own built in audience, The Firm is no exception. I do remember my mother was a devoted reader of his work, whereas I always await the film version.

Holly Hunter got an Oscar nomination for her small role as private detective Gary Busey's secretary and girl Friday. When Hunter witnesses Busey's murder without the hit men knowing it, she sets the wheels in motion for the downfall of the bad guys. Hunter got nominated for Best Actress for The Piano and Best Supporting Actress for The Firm, a most unusual occurrence. She won for The Piano in 1993, but lost the Supporting Actress Award to her co-star in The Piano, Anna Paquin. Winning both would have just been a bit too much for the Academy voters.

The Firm has a far fetched plot to be sure in the way that Tom Cruise brings them all down. Still that's the charm of it. It's almost Hitchcockian in its pace and mood, and even more resembles the Mission Impossible television series in the way it's all brought off. Small wonder that Tom Cruise was chosen to star in the big screen adaptations of that television classic.

When I watch The Firm, I'm reminded of that line from another television classic that one Hannibal Smith used to say about he loved it when a plan comes together. That's what you will like about The Firm.

It's supposed to be a thriller/action/mystery of this FIRM... But in every built up scene they play this happy go lucky jolly piano that doesn't go with the movie in the slightest. I mean maybe once or twice. But after the 20th time of hearing it in spots where it doesn't belong.. It's downright ANNOYING!!!! Rating would be higher if not for the worst soundtrack decision in movie history!

I read "The Firm" after watching it, not knowing what expect (I didn't know if it would be a tight or loose adaptation). It was pretty close, with the difference mainly lying in the ending, and that where Sydney Pollack makes this story go from good to great: The book, at the end, makes Mitch out to be a coward and a traitor at the end, by making him give into the FBI. But, in the film, Mitch is seen as a hero who doesn't give into anyone. The FBI doesn't win and the Mafia doesn't win. Mitch wins. He bows down to no one. Tom Cruise also plays a *great* Mitch McDeere, with a lot of intensity and charisma. You cheer for him as the protagonist. Holly Hunter is top-notch with her portrayal of the vulnerable, secretary turned accomplice Tammy. Gene Hackman is also great as Avery Tolar, the one bad guy who sympathizes with Mitch and Abby. Such a great screen presence. His scenes while they're in the Kaymen Islands are key ones to watch. Jeanne Tripplehorn finally makes up for her role in "Basic Instinct" as Abby McDeere, the "cheated wife", not only by her husband, but also by the firm he works for. Sydney Pollack showcases some of his best work as director, especially by the opening segment that describes Mitch McDeere perfectly in the span of less than 10 minutes.

Such a GREAT adaptation, and a even better film to watch!

While the plot holes are immense, it is in general good entertainment. It goes smoothly and if you turn off your brain (especially in the end) you could possibly enjoy it. The first hour is even building up some tension! Oddly, I thought the bed scene of Jeanne Tripplehorn and Gene Hackman emitted more eroticism than Tripplehorn and Cruise. Paul Sorvino and Joe Viterelli are extremely miscast. When I first saw them at the airport scene I thought the film diverts to a mob comedy!

I wanted to get a copy of the screenplay to compare the movie with the dialog and directions, but initially received the FIRST draft by David Rabe. I finally got the shooting script later. All I can say is that it ended with Mc Deere blowing away all the partners in a restaurant with an AK-47. It really made me appreciate the re-write by David Rayfiel and Robert Towne. I have watched this movie many times and enjoy the suspense, romance, and Grusin's solo piano score, which always blows me away. But the one thing that impressed me most with multiple viewing, is how Gene Hackman really makes the movie work. His portrayal of this corrupt, but incredably likeable character is the one thread that holds the movie together for me and goes down as one of his most memorable acting performances.

Tom Cruise is as competent as ever in this Sydney Pollack-directed law film. I would put his film Three Days of the Condor ahead of this one though because the Firm lacks much of the excitement and well-plotted story beats. There are a few moments of suspense, but a lot of is it pretty slow-moving. The cast is fantastic though with several standout performances. The score, while good, felt very out of place in several scenes. This was also probably at least half an hour too long. The Firm is a slightly above average thriller from the 90s that provides a good starring role for Tom Cruise.

Cruise is in top not form. Tripplehorn, Hackman and Harris are all great supporting actors. Just 1 problem. The soundtrack has wayyyy too much piano that doesn't fit at all with the pace of the movie. Or really anything at all with it. Takes away from the drama. Bad bad job of whoever decided on the piano for the key moments of the movie...

This movie was the movie that finally drove the fact home to me that Tom Cruise was a good actor and pushed him to the front of the line. The casting was really really great and the plot was first rate. Cruise is a fresh out of college law student named Mitch with a pretty new wife who is dreaming of becoming a successful and big name lawyer. So as any other graduate he is sending out resumes and getting offers from different firms. But one firm from Memphis, Tennessee gives him an offer he can't refuse. It seems like a small homegrown firm that is very wealthy and prosperous and prides itself on being the best. But this isn't any ordinary law firm. It's a "Family" with a history of partners having premature deaths and now Mitch is part of it. And he can't get out. Not alive anyways. So Mitch has to find a way out without joining the list of expired former associates. Gene Hackman in this is incredibly, stunningly, unbelievably great. His character quickly becomes Cruise's mentor. He is an unhappy, alcoholic, womanizing ambulance chaser (albeit an highly powerful and prosperous one) who also cannot escape either and is the linchpin in the unfolding drama that Cruise and Tripplehorn find themselves square in the middle of. Hackman is the one you should despise and dislike right from the beginning but you can't even if you try very hard because he is a likable person and you know he is in serious trouble which makes you emphasize with him right from the get go. My favorite Grisham book adaptation it made him a household name to this very day. Also features appearances by Paul Sorvino, Gary Busey, and Holly Hunter.

I can't honestly say that I am a big fan of the little man Tom Cruise, but his supporting cast includes Gene Hackman, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Ed Harris, Wilford Brimley, and Holly Hunter and with the film being based on a popular John Grisham novel so the film did not disappoint us. Mrs. Shullivan was late coming home while the film was underway and it immediately caught her undivided attention even though she missed the first half of the film. So captivating was the story line about a top notch Memphis law firm who launders money for the mob, and as the young lawyers serve their purpose are each mysteriously found dead under even more suspicious circumstances.

Tom Cruise plays Mitch McDeere, who just graduated with honors second in his class from Harvard University and is the next "chosen one" for the small Memphis firm who woos the wonder boy with a healthy starting salary, a sports car as well as a house. His assigned mentor is the smooth talking Avery Tolar (Gene Hackman) who immediately takes wonder boy Mitch to the Bahamas to close his first big investment deal.

To complete the perfect life, Mitch needs the perfect wife who happens to be the independent wealthy heir Abby (Jeanne Tripplehorn) who is not hypnotized by their sudden wealth (as Mitch is) as she comes from a family of wealth. The film has a great story line with continued intrigue and suspense and above average cast of great actors/actresses that I did enjoy.

A decent 7 out of 10 rating

A young lawyer (Tom Cruise) joins a prestigious law firm only to discover that it has a sinister dark side.

Roger Ebert gave "The Firm" three stars out of four, remarking: "The movie is virtually an anthology of good small character performances. The large gallery of characters makes The Firm into a convincing canvas but with a screenplay that developed the story more clearly, this might have been a superior movie, instead of just a good one with some fine performances." I think Ebert is spot on here. The plot is pretty good, but never seems as strong as the characters. Every actor gives the full amount of their potential.

For me, it was a thrill to see Tobin Bell. Cruise is great, and was apparently very athletic at this point in his career -- Paul Calderon recalls that Cruise was mountain climbing on weekends. Gene Hackman is incredible, Ed Harris is pretty good... heck, even Gary Busey performs better than usual. But Bell is great to see. I do not think he really became known before "Saw", and even then only by certain people. Here, he has an excellent supporting role as a hit man.

I've always felt that ensemble casts were the best, rather than single-star movies. Apparently, Cruise insisted only his name be at the top of the movie poster, which is unfortunate because the film works not only because of him but the rest of a stellar cast working with a fine screenplay. Along with Cruise, just about every other actor in the cast contributes to this film's success, particularly Jeanne Tripplehorn (who has just about as much screen time as Cruise), Gene Hackman, Holly Hunter, and Wilford Brimley, who plays against type as a ruthless "Mr. Fix-it" for the firm. Hunter was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. Honorable mention also goes to Ed Harris, David Strathairn, and Hal Holbrook.

Mitch McDeere is a stellar law student graduating from Harvard. He's being recruited by all the top law firms in the US, focusing on tax and property law. One law firm out of Memphis, TN, Bendini, Lambert & Locke, makes it clear they want him badly, and make him the biggest offer than any other firm (respective of geographic location). In other words, a $100,000/year salary in Memphis is worth about $175,000 in New York.

He and his wife Abby visit Memphis and the law firm, and find out a few strange things. Abby picks up on them but Mitch is rather oblivious. They hang out with another young couple whose husband has also just joined the firm. A couple of little items are mentioned by the other wife, that the firm encourages children and are not against a wife of an associate working. Huh? Since when does a law firm get to approve or disapprove of an associate's family situation? Mitch only sees the good and dismisses the red flags but Abby is concerned.

Despite the red flags, Mitch takes the offer, and the couple move into a nice house furnished by the firm who also puts in their telephones. They're told that the firm does all the telephone installations. Pretty quickly we learn the firm is bugging the McDeeres' household. Then two law firm associates were killed in some kind of a boating accident. Mitch and Abby meet with the young couple they had met during their exploratory visit. Both are distraught with grief.

Mitch is then paired with Avery Tolar (Gene Hackman), his assigned mentor to help with the bar exam. Mitch then learns no one at the firm ever failed the bar exam. Avery takes Mitch to the Cayman Islands to meet with one of their clients, who appears to be a bit sleazy. Who are the firm's clients? At night on the beach at the Cayman's, Mitch makes a behavioral decision which will deepen his commitment to the firm, but on their terms, not his. But that takes on more of an implication when he learns other law firm associates died under mysterious conditions which is confirmed by two FBI guys at a cafe, who inform him that no associate has ever left Bendini, Lambert & Locke alive.

The crucial scene comes when Mitch is given a message at a tax law conference in Washington DC to take a bus to a park. There he meets the agent he met in the cafe and another head agent. He is told his life as he knows it is over. Or is it? The FBI agents want him to steal files from the firm, which include illegal activity of their clients. Unfortunately, if Mitch engages in this behavior, he could jeopardize his future to practice law as this could violate the attorney-client privilege which states that a lawyer cannot reveal incriminating information about his or her client.

The whole point of the film is about how Mitch McDeere must straddle the pressure of the US government, his commitment as an attorney, and his life and relationship with his wife. A thoroughly compelling film from beginning to end. The finale of the film is quite a bit different than the novel, but I somewhat preferred the ending of the film to that of the book. Great performances by the whole cast. Cruise and Tripplehorn have great onscreen chemistry. Strathairn is also compelling as Mitch's brother to whom he reconnects. And Gene Hackman is compelling as the rogue associate at the firm who is allowed to mess around.

Good thriller. There were a few things that were very different and many parts played like one long action sequence. The book is a masterpiece and although the movie is certainly watchable it is a bit dull at times. The book existed on incredible tension, drama and great dialogue. It was simply riveting all the way through. The movie was less like a drama/psychological thriller and more, at times, like an (action movie?). There was nothing wrong with Cruise as Mc. Deere. He looks like what I'd picture Mitch to look like anyway from the book. But I am baffled as to why this was not left alone and done exactly as the book was. After all, the book was a major success-there's gotta be a reason.

Gristham is such an amazing story teller that I don't know if this could have been successfully adapted to a movie but as movie thrillers go it wasn't at all dreadful but was just alright.

6/10.