The Firm

Plot synopsis:
Clive Bissel (nicknamed "Bex", or "Bexy") is a married man with a baby son. He is the leader of a hooligan firm known as the ICC (Inter City Crew). His wife no longer approves of his activities as a football hooligan, which contrast to his respectable job as an estate agent. Even when his baby son injures himself with a craft knife Bexy has carelessly left lying around, he is unwilling to give up violence as he admits it gives him a "buzz". Conversely, Bexy's father shows acceptance of his son's lifestyle, happily taking a group photograph of the 'tooled up' gang and boasting of similar activities in his own era. However, he feels that Bex and his friends have gone soft because they now use weapons and worry too much about strategy, instead of just getting on with fighting rival mobs.
The film begins with a rival gang called "The Buccaneers" vandalising Bexy's Ford Sierra XR4x4 and spraying graffiti in a football dressing room while Bexy and his mates are playing football. Bexy's arch nemesis and leader of the Bucaneeers Yeti then drives a white Volkswagen Golf GTi cabriolet across the football pitch.
With an imminent international football tournament in Holland, Bexy wants to form a 'National Firm' - comprising several rival gangs - big enough to take on the well organised and large international hooligan groups. Bexy meets leaders from other firms in the Tower Hotel in London, including the Buccaneers. The other gangs like the idea but don't like the idea of Bexy being top boy. The rival firms then agree to fight each other in order to determine who will lead the new, amalgamated firm into Europe.
Bex and his fellow hooligans only possess any kind of social status amongst their own groups, and Bex relishes being looked up to and admired by the younger men in his own firm. Bexy used his natural leadership qualities to cajole and encourage his peers, and uses intimidation to cement his position as leader of the ICC. These young men think of themselves as important, respected figures in their local community, but Bexy's wife tells him that the truth is somewhat different. Everyone thinks of him as a joke, she says, but because they fear his violent nature, few are willing to point out to him that he isn't the working class hero he thinks he is.
The ICC survive violent clashes with the other gangs but must still defeat the Buccaneers. Bexy is relishing the chance to defeat Yeti. Bexy beats up Yeti during the ICC's clash with the Buccaneers in a pub but is then shot dead by an injured Yeti. Just before being shot, Bexy expresses astonishment and disbelief Yeti has a gun and say's 'Oh, come on!' before Yeti pulls the trigger.
The closing scene depicts the surviving ICC members in a pub, honouring Bexy as a hero. They claim when they are fighting European firms at the forthcoming tournament, they will be doing so in memory of their dead leader. The hooligans from three different firms, who were fighting each other not long ago, agree that Bex was a visionary who brought them together giving him legendary status. The death of Bexy doing nothing to make them change their behaviour and they vow to continue.

Tags: suspenseful, mystery, murder, violence

Review:
The lives of Mitch and his wife Abby (Jeanne Triplehorn) are completely and drastically changed when he is hired by the firm, setting up a disorienting atmosphere, especially when strange things start happening, people getting killed by boat bombs and whatnot.
Ed Harris also delivers a good performance as an FBI agent trying to coerce McDeere into helping them investigate the big bad firm.
It may not be quite as good as other John Grisham adaptations, The Rainmaker, in particular, but The Firm's complex and fascinating plot, as well as good direction and acting, makes it way above average..
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
Cruise plays novice lawyer Mitch McDeere, who goes to work for a Memphis firm.
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..
Tom Cruise had a decent performance, but I felt the performances of Gene Hackman, Hal Holbrook, and Wilford Brimley were especially great and put this film above most similar movies.
Back in the early 1990's, movies based on lawyers and law were everything, so it's no surprise that many of John Grisham's books were adapted into screen during this time, including this movie The Firm.
The Firm is actually a really tense, character-driven thriller that works despite a stuffy running time and a very confusing plot(especially the last half-hour.) The screenplay is effective, but kudos to those who can follow the entirety of the plot because it was hard to follow at times.Sydney Pollack's film is about this very smart man who is on the cusp of graduating from Harvard when he is offered a package at this law firm in Memphis which can afford him an affluent lifestyle.
When the FBI talks to him about the firm and asks him to be an insider, Mitch McDeere's life will be forever changed.This film has a well-rounded cast and everyone is put to good use.
We also get smaller key performances from Ed Harris as the FBI investigator and David Strathairn as Mitch's older brother, Ray who is serving time for manslaughter.Overall, The Firm is a very interesting movie.
Now, in conclusion, if you are a fan of Tom Cruise or Gene Hackman, or you enjoyed John Grisham's title novel, I highly recommend this movie.
Based on the novel by John Grisham the film benefits from interesting characters brought to life by an excellent cast, and it effectively builds an atmosphere of suspense and intrigue, but they're marred by the film's long running time, an odd (and inappropriate) score, and a third act that runs around before finally arriving at a resolution that's much too pat.
Cruise and Tripplehorn sizzle throughout the movie, but never more so than in the penultimate scene when he repeatedly asks "Have I lost you?"  Her answer simply melts the heart.The writing is of course superb, and, although the ending, different from the book, has been criticized, I found it an amazing extrication from a situation which compels the viewer to believe is hopeless.
I am not impressed with Tom Cruise as an actor, but this is one movie I MIGHT watch again, due to the seriously gifted cast, including Miss Tripplehorn.
RELEASED IN 1993 and directed by Sydney Pollack based on John Grisham's novel, "The Firm" is a crime drama/thriller starring Tom Cruise as a top Harvard grad lawyer who desperately wants to leave behind his working-class origins and takes a high-paying job at a firm in Memphis.
Here, we see the John Grisham's classic novel turned into a classic thriller with excellent cast, including Gene Hackman, Jane Tripplehorn, Gary Busey, Ed Harris among many, and then there is Tom Cruise who delivers his best role as a young and aspiring lawyer, Mitch McDeere.
The movie is very captivating, and it runs very smooth, allowing us to enjoy the splendid play, great music score by Dave Grusin and like every moment of this very fresh and strong film.
The movie "The Firm" without doubt is one of Tom Cruise best films.
A bunch of Mafia thugs who are laundering money back and forth to the Cayman Islands.Cruise gives a believable performance as Mitch McDeere who is on the run from the Mafia.Gene Hackman also gives one of his best performances as Avery Tolar since Lex Luther in (The Superman Movies), and Secretary David Brice in (No Way Out).
There were other good performances from Jeanne Tripplehorn, Holly Hunter as Tammy, Gary Busey as Eddie Lomax, Wilford Brimley as the scary grim-faced law enforcer for the firm.Overall, the film moves along nicely with Cruise carrying most of the film.However, being a John Grisham fan and having read the book I thought the film makers could have stuck to the ending in the book.
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.
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.
So much is going on in this movie and it keeps you in suspense the entire time......One of the original John Grisham movies, now a classic, and a very well-written story.........The actress who plays Tom Cruise's wife is just beautiful, but she seems to have dropped out of sight since that movie.
With Sydney Pollock(Tootsie, Three Days In Condor) as the director, and a cast that includes Gene Hackman, Holly Hunter, Ed Harris, Hal Holbrook, and cameo appearences by Gary Busey, and Paul Sorvino, you really cant go wrong.
Before watching this film, the only thing I knew about it was that Tom Cruise was a lawyer, and Gene Hackman was the bad guy ( no surprises there then.)  Cruise and Hackman actually make a brilliant pair.
These are the sources for the movie " The Firm." Our idealistic hero is one Mitch McDeere (Tom Cruise), fresh from prestigious Harvard Law School, lands a job with a obscure but powerful Memphis law firm.
The Firm is a decent movie with a promising storyline that dosen't really deliver.The movie certainly shouldn't be called a thriller,it wasn't very exciting and it wasn't something that I couldn't keep my eye away from.I was impressed with Tom Cruise,Jeanne Tripplehorn,Gene Hackman and Ed Harris performances and their probably the only reason why this score isn't much lower,because their all just very talented and did the best they possibly could with this overall dull and boring movie.I wouldn't recommend the Firm,especially not to fans of thriller's,it isn't exciting as the story makes it seem,and it is dragged out way too much,with two hours and a half,and it gets boring after about the first hour.The movie is too plain,simple and long but fans of these actors will appreciate their performances.Mitch McDeere (Tom Cruise),a trained lawyer,joins a prestigious law firm only to discover their business is dangerously shady..
Film is a tense thriller about a lawyer who joins a mysterious law firm which turns out to be quite a different enterprise.
Tom Cruise and Gene Hackman head a fine cast that brings John Grisham's best-seller to life as partners who try to leave the firm find themselves and their families in grave danger.
An all-star cast which includes Gene Hackman, Wilford Brimley, Gary Busey, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Hal Holbrook, Ed Harris, David Strathairn and Holly Hunter (in an oddball Oscar-nominated role) helps to keep John Grisham's wild novel believable and coherent.
Of course you still notice the changes but don't spend as much time dwelling on the changes while watching the film.I hope that Hollywood makes Grisham's THE PARTNER into a movie, it is as good as if not better than THE FIRM.
An unsuspecting young rookie lawyer Mitch McDeere(Tom Cruise) fresh out of Harvard has being hired by a most prestigious law firm in Memphis.
A pretty exciting if far-fetched film - the invoicing methods adopted by the Firm were, however, pretty realistic in my experience!Very good performances from Tom Cruise and Gene Hackman.Not a classic but an entertaining way to spend a couple of hours..
THE FIRM (1993) ***** 'The Firm' proves primarily that Corporate hot shots don't always have everything going for them...at least not for Tom Cruise, a fresh lawyer out of Harvard University esteemed with honors of great competency and greater potential, who's life comes crashing down at the least expected time.
Superb score (Dave Gruslin) and story work (adaptation of John Grisham's novel), as well as a first-rate supporting cast of Gene Hackman, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Ed Harris, Holly Hunter, and Wilford Brimley.
It reminded me of the kind of filler they used to show on TV on aWednesday afternoon.The direction is laughable and the cast of stars is almostcompletely wasted.Some of the more minor characters like the FBI agent and thePrivate detective are okay, but are totally wasted on this worthlesspiece of garbage.I could actually feel myself aging whilst enduring this in thecinema.Strangely I seemed to be the only one who realized how dreadfulthe supposedly 'erotic' seduction on the beach was.How I didn't laugh out loud I'll never know.I can't help but think that John Grisham's novels are not well suitedto being filmed.Worst of all, everything seemed at least 20 years out of date.In a word?
And Tom Cruise and Gene Hackman are fine actors of course, no doubt about that, but it was just too predictable and unbelievable.As a conclusion I would like to say that it certainly had potential and from time to time there was a lot of suspense, but they should have made it more believable.
For anyone in the audience who can suspend their disbelief, they may find the film action interesting, the acting passable, the film was shot in Memphis, Tennessee; there are some interesting scenes and settings.Gene Hackman, Tom Cruise, David Strathairn, Wilford Brimley, Gary Busey and Holly Hunter make for an interesting cast, and decent acting, but I had difficulty accepting the overall premise.For some reason, films made from mystery/suspense novels do not always gel.
The Firm is a legal thriller film released in 1993, directed by Sydney Pollack, and starring Tom Cruise, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Gene Hackman, Ed Harris, Holly Hunter, Gary Busey, and David Strathairn.
I eagerly anticipated this movie, but was somewhat disappointed in its flat directing, uninspired acting by a good cast, convoluted ending and changes from the book.
The book was far better than the film, Tom Cruise doesn't really bring anything to the role of Mitch, Wilford Brimley is miscast as Bill De Vasher, the head of security, the great Gene Hackman is given little to do as Mitch's mentor, Hal Holbrook probably comes off best among the stars.
John Grisham's legal-tinged novels may not be known for their depth, but their page-turning plots attract film makes by the dozen, and 'The Firm', directed by Sydney Pollack, is a typical example.
THE FIRM (1993) *** Tom Cruise, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Gene Hackman, Hal Holbrook, Ed Harris, Gary Busey, Holly Hunter, Wilford Brimley, David Strathairn, Steven Hill.
Featuring great performances and a breezy plot The Firm was a big success then and is still a good film today..
Invited to join a mysterious legal firm on a high salary, a law school graduate begins to suspect that something is amiss in this riveting Tom Cruise movie.
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.
Sydney Pollack directed this adaptation of the John Grisham novel that stars Tom Cruise as Mitch McDeere, who is recruited by a powerful but mysterious "firm" to work for their exclusive and wealthy clients.
Also, the impressive star-cast, pitch in some real good performances.'The Firm' is a legal thriller, where A Harvard Law School grad, played by Tom Cruise, discovers that the law firm he has recently joined is run by the Mafia.Based on the 1991 novel by the same name by author John Grisham, This flick offers a set of interesting & gripping moments.
A Movie about Dowe,Cheatem & Howe law firm, when the associates are not overbilling and getting high in Cayman Islands are bugging the sweet whisperings of newly married played by Holly Hunter as Abby and Tom Cruise as the hubby.
I have seen this film several times and enjoy watching except for Jeanne Tripplehorn 's casting as Cruise's wife Abby.Although she is a year younger than him, she looks too mature for him and comes across more like his aunt or mother than a wife.
Here, he is supported by an amazing cast including a very understated Gene Hackman, the under-rated Ed Harris and the under-utilized Gary Busey.Even at over 2 1/2 hours, it is missing much from the book and the ending was completely rewritten as the chase through the Florida keys in the novel would have required a 2 hour movie all by itself.
Cruise did his good performance in this movie, Gene Hackman too.
What the movie made worth for watching to me, was the perfect casting of Tom Cruise as the young, enthusiastic lawyer Mitch Mc Deere He harmonized perfect with the character of the book.
the Firm was one good movie, but I may say that I dislike Tom Cruise.
Anyway, the film was good, the plot was intriguing and I may say That Grisham is a great writer, and any movies done on any of his books are great.
As he starts working for The Firm, Mitch McDeere (Tom Cruise) comes to realize that their only client is an organized crime syndicate and he's trapped inside.
I am not a fan of these legal thriller things  never read a book by John Grisham (I've never been that bored on holiday!) and didn't find the glut of films from his work to be as inspiring as their box office success would suggest that they were.
Despite being a very "slick" Hollywood production, those "plusses" make the film interesting enough to enjoy from beginning to end.For a basic plot summary, "The Firm" sees young lawyer Mitch McDeere (Tom Cruise) & his wife Abby (Jeanne Tripplehorn) courted in a prestigious fashion by a Memphis law firm.
Tom Cruise is too much the movie celebrity to fit the role of Mitch McDeere.
Mitch McDeere (Tom Cruise) is a young hot shot Harvard law graduate.
Based on a John Grisham novel about an ambitious young man and a really evil law firm (it's not as terrible as it sounds, and is probably Grisham's best book as a whole, although that is a little like picking my favorite genital wart), this flat Sydney Pollack thriller from 1993 is nowhere near as fun as it should have been (come on!
Tom Cruise running from an evil law firm?