If before watching the film you suddenly learn that this picture is an adaptation of the novel by John Grisham, you can be sure that the film will be interesting.
Yes, it may seem boring, drawn-out and boring, it may not have a lot of active action (but you noticed because you like legal thrillers, right), but that it will be interesting and exciting, there is no doubt.
The company is just one of those. In 1993, two films based on Grisham were released: The Firm and The Pelican Case, in which Denzel Washington and Julia Roberts played. The pictures came out with a difference of several months and “The Firm” was the first adaptation of the writer’s books, because it was released in June, while “Pelicans” “flew up” in September 93.
Mitch McDeere (Tom Cruise), a Harvard graduate, chooses a law firm where he would like to start his career. He chooses it because Mitch is talented and ready to tear off such companies with his hands and feet. That’s just he chooses a company in Memphis, which offers him an annual income of almost 100 thousand dollars, as well as a bunch of all sorts of stuff. But over time, Mitch realizes that the firm is engaged in dark cases, and if any of the lawyers working in it suddenly decides to leave it, he immediately leaves our world. It's simple...
“The Firm” may be the hardest to watch from Grisham’s film adaptations, because Sidney Pollack shot as much as 2.5 hours and his project with Tom Cruise and Gene Hackman was quite long. However, this does not mean that the viewer will be bored. Again, the procedure in this picture is built in such a way that something is constantly happening in the plot and the main character (or someone from the secondary ones) turns out to be a defendant in a new event.
Private detectives, lawyers, contract murders, infiltration of private property, theft, surveillance, chases, suspicion, perjury, revelations, confessions, treason, double play, espionage - "The Firm" literally teems with those elements without which a political or legal detective thriller is impossible to imagine. This is all of the above and I may have missed something! But it is! Pollack made a great (albeit long) tense film, in which for the hero of Tom Cruise you worry like a native!
The film is replete with star comrades and by the way, it is funny that under the contract of Gene Hackman, his name should be first before the title of the beginning of the picture. Just like Tom Cruise's contract, his name was supposed to be first. But in the end, Hackman gave up the “right of the first night” to his young colleague.
And besides them here and Jeanne Tripplehorn, and David Strathairn, and Gary Busey, and Hal Holbrook, and Tobin Bell (all known “Saw”), and Paul Sorvino, and Joe Viterrelly, and Ed Harris, who being a good friend of Cruz and Pollack without talking agreed to star in the film, without even knowing what role he was assigned.
Funny that in fact, the hero of Tom Cruise can already assume that the firm where he got a job, not clean on hand. After all, in the interview scene, his future bosses openly tell him that they gave him a bribe to find out how much they offered McDeere to the maximum. Then they put 20 percent on top and put forward their proposal. That is, these guys give a bribe to lure a promising lawyer, but what else are they capable of?! Did McDeere ever think about it? Perhaps in the book of John Grisham this moment somehow reflected, but in the film remains a mystery.
And by the way, it’s not that Tom Cruise’s character opens his eyes. Just in the course of events, you can see how the Harvard graduate becomes more and more tough, his situation tempers him and he turns from an inexperienced lawyer into a real predatory shark, which is better not to get in the way!
As they say, practice is always better than theory, right? Mr. McDeere sees this from personal experience!
But look at you. I do not impose my opinion on anyone.
What's the movie about?
Having successfully graduated from Harvard Law School, Mitch McDeere (Tom Cruise) takes a job in a private firm, where he is waiting for a suspiciously generous salary, and as a bonus excellent housing and a new Mercedes. But when two of his new colleagues die in mysterious circumstances, Mitch begins to suspect that his employer is hiding something.
Why watch?
Big conspiratorial thriller director Sidney Pollack ("Three Days of the Condor") took a cumbersome novel by John Grisham (this is according to his near-legal prose such hits as "Time to Kill" and "The Client") and tamped the text in two and a half hours of a slightly sloppy and old-fashioned film. And so that the viewer did not fall into discouragement from the variety of characters and legal terminology, Pollack scored many famous faces in the film: Ed Harris as a rude FBI agent, Jean Tripplehorn as Mitch’s loving wife, Holly Hunter as a dodgy secretary and even an episodic role of a private detective was performed by Gary Busey (this is the one who flaunted in a woman’s dress in the film “In Siege”).
Without these actors, the film would have been uninteresting, because Pollack did not direct it so much as simply set it on the safest and risk-free path to commercial success. Fans of Tom Corn can admire him and the way he makes convincing speeches here - this film is his benefit, so much so that even the name of Gene Hackman, the second most important character, was not printed on the poster. And in the somewhat confusing final act there are a couple of plot twists using legal loopholes in the legislation, which will certainly entertain fans of John Grisham.
6 out of 10
If an intelligent person thinks that he will be accepted for nothing, for beautiful eyes, as an employee with open arms in a reputable law firm, that he will be given fantastic conditions solely for his talents, which he never dreamed of - this is normal. This means that a person is barely in his 20s, has just graduated from Harvard, he is happy, he has just married a beloved woman, he is winged and ready to fly to the sun without fear for the integrity of his wings. Mitch has probably been told a hundred times that free cheese only happens in a mousetrap, but he has not yet experienced this on his own skin.
The hero of the film "The Firm" will experience this skill in full. Of course, you will have to pay for free cheese. But Mitch is really a smart kid, so in the first five minutes of the film a cruel death will not die.
I saw this movie for the first time when it came out in the mid-90s, and I loved it. Strangely enough, I like it now. The plot in it is not too original, the idea is straightforward, the hero of Cruz, how often - a simple smart guy with the American dream behind his bosom, but he clings to the living. The character has good eyes, clean, honest, clear, he definitely attracts sympathy. And he fell for the bait, like a perfect sucker, but it is not a fool and not a crybaby, did not fold his legs, and made so much effort to get out.
In general, a very good thriller, energetic, compassionate, with elements of action movie and melodrama. The film, which is now perceived as a classic of the genre. A bit outdated, of course.
Yes, the golden 90s, how many good, semantic, dramatic paintings, actors and actresses were.
The painting “The Firm” by Sidney Pollack is a cult in the genre of detective-thriller. What is the play of a young Tom Cruise or veteran Gene Hackman, Ed Harris, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Gary Busey (veteran images of bad guys from action films).
Gene Hackman is just a legend of filmmaking, a magnificent actor, how clearly he can convey the emotions of his characters. You can only enjoy his game.
I liked the image of the head of the security service of the Firm performed by Wilford Brimley - a powerful, masculine, "fat-skinned" expert in his field.
One ball will remove a picture for the ending in the style of action-running - a worn scheme of scripts for many films of the 80-90s, and for the "naivety" of FBI agents. In reality, Mitch’s lawyer could not have so brazenly dictated his terms to the intelligence agencies that took him under the hood. But come on, it's a movie, believe me, it happens once in a million times.
20 years later, based on this film and the novel of the same name in 1991, the American series The Firm was filmed. I did not watch it and do not want to watch it, as I consider this film worthy of repeated viewing.
9 out of 10
Screenings of books or other sources have long been the subject of natural use. Naturally, every year giving viewers a huge number of adaptations of various books, comics, computer games and much more. When very often even the filmmakers themselves forget that some things, if not impossible to film, it is very difficult and not always the final result really pleases the quality. Writer John Grisham has long earned the fame of perhaps one of the strongest writers of the genre of legal thriller, but one of the few, whose creations to film really decent way is extremely difficult. Obviously, all this is practically irrelevant to this film directed by Sidney Pollack.
Despite his authority, Sidney Pollack has always been an extremely controversial director who has never made unambiguous films in terms of quality. Nevertheless, perhaps this film of the director can be safely called his best creation after “Tootsy” and perhaps the most famous adaptation of the work of writer John Grisham. One of the distinguishing qualities of the picture can be safely considered that the film almost completely ignores the usual stamps regarding dashing thrillers. Thus, alternating on the screen a certain kind of tension and suspense overly melodramatized relationships of the main characters, and some moments of spectacle and violence are absolutely inappropriate and a little extravagant music by composer Dave Georgian and the whole film is practically based on the same principle.
In many ways, this is what makes this film much more unusual and interesting product against the background of its fellow genre, but on the other hand - depriving the viewer of a huge number of scenes of the spectacle, dashing plot twists and other psychedelics, for which perhaps we watch movies of the thriller and detective genre. This is only compounded by the excessive length of the film lasting two and a half hours, which if reduced by at least half an hour, movies would benefit from this. However, the film certainly holds dignity throughout the screen action. In addition to this, very respectfully disposing of the original source of John Grisham and, perhaps, slightly smearing the impression with a less successful ending than the one in the original novel.
One of the main advantages of the picture is certainly an impressive cast, which in many ways pulls the film on its shoulders and only warms up interest in what is happening on the screen on the principle of personal sympathy for the actors. Tom Cruise once again tried on the image of a lawyer, once again successfully and certainly secured the status of one of the most talented actors in Hollywood with his magnificent play. Gene Hackman, despite the secondary character, gave out a real master class on the screen and impressed not the most stereotypical character even within the framework of the plot. Gynn Tripplehorn gave another decent job after the hit "Basic Instinct". Maybe not as strong, but as close to it as possible. Separately, I want to note such great artists as Ed Harris, David Strathairn and Gary Busey, who only decorated this film with their presence.
8 out of 10
The company is a very intriguing, dynamic, interesting and very strong detective-legal thriller, which certainly looks like one of the brightest representatives of its genre, skillfully playing on the screen not only the “golden” elements of the genre, but decently fixing it with good directing and impressive work of an impressive cast.
I love Tom Cruise and I always love watching movies with him. The Firm is a twisted and mysterious thriller from 1993. This film turned out to be a long, rich, dynamic and twisted movie with a difficult history. We see how the main character got a job as a lawyer in one large firm. He was immediately provided with a car, a house, and he and his wife were happy with the new changes in their lives. At first everything seemed a fairy tale, but soon it turns out that this company has dirty things, and now the main character is in danger, but he will pass this difficult story and get away with it.
The film gradually plunges into its long story, in which the protagonist tries to find a way out and save his life, knowing what he should not have known. The movie is not easy, and I liked it. Tom Cruise is an interesting actor and a charming man, and in this thriller he played as clearly and emotionally as ever, and before us is another of his unsurpassed acting. I never really liked Jean Tripplehorn. There is something ordinary about her, and as an actress, I don’t like her very much. I think if the main female role went to another actress, the film would have been more successful. But in a small role, Oscar winner Holly Hunter immediately caught my attention and liked it. She's an interesting actress, and Hunter's always different in all the movies. Sometimes this movie has already lost its relevance, but if you like Tom Cruise, then The Firm. You can see it, because it was a good, twisted thriller of the 90s.
8 out of 10
A young lawyer (Tom Cruise), and still a Harvard student, receives an invitation to work from a small law firm, offering him a very, very substantial fee. From the beginning, I know something is wrong. This is also something that a recent graduate... And the security service of the company (killer in the literal sense), the brother-con, the FBI and, of course, love also interfere in the case.
Probably, it is not very necessary to delve into the essence of the film - just say that it is based on the novel of John Grisham - a famous master of conspiracy theory (see "Exposure", etc.), who for some reason fell in love with the movie, although it is heavy.
Therefore, only at first glance the plot is simple. In the process, it acquires many details in the postmodern spirit. Moreover, there are so many details that the screen action is delayed compared to the standard for about half an hour. In addition, it is almost impossible to understand how the case ended.
Sidney Pollack is a strong director who knows how to keep in suspense even 2.5 hours and not turn it into mortal boredom. Not bad, Tom Cruise, but it's not "Born July 4" or even "Mission Impossible" - but on a level, like the usually gorgeous Gene Hackman and Ed Harris. A little expression adds Holly Hunter, which is not very necessary in the plot, but adds the film the right temperament. In short, a heavy scenario with which, like a suitcase without a handle, it is difficult to carry, and it is pathetic to throw. But watching the process is interesting.
Sidney Pollack’s film The Firm, based on John Grisham’s debut novel of the same name, became one of the achievements of the detective thriller genre in the 90s. This intense and cult film deserves to be in the library of every self-respecting moviegoer for a number of reasons.
1. Screenplay. In appearance, a simple story about an ambitious lawyer Mitch McDeere, who got a job in a prestigious firm, and soon became a witness of absolutely contradictory events keeps in suspense from beginning to end. The audience will not be able to any plot twist and this is one of the values of this film.
2. Actors. A lovely cast including Tom Cruise, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Gene Hackman, Holly Hunter and Ed Harris makes the film a must-see. The actors are not just good, but great.
3. Directing. Sidney Pollack put a very beautiful (some glossy picture of the operator John Seal is remembered immediately), in Hollywood honed thriller, devoid of unnecessary elements and, despite the 150-minute timekeeping, the film catches at once.
I recommend this picture to fans of thrillers of the 90s and just viewers looking for a real timeless movie.
10 out of 10
Grisham is exceptionally lucky with the film adaptations of the ego novels. "Client", "Time to Kill" and "Firm" - classic legal thrillers, which were touched by really terry old men-directors, invited to the main roles of terry old men-actors, and the spectacle each time turned out solid and terry. That's good. “The Firm” is one of my favorite movies. Really solid movie with the filing of the deceased Sidney Pollack.
Grisham once again puts in the center of his novel a young, ambitious lawyer who has just jumped from the Harvard bench, and has not yet had time to lose illusions and purity of thoughts. The mud-sales of jurisprudence falls upon him in all its uglyness, and the thirst for justice begins to confront the corruption and meanness of large corporations. The hero-single has to fight the enemy solid, hard, dangerous and experienced. As a result, in one way or another, principle prevails. And the way, in general, is the same: lawyers fight lawyers, and therefore the weapons are the Law, paths, loopholes and amendments to the Law. The truth will set you free, says the Gospel. I would say, “Knowing the laws will make you free.”
Mitch McDeary, a native of a poor family, gets a position in the notorious Firm. Happiness? Luck? The firm takes under the wing of yesterday’s student, and the student and his young wife-teacher fall into a fairy tale: a luxurious house, a car, a solid annual income. And all would be fine if not for strange events around: two lawyers of the same firm die under mysterious circumstances during a business trip. Just after you wanted to quit your job. So, maybe you can leave the company only by saying goodbye to life?
Young, energetic Tom Cruise plays well. “The Firm” refers to that successful, fruitful stage of his life, when no film is a strong movie. In general, similar roles - young lawyers, opposing colleagues in the profession - before and after him played and Matt Damon in "The Benefactor", and Matthew McConaughey in "Time to Kill", but as vividly and vitally as it was before Tom, could not be anyone. The secret, I think, is in Cruz's personal energy: this very energy, like a powerful stream of water, swept everything in its path, carrying a film ship to the right harbor. Now Tom Cruise doesn't play like that. Why not? And because, playing ambition on the screen, he played his own ambitions in the cinema, i.e. really felt the same heat and craving with success that tore the chests of his characters.
The negative characters in Grisham's novels were also always animated and bright, flesh-blooded, and, even playing on the side of villainy, represented the highest professionalism and rare charm. Roy Foltrig in the “Client” thanks to the efforts of Tommy Lee Jones turned out to be a “shiny” uncle, and on the drum that he spent the whole film in the name of his own profit stalking the boy. A little weaker in terms of charm turned out the hero of John Voight in the “Benefactor” and the Prosecutor Kevin Spacey in “Time to kill” – they simply were not allowed to open-blossom as multifaceted personalities, locked in the image of “villain from the system”, but Gene Hackman in the “Firm” in terms of diversity and non-standard appearance of his “suffering villain” so melted my heart that to call him a “villain” language does not turn, sorry.
And he was not opponents of Mitch in the literal sense, they did not beat half the picture in the courtroom, on opposite sides of the judge's chair; Hackman's hero, Avery Tollar, was a mentor and teacher of Mitch, tried even to somehow cover him and protect - another thing that he still played on the side of unprincipled uncles, and to the end in the defense of the protege could not go. However, even while remaining neutral, by his final act, Avery Tollar made my little girl’s heart bleed and imbue with deepest feelings for an old, disillusioned lawyer.
Avery Tollar, looking at Mitch McDeary, saw himself. He was also an angry champion of the honor and holiness of his chosen profession, and he also thought that he would serve the good and the light with his whole life. But the Firm grabbed him, experienced, gutted and squeezed him out, leaving only a stunted, bloodless, empty shell from the full-blooded organism. No, Avery braved and held on, keeping his face, being still an energetic, polished, charismatic uncle with a cunning grin and gleam in his eyes, but when he removed that mask, the bitterness and regrets of life lived reflected on his face as a true age. I love this character very much. The bitter tragedy of the image created by Hackman touched my heart, and in the final shots, when Mitch’s wife proudly called him a “worthy person”, I agreed with her.
In general, Hackman’s characters resonate in my heart, I don’t know how to justify this fact. He is quite old, and to consider him in terms of male attractiveness would be strange, but even in the old age of Hackman I see at times amazing, primordial male charm. Oh, I'd lose him two decades! And what would have happened would have been pretty sexy. Because the taste of that aura, the haze - in the expression of his face, in his eyes and his crooked grin - persists to this day. I saw the same thing in The Quick and the Dead. No, this old man would beat even Sean Connery in the category “over 60”, as well as Ford and other gray-haired lovers.
Another pleasant surprise of The Firm is the relationship between Cruz and Jean Triplehorn, who played his young teacher wife. Usually married couples in terms of romance, I am completely uninteresting. I don’t see anything sensual and soulful in marriage! But things were different with this couple. The mutual feelings of Mitch and Abigail, even in an uninteresting format for me, the family appeared so deep, tearful and sacrificial that it was surprising even! I really liked Abby’s behavior, I really liked the character Triplohorn in general, and her on-screen pair with Cruise turned out wonderful, no words! Thanks to her and thanks to Cruz, Tommy knows how to play love for a girl.
What else do you remember? Minor characters. Looking and cheering! Gary Busey, Holly Hunter, handsome Italian David Stratern - such "I" native and beloved . Even Ed Harris, a murderous FBI agent whom I love very much on The Rock, and that's why I'm sympathetic in life. All other components of the film are at their height: a strong plot, an adventurous atmosphere, action, action, action and constant manipulation of the Law. I remember the phrase: “To break the laws, you need to know them.” Indeed.
My favorite movie is my favorite movie. I'm resting for movies like that. I dissolve, relax, and my eye rejoices as much as the triumphant mind, grateful for such food. They don't make that movie anymore. It is a thing of the past, just like the directors who created it. Thank you for everything, Mr. Pollack.
10 out of 10