 | It gets a little messy towards the end, but it's still nothing short of exciting...
rating: 4
Legal thrillers rarely satisfy me. It takes a really strong one to peak my interest, hold it and keep me remembering it long after it's through. I guess I just never warmed up to them the way that a lot of movie goers have. That, coupled with the Tom Cruise bug, has kept me away from `The Firm' for some time. I adore Holly Hunter, and her Oscar nomination did make me curious, but as a whole I just wasn't that interested in giving this film a try.
It came on television the other day though, and I had nothing better to do, so I bit.
That said, `The Firm' was actually pretty well done. It was intense when it needed to be, and it contained enough plot twists to keep me interested even after I figured everything out. I will say that some of the plot developments felt a little sticky, especially once Abby and Tammy go all sorts of espionage on the firm, but that aside, the film is quite good.
The film follows Mitch McDeere, a bright lawyer who is being wooed by a prestigious law firm that seems to watch to control everyone around them. Mitch's wife Abby is turned off by this, but Mitch's enthusiasm for the firm and his potential working there outweighs her concerns. Mitch is taken under the wing of Avery Tolar, shown the ropes and given all the perks, and then there is a murder, and then the FBI comes looking for Mitch, to turn him, and he gets an earful, and he starts to dig around and soon all the pieces start to fit together and Mitch realizes that this prestigious firm has some very unorthodox practices that could threaten his marriage, his profession and ultimately his life.
I have never felt Tom Cruise was as talented as he is made out to be. Yes, when he hits it he usually leaves a lasting impression (um, he was all kinds of stellar in `Eyes Wide Shut' and he was definitely Oscar worthy in `Jerry Maguire') but for the most part he is either outshone by the rest of the cast (as in `Rain Man') or simply not that impressive (I need to rewatch `Top Gun' but I do remember being less than impressed with Cruise). Here he is actually pretty good. He holds his own alongside Hackman (which is hard to do) and delivers a believable and relatable performance.
He's not best-in-show though.
`The Firm' is littered with actors doing their best to grab out attention. The most successful would have to be Holly Hunter who just breezes though her performance as if it were effortless for her. She is witty and charismatic and adorable to boot; and when she wants to lay on the drama she can and does so brilliantly. Gene Hackman is also on the top of his game; sly and cunning and very approachable which only adds layers to his characters mystery. Hal Holbrook is ruthless as Oliver Lambert and commands in his few scenes. David Strathairn is commanding if not a little out of place here (I really didn't like his characters arc, but whatever). Jeanne Tripplehorn gets better and better as the film progresses. I think that Ed Harris is a pretty good actor, but he seems wasted here in my opinion.
In the end I must say that `The Firm' is a far better film than I expected it to be. No, it is not a favorite of mine (based on genre alone really) but it manages to be memorable and exciting and I will watch it again, I'm sure of that. I wish that they had cleaned up the ending a tad, for as the plot keeps twisting the film gets a little messy, but that messiness makes for an entertaining roller coaster that serves it purpose.
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Excellent, engrossing, substantial complexity --
rating: 5
and one of Gene Hackman's greatest performances. The man is so real, and the character so believable, you'd think Hackman were the character. Except he isn't, because the character is a hackman, while Hackman is an extraordinary actor.
Probably Cruise's best performance, better than in "Color of Money". Garey Busey does a perfect turn, and Holly Hunter get's to vamp.
The only film in which I've seen Triplehorn -- a beauty, and is the equal of Cruise in this (in performance; I don't think of Crusie as a beauty).
You'll like it. Cruise actually performs instead of posing for the camera.
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This is not John Grisham's "The Firm"...
rating: 2
...because The Firm was actually good. One of my favorite books. As for this? It might not be as bad if you've never read the book, but if you have you will most likely not like it. Think about any plot point from the book and chances are it's been changed either a little or a lot in the movie version. The basic events are the same, but some things are changed so much it's rediculous. I would go into more detail, but I'm trying to stay away from spoilers.
Conciseley: characters given a lot of time in the book get hardly any in the movie. And some in the movie are featured a lot more prominantly than in the book. Long scenes and memorable parts of the book are gone and boring ones that seem out of place of sketchy appear in the movie. I don't remember Terrance being bald. And the ending was absolutely different.
I'll surely never watch this movie again. Don't buy it--get the book. If you don't like reading, skip over this entirely. It's just not worth your time, stale acting and poor characterization aside.
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THE FIRM
rating: 5
Totally engrossing. One of my favorite movies of all time. I have owned the VHS for years but had to have it on DVD since I have viewed it numerous times. Always exciting. Never a dull moment. Great acting by all!
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Not as good as the book..
rating: 3
The movie will probably be good to you if you've never read the book. I was a little frustrated with it, because the ending was so different. It's still worth watching, though.
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