The Firm (1993)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Sydney Pollack

Writers (WGA):

John Grisham (book)
David Rabe (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

30 June 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller | Drama

Tagline:

Power can be murder to resist.

Plot:

A young lawyer joins a prestigous law firm only to discover that it has a sinister dark side.

Plot Keywords:

Law | FBI | Lawyer | Mafia | Blackmail

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Tom Cruise	...	Mitch McDeere
Jeanne Tripplehorn	...	Abby McDeere
Gene Hackman	...	Avery Tolar
Hal Holbrook	...	Oliver Lambert
Terry Kinney	...	Lamar Quinn
Wilford Brimley	...	William Devasher
Ed Harris	...	Wayne Tarrance
Holly Hunter	...	Tammy Hemphill
David Strathairn	...	Ray McDeere
Gary Busey	...	Eddie Lomax
Steven Hill	...	F. Denton Voyles
Tobin Bell	...	The Nordic Man
Barbara Garrick	...	Kay Quinn
Jerry Hardin	...	Royce McKnight
Paul Calderon	...	Thomas Richie

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some violence.

Runtime:

154 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Philippines:R-18 | Brazil:14 | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-14 | Germany:12 | Ireland:18 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:R13 | Norway:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | South Korea:15 | Singapore:NC-16 | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

125 Front Street, Downtown, Memphis, Tennessee, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

The seaplane in the film belongs to William R. Booth, who played the seaplane pilot. He and Tom Cruise met while Cruise was learning to skydive in DeLand, Florida. Booth also owns the largest manufacturer of parachute containers.

Goofs:

Continuity: Abby's wine glass when she has dinner with Mitch in the restaurant.

Quotes:

Mitch McDeere: Anything I can do for you?
Ray McDeere: Sure. Get me outta here.
Mitch McDeere: Where to?
Ray McDeere: Anywhere I can see a whole lotta sky. I get through the days, I even eat the food. It's amazing how much you miss the sky.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Charlton Heston/Paul Westerberg (#19.8)" (1993)

Soundtrack:

Dance Class

The far-fetched law firm from hell!

Though not the best of the Grisham adaptations, this is up to the usual high standard in plot and stars that Grisham movies have become associated with. The plot on this one is a little more far-fetched probably on account of the fact that this was one of Grisham's first works, escapism and entertainment seem to be the most prominent here, other Grisham works had begun to develop other traits alongside populism, like being almost topical and seeming to make social comment on issues that Grisham must have had an inside eye on when he was actually involved in the legal business for all those years. The Rainmaker is a great example of this when a young lawyer takes on a pro bono case of a widow's suit against a rogue insurance company that wouldn't pay up on a claim for her son's illness, and who as a result died from it. You will find none of this in the Firm, it is the straightforward story of a young lawyer whose life becomes entangled in the law firm from hell, which has all the usual mafia connections and all the usual FBI hardball characters battling with the caricatures from the Mafia. It does however make great entertainment , you will soon forget how far-fetched and improbable it all is, as you will become instantly fascinated, and stick with 155 minutes of plot twists and turns.