Well, its time for another post and this one is yep again another re-visitation of a previous post, which is the legal thriller, The Firm. I recently watched the film again, so that's why I fancied giving my previous review another look and tidying it up and adding in a few bits here and there as I usually do in my revisits.
So, with that said let's take another look at this film and see how it stacks up after 26 years...
And the usual warning is coming up...
PLOT SPOILERS ARE AHEAD!!
STORY
Right so the films begin with its main character, Mitch McDeere (Tom Cruise) a young Harvard law graduate is given several job offers from different law firms. Mitch however soon accepts a job offer from one firm, Bendini, Lambert and Locke who specialise in accounting and tax law in Memphis. Mitch along with his wife, Abby (Jeanne Tripplehorn) moves to Memphis and then sets the task of passing the bar exam. Mitch soon meets Avery Tolar (Gene Hackman) who is Mitch's appointed mentor who introduces him to the culture of the firm and also its strict confidentiality and loyalty as well as to willingly charge astronomical fees for their services.
Mitch soon becomes embroiled in his work which puts a strain on his marriage and to make matters more complicated when Mitch goes on a business trip with Avery to the Cayman Islands he ends up being seduced by a local woman. However on Mitch's return to America he discovers from the firm's sinister security chief, Bill DeVasher (Wilford Brimley) that the incident with the woman was a setup and it was created to keep Mitch quiet about what he knows about the firm.
Mitch also is approached by two FBI agents one of them being Wayne Tarrance (Ed Harris) who warns him that the firm is in fact corrupt and that one of their main clients is the Morolto crime family from Chicago. Mitch also discovers from another agent who meets with him that none of the junior employees of the firm who tried to leave, left alive. Mitch then faces the choice of either testifying against the firm by disclosing confidential information about the firm's clients to the FBI, risking disbarment or going to jail when the FBI take down the firm and the crime family if Mitch is able to stay alive.
And its from here that Mitch devises a plan to try and keep himself alive and co-operate with the FBI to get the information they want as well as to try and get his older brother, Ray (David Strathairn) out of prison before the firm get to him also.
THOUGHTS
As a thriller The Firm works pretty well and it is helped along by its strong cast and its story is also quite tense and gripping, which of course is based on the novel by John Grisham (who himself was/is a law attorney). Although it does have a sort of rags to riches feel to it with Mitch's character being the typical ambitious wannabe it still holds up well and as the circle closes in on Mitch with the pressure of both the firm and FBI breathing down his neck that's when the film becomes more and more engrossing.
PERFORMANCES AND NOTABLE SCENES
Performance wise things are top notch in the film as its features a great cast which help the film out to no end.
Starting with Tom Cruise he puts in a fine performance as the ambitious young lawyer, Mitch McDeere who get's sucked into the firm and ends up having to play balancing act between the firm and the FBI, which endangers his life.
Tom has some good scenes in the film such as the scene where Mitch pays his older brother, Ray a visit in prison and he says to him quietly "Hey Ray, wouldn't it be funny if I went to Harvard, you went to Jail and we both ended up surrounded by crooks".
Another scene of note is the one where Mitch and Avery meet with one of their clients and Avery is not doing so well in their meeting, so Mitch decides to butt in and help out. So, Mitch says to the client "It`s the best interest-free loan you`ll ever get. No. Next year they`re closing this loophole. If you haven`t grabbed this proposal, you`ll feel you've been fucked with a dick big enough for an elephant to feel it!" and the client looks at him and says "You know that for a fact?!".
Another good scene is when Mitch with the firm's senior partners after his meeting with the FBI agent and he says to them "I just had an interesting chat with the FBI!" and one of the partners asks "What did they want?" and Mitch says "The secret files!" and they all slowly break up laughing. And after they finish their meeting "Who will we bill for this hour?" and Mitch says "How about the FBI?!" and laughs but after leaving he walks down the stairs with a very anxious look on his face.
Then there is the moment where Mitch has dinner with Abby and he confesses his infidelity with the woman he met at the Cayman Islands. And Abby angrily asks "What are you telling me this?!" and Mitch says, ashamedly "Because I couldn't stand you're not knowing". Then after the moment where Mitch meets with one of the FBI agents, he speaks to speaks to another agent, Wayne Tarrance (Ed Harris). And Mitch discusses his options saying " Let me get this straight: you want me to steal files from the firm, turn them over to the FBI, send my colleagues to jail...Breach attorney-client privilege, thus getting myself disbarred for life, then testify in open court against the Mafia...". And as Tarrance tries to say something Mitch stops him by saying "Let me ask you something: are you out of your fucking mind?!".
Another scene is the one near the end (SPOILER!!) where Mitch manages to evade the Firm's pesky security men (or essentially hitman team!) and he makes his into the office where the Morolto brothers are (Paul Sorvino and Joe Viterelli) and tells them how the firm has been over billing them and all their clients.
So, Mitch in the scene tells the brothers that he has copies of their files "And, of course...if we have to talk to a third party, then I know everything... right down to the penny, pound, franc, and Deutschmark. I know everything you know...as I should as your attorney". So, one of the Morolto's asks Mitch "And what if the firm should desire to terminate your employment?" and Mitch answers "Whatever I know, wherever I go, I am bound by the attorney/client privilege. I am very much Iike...I would say I am exactly like a ship carrying a cargo that will never reach any port".
And lastly there is the scene (SPOILER!!!) where after Mitch manages to secure his life away from the firm by nailing his firm of being guilty of overbilling their clients he talks with Tarrance as he packs his bags. And Tarrance says "Man, I don't understand you. What did you do it for? You didn't win a thing!" and Mitch says "Oh, yes I did. I won my life back. YOU don't run me, and THEY don't run me!". And as Mitch then says to Tarrance "You want to know something funny? You actually made me think about the law. I managed to go through three years of law school without doing that!".
Gene Hackman is excellent as ever in his role as the smooth and suave firm lawyer, Avery Tolar, who acts as Mitch's mentor and he also has some good scenes.
And for starters there is the scene when Mitch and Avery have lunch together and Mitch asks Avery what made him become a lawyer and Avery says "I used to caddy for lawyers and their wives on summer weekends. I looked at those long tan legs and just knew I had to be a lawyer. The wives had long tan legs, too!".
Then there is the scene where Avery visits Abby at her school where she teaches and he asks her to come with him to the Cayman Islands "Want to come? I know. It sounds outrageous, but...think about it. We could grab some sun, take a dip... drink some Havana Club. I could give you marital advice and hit on you. And whatever happens, I promise, I take rejection well".
And later there is the moment where Avery is drugged by Abby in her hotel room when they are at the Cayman islands and the next morning Avery tells Abby about Mitch's setup with the woman and he says "Abby, the girl on the beach was a setup. They do things like that, in case the other enticements don't work". And as Avery is rumbled by the firm's security chief, DeVasher, Abby says to him "What will they do to you?" and Avery wearily says "Whatever it is, they did it a long time ago".
Jeanne Tripplehorn is also pretty good as Abby, Mitch's loving wife but their marriage comes under strain when Mitch becomes more embroiled in his work and later when they learn of their possible fate at the hands of the firm.
Jeanne has some good scene too that include at the start of the film when Abby comes home to their dingy apartment in Boston and Mitch having just got his offer from the firm, surprises her by grabbing her and kissing her. And Abby says to him "You better leave, my husband is due home any minute!".
Another good scene is when Mitch after having learned about the true nature of the firm and having learned their home is bugged goes back home to Abby and he turns their stereo on and turns up the volume real loud and he hugs her and whispers in her ear what is going on and she shakes her head in horror and then runs out of the house. And Abby says "Everything single thing we've said or done since we've been in that house....nothing has been between us!".
Then there is the scene where Abby and Mitch have dinner together and Mitch solemnly admits to his one night stand on the beach at the Caymans. So, Mitch awkwardly starts by saying "That night on the beach..." and Abby asks him "What? What did you do?" and his guilty face says it all for her and she suddenly looks shocked and says "No!". Abby then takes a moment to process this shocking news and tries to calm herself and asks "So, who was she?" and Mitch filled with guilt says "I don't even know her name". Abby angrily asks him "You didn't know her name?!" and Mitch insists "It didn't mean anything" and Abby furiously tells him "Like hell it didn't! Why did you do it?! Why did you fuck some stranger on a beach when you were away from me?!". Mitch then says "Abby, I can promise you.." but Abby shakes her headin disgust and says "No, you can't promise anything! Not anymore!" and after a beat she asks him "Why did you tell me?" and Mitch shamefully admits "Because I couldn't stand not to. I couldn't stand your not knowing".
And lastly later on when Abby attempts to seduce Avery but he cottons onto it and grabs her he says "Why did you come here?! You're not being truthful!" and then Abby confesses "I'm here to get back at Mitch and because I'm angry at the firm for ruining our lives!". And Avery wearily says "Well that's better than the alternative" and Abby says "What alternative" and Avery says "That you came to see me".
Ed Harris is also excellent as the hot tempered FBI agent Wayne Tarrance who coerces Mitch into co-operating with the FBI in order to avoid going to jail.
Harris also has some good scenes in the film such as when Tarrance meets with Mitch at a racetrack and he angrily says to Mitch "How about you get down on your knees and kiss my ass for not indicting you as a co-conspirator right now, you chickenshit little Harvard cocksucker?!". And Mitch says "I haven't done anything and you know it!" and Tarrance barks back "Who gives a fuck? I'm a federal agent! You know what that means, you lowlife motherfucker? It means you've got no rights, your life is mine! I could kick your teeth down your throat and yank 'em out your asshole, and I'm not even violating your civil rights!".
Then there is the scene where Tarrance loses track of Mitch's brother, Ray, after he is released from prison and the FBI tail him. And in the scene Tarrance asks for his team to "Get me a map of Lousiana" and none of them respond so he shouts "GET ME A MAP OF LOUSIANA!!!".
Another good scene from Ed is when Tarrance learns that a prison guard sent a fax to the firm to let them know that Mitch cut a deal with the FBI. So, Tarrance exclaims and shouts "NO, NO, NO!" and he rings up Mitch at his office, who is about to be cornered by the firm partners and DeVasher. So as Mitch faces the partners, he picks up the phone and Tarrance urgently tells him "Get out of there! They know! Get out! Did you hear what I said? Get out. Get over here now!". And Mitch frozen to the spot listens silently and then we hear Tarrance ask "Can you?" and Mitch quietly says to him "I understand" and he hangs up.
Get out of there. They know. Get out. Did you hear what I said? Get out. Get over here now. Read more: https://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/movie_script.php?movie=the-firmGet out of there. They know. Get out. Did you hear what I said? Get out. Get over here now. Read more: https://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/movie_script.php?movie=the-firm
Get out of there. They know. Get out. Did you hear what I said? Get out. Get over here now. Read more: https://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/movie_script.php?movie=the-firAnd later near the end of the film when Mitch saves himself from the firm, Tarrance moans about how getting the firm only for overbilling is not enough "Get 'em with what?! Overbilling, mail fraud?! Oh, that's exciting!". And as Tarrance is about to leave he asks Mitch "How the hell did you come up with mail fraud??" and Mitch says "It was on the bar exam!".
Holly Hunter who is always reliable in any film also provides a fine performance as Tammy, the sexy secretary to a private investigator, Eddie Lomax (Gary Busey) a former cellmate of Ray, who later helps out Mitch in his plan.
Holly's good moments in the film include when during Mitch's heated conversation with Tarrance at the racetrack is recorded by Tammy who calls Tarrance's mobile phone and she says "Is this Wayne Tarrance?" and Tarrance says "Yeah, this is Wayne Tarrance" and Tammy says "So is this!" and she plays back the recording of his conversation with Mitch.
And later there is the scene when Tammy meets up with Ray and she says to him "Mitch sent me to tell you the plan has changed" and Ray looks at her and says "I didn't know there was a plan" and she says "Well that's good because its been changed".
And lastly there is moment where a bit of a romantic spark starts to develop between Tammy and Ray near the end of the film when he says "I love your crooked little mouth" and surprised she says "Well its not my best feature".
Hal Halbrook is also very good in his role as Oliver Lambert, the firm's senior partner and he has one of the film's best moments when Mitch is called into a room filled with associates of the firm.
And Lambert says to Mitch "You think you're pretty smart, don't you? Well we've been told there is someone smarter!". And after a tense pause, Lambert says "You didn't get the highest score in the bar exam....you get SECOND highest score!".
Wilford Brimley is also very good as the sinister DeVasher, the firm's head of security and he has some good scenes too.
And they include the moment where DeVasher who is keeping a close eye on Mitch, says "What do you think I am a fuckin night watchman?!" and Avery sarcastically says "Sometimes I get confused" and DeVasher sharply says "Well don't!".
And then there is the moment where DeVasher meets with Mitch and shows him the incriminating photos of Mitch and the woman he had a one-nighter with at the Cayman Islands. And DeVasher says to Mitch "Not just screwing, Mitch. All sorts of intimate acts, oral and whatnot, that can be particularly hard for a trusting wife to forgive and IMPOSSIBLE to forget". And DeVasher continues by saying "So if the FBI so much as spits in our direction, you'll tell us, won't you Mitch?".
And lastly there is the moment where DeVasher finds a fax sent to the firm's office from a corrupt security guard in with the firm that says Mitch is working with the FBI. And DeVasher says on the radio "Go and find, McDeere! The son of a bitch cut a deal!".
Gary Busey is also great in his small but noteworthy role as the P.I. Eddie Lomax, who was Ray's former cell mate. And Eddie when he meets with Mitch says to him "I feel like I went to law school with you as you're brother talked about you every stinking day in prison!".
And later DeVasher's henchman, the Nordic man (Tobin Bell) shows up at Eddie's office, the Nordic man shoots Eddie in both shoulders and asks him "Why are you asking questions about dead lawyers? Who hired you to do that?!". And Eddie gasping reaches for a gun underneath his desk and says "OK....OK. Just let me think. His name was.....Julio Iglasias!" and shoots the Nordic man's other hitman partner (played funnily by Dean Norris of Breaking Bad!) in the knee who shoots Eddie dead.
Tobin Bell is also very good in his role as the creepy albino hitman, simply known as the Nordic man who works for the firm.
And Bell's main scene comes when the Nordic man and his partner, the Squat Man (good names!) pay Eddie a visit to question him on why he is investigating the law firm's dead lawyers.
So, in the scene the Nordic man pulls a gun on Eddie and shoots him in his left ear and he carefully aims his gun at him and says "This is going to turn out badly for you, but we can make it relatively painless. Why are you asking questions about dead lawyers? Who hired you to do that?". So, after he shoots Eddie a couple more times in the shoulders, Eddie gasps and says "OK. His name was Julio Iglesias!" and he fires a gun underneath his desk that hits in the squat man in the leg, who returns fire and kills Eddie. This angers, the Nordic man who shouts at his partner " No! No! Great. Just great. You want to ask him a few questions now?!" before they walk out without spotting Tammy hiding under Eddie's desk.
Paul Sorvino who has a ll role near the end of the film as the crime boss, Tommy Morolto seems to essentially reprise his role as the mob boss from Goodfellas, Paulie Cicero but its still a role he effortlessly slips into. And Sorvino still makes a good impact in his main scene near the end when he rants about Mitch and he says "If I ever get my fuckin hands on this kid!" and low and behold Mitch turns up at their office!
And last of all there is David Strathairn who is excellent as Mitch's older brother, Ray who was imprisoned for manslaughter.
Strathairn also has some good scenes such as when Mitch meets with Ray at prison and Ray asks Mitch "How'd you land a job like that with a brother in the slammer?" and Mitch goes silent and Ray quickly understands and says " I get it. Don't worry, I'd probably have done the same thing". And Mitch feeling guilty says "You were always there for me, Ray...." Ray says "I'd have done the same thing. You think I want to tell the guys around here that I got a brother at Harvard?". And Mitch asks Ray "Is there anything I can do for you?" and Ray says "Sure. Get me outta here" and Mitch asks "Where to?" and Ray says "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".
DIRECTOR AND MUSIC
Finally moving onto the director and music stuff, starting with the film's director, the late and great Sydney Pollack, he does a fine job here with the film and while the film moves at a bit of leisurely pace, Pollack does very well at notching up the suspense as the film carries on. Pollack also does great at eliciting excellent performances from his cast and he himself was a fine actor and acted in several films too before his untimely death in 2008.
Music wise it features a not bad one by David Grusin, which is almost entirely played on piano and it has some good tracks and moments of suspense, particularly during the scenes where Mitch flees from the firm and is chased by DeVasher and his Nordic hitman. The score in these moments also even echoes John Williams's score for JFK with the dramatic piano and metronome on the background. Its not a great score but it is still a fairly good one which is both pleasurable enough and dramatic enough to fit the tone of the film.
FLAWS (Warning: this section may contain spoilers!)
As for The Firm's flaws...yes it does have some.
For starters I have to say with the Melodrama going on around Mitch in the film between his one night stand at the Cayman Islands, his home struggles with Abby and also pressure from the firm and the FBI that he would have found enough time to actually even study for the bar exam let alone pass it! And having looked up on the Internet it actually states that a prospective lawyer would need to take at least between 400 and 600 hours to study and prepare for the bar exam. And I very much doubt between all the film's melodrama that Mitch had that time although there are one or two sequences where it does depict him working late, which would suggest the passage of time for his studies.
The film could also be said to be guilty of being a bit too long as takes its time to build its suspense at 2 and a half hours there moments where it definitely drags a bit and you feel that just maybe it would have been even better if they had trimmed it by 30 minutes or so. However to be fair it doesn't lag too horribly in comparison to some other films around the same length.
Another thing that kind of bothered me in the film was to do with the ending where Mitch effectively becomes the crime family's attorney yet at the end of the film DeVasher is still alive (as Mitch kicks him unconscious after DeVasher mistakenly shoots the Nordic man) and most likely intent on wanting to take revenge on McDeere surely! Now as the crime family may well essentially be DeVasher's boss what is to stop this guy from taking revenge for himself??? But well this is a point that is never really covered in the film but had DeVasher died then surely Mitch would be even more in the clear.
I also wondered plot wise if it was a good idea for Mitch to have told the firm that he had a meeting with the FBI rather than keep his mouth shut as that might have resulted in less attention being brought on him. Although one way of looking at it is it was a way for Mitch to back up his loyalties to the firm to reinforce their trust in him. With that being said though it was still a pretty dicey decision for Mitch to have made, which resulted in him being intimidated by DeVasher and the incriminating photos of him and the girl on the beach.
Another moment in the film that struck me as silly is the one where Mitch flees the office once the partners and DeVasher have discovered that he cut a deal with the FBI. So, in the scene Mitch runs into one of the lawyer's offices and grabs a chair smashes out the window with it and jumps out and lands on a rather conveniently placed truck filled with sacks! I mean talk about coincidences! In reality I'm sure it would be highly unlikely a truck would even be there at that precise moment! In fact I almost expected DeVasher to say over the radio to his men as he looks out of the smashed window "He just landed on a conveniently placed truck guys! Let's get him!". Its another prime example of a convenient plot device, which just so happens to be a truck in this case!
And lastly and yeah OK this is a pretty nitpicky point it is in the scene Mitch finds out the bad news that two of the firm's associates were killed and Mitch goes to see his friend and fellow firm associate, Lamar (played by Terry Kinney). And in the scene Lamar sits out in his garden smoking a cigarette, almost in a daze, as a garden hose near him just sprays water all over his bottom of his trousers, YET this guy does nothing about it! And it made me think that this guy wasn't all there so to speak or perhaps that is one of the requirements to join the firm in the first place. I am perhaps being a bit picky here but it did strike me as a rather daft moment to be included.
Soo that's me done with looking at the film's flaws.
SUM UP
So, that's it for my look at The Firm and in summary its a good solid thriller which features an excellent cast, decent soundtrack and even though its a bit overlong it is relatively well paced and holds your attention pretty well. Tom Cruise also provides another solid starring performance and he is starting to move away from the cocky callow youths that we were so used to seeing him play up to this point, which in itself is a good thing here!
So, after 26 years, I would still say that The Firm is still well worth a look.
Right, that's it for now and I will be back soon with another post.
Till then its bye fer now!
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