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The Firm (film)
Encyclopedia
The Firm is a 1993 legal thriller film directed by Sydney Pollack
, and starring Tom Cruise
, Jeanne Tripplehorn
, Gene Hackman
, Ed Harris
, Holly Hunter
, Hal Holbrook
, and David Strathairn
. The film is based on the 1991 novel The Firm by author John Grisham
.
(Tom Cruise
) is a young man with a promising future in law. About to graduate from Harvard Law School
, he is approached by Bendini, Lambert & Locke, 'The Firm', and made an offer he cannot refuse. He and his wife, Abigail "Abby"
(Jeanne Tripplehorn
), move to Memphis, where The Firm is located. Avery Tolar (Gene Hackman
) becomes his mentor at The Firm.
Seduced by the money and gifts showered on him, including a house and car, he is at first totally oblivious to the more sinister side of his company. Then, two associates are murdered. The FBI contact him, asking him for information and informing him that not only is The Firm mob connected but every associate that has ever tried to leave The Firm ends up murdered. His life as he knows it is forever changed. He has a choice: work with the FBI and risk being discovered by The Firm, or stay with The Firm knowing that at sometime he will get involved with laundering mob money and in the end go to jail when the FBI cracks The Firm. Either way he will lose his life as he knows it.
Mitch devises a plan that allows him to cooperate with the FBI by finding proof that all partners from The Firm were guilty of overbilling, while at the same time reaching an agreement with the mob Morolto brothers. In addition he manages to do so without breaking any laws, thereby being able to keep his status as a lawyer.
At the end of the film, the McDeeres leave their house in Memphis for Boston, driving the same car they arrived in.
's name did not appear on the release poster; due to Tom Cruise
's deal with Paramount
only his name could appear above the title. Hackman also wanted his name to appear above the credits, but when this was refused he asked for his name to be removed. His name does appear in the end credits.
The soundtrack, almost exclusively solo piano by Dave Grusin, is used to great effect during action sequences and interstitials.
, as in the book; he and Abby simply get into their car and drive away from Memphis
(to Boston
, as the ending narration, "Do you think [the car] will make it?...to Boston...")
A more fundamental difference from the book is the motives and manner in which Mitch solves his predicament. In the book, Mitch acknowledges to himself that he is betraying the attorney-client privilege
by copying certain information and giving it to the FBI In actuality, in most US states this privilege only applies to crimes that have already been committed (however, in the case of the Menendez brothers' murders of their parents, the boys' telling of the details of the already-committed murders to their psychiatrist was admitted in their second trial). The privilege does not apply if a lawyer knows that his client either is committing or will commit a crime. Accepting that he will not be allowed to practice law anywhere again, he swindles
$10 million from the mob law firm, along with receiving $1 million of a promised $2 million from the FBI for his cooperation. After an extended manhunt involving the police, the firm's lawyers, and hired thugs courtesy of the Morolto family, Mitch escapes with Abby (and his brother Ray) to the Caribbean.
In the film, apparently in order to preserve the protagonist's personal integrity
, Mitch steals no money from the Firm. Instead, he exposes a systematic overbilling scheme by the firm, thus driving a wedge between the mob (which in essence becomes complicit with Mitch) and its law firm (in the book, there is only one sentence that refers to overbilling). He receives a smaller amount of money from the FBI, which he gives to Ray, allowing him to disappear. This alters the character of the Mitch McDeere created by Grisham. Rather than capitalizing on his circumstances for personal gain, as in the book, the movie's McDeere ends up battered and bruised, but with his integrity and professional ethics intact. Mitch also makes the FBI have to work to bring down the firm by having to argue that each instance of excessive overbilling is a federal offense (by virtue of the excessive bills going via the US Postal Service
); given the volume and frequency, it invokes the racketeering legislation
, thereby enabling the FBI to seize premises and equipment, as well as freezing bank accounts - in effect putting the firm out of business. From here the mafia would then need to find another law firm willing to take them on as clients, and if they couldn't, charges for non-lodgment of tax returns could be brought. In the book, detailed records and a recorded testimony
are provided by Mitch, which, either by itself or in addition to the evidence obtained by the FBI, enables indictments to be brought against the firm's lawyers and the mafia.
Instead of a BMW
, Mitch gets a Mercedes-Benz
for joining the Firm.
Avery Tolar was originally Avery Tolleson; the latest version of the novel uses the film's surname. Tolar is portrayed as a sort of reluctant villain in the film, while in the novel he has no such moral conflicts.
The surname of the man killed on Grand Cayman
is Hodges, instead of Hodge like in the novel.
Mitch's confession to Abby about his sexual infidelity was also unique to the film. In the novel, McDeere never tells Abby about his infidelity. In the book, Abby not knowing about Mitch's infidelity is a major "suspense" piece. Mitch comes home one evening and finds an envelope addressed to Abby, that has "Photos - Do Not Bend" written on it. Mitch thinks it's the pictures he was shown of his infidelity overseas. Abby is in the bedroom when he sees the open package. He enters the bedroom and learns that Abby opened the package, but it was empty. Mitch realizes the head of security at the Firm is toying with him, and this incident in the book causes Mitch to take action against the Firm.
Also, in the book it's not Abby who seduces Avery in the Caribbean, but Eddie's old secretary, Tammy. This also changes the character development because in the movie Abby is portrayed as risking herself for Mitch. In the book, Abby is simply an accomplice to Tammy and it's Tammy who seduces and drugs Avery.
Marion, Arkansas
.
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."
The film earned some negative reviews as well, notably from James Berardinelli
, who said that "[v]ery little of what made the written version so enjoyable has been successfully translated to the screen, and what we're left with instead is an overly-long [and] pedantic thriller." Grisham enjoyed the film, remarking: "I thought [Tom Cruise] did a good job. He played the innocent young associate very well."
announced that a sequel to The Firm was being produced with Sony Pictures Television
and Paramount Pictures
. The series picks up the story of Mitch and his family ten years after the events of the novel and film. The first season is to be 22 episodes and begin production in Canada in July 2011. The series will be broadcast by Sony on their AXN
network. In May 2011 NBC
confirmed that they had acquired the U.S. broadcast rights to the show and that they plan to début it in January 2012. Shaw Media
announced on May 16, 2011 that they had acquired the Canadian broadcast rights and would be showing the series on Global
. Lukas Reiter is the show runner
.
Sydney Pollack
Sydney Irwin Pollack was an American film director, producer and actor. Pollack studied with Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City, where he later taught acting...
, and starring Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV , better known as Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and he has won three Golden Globe Awards....
, Jeanne Tripplehorn
Jeanne Tripplehorn
Jeanne Marie Tripplehorn is an American film and television actress. She was brought to the public's attention through her supporting role in the 1992 film Basic Instinct, and since 2006 has starred opposite Bill Paxton in the HBO drama Big Love.-Early life:Tripplehorn was born in Tulsa,...
, Gene Hackman
Gene Hackman
Eugene Allen "Gene" Hackman is an American actor and novelist.Nominated for five Academy Awards, winning two, Hackman has also won three Golden Globes and two BAFTAs in a career that spanned five decades. He first came to fame in 1967 with his performance as Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde...
, Ed Harris
Ed Harris
Edward Allen "Ed" Harris is an American actor, writer, and director, known for his performances in Appaloosa, Radio, The Rock, The Abyss, Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, A History of Violence, and The Truman Show. Harris has also narrated commercials for The Home Depot and other companies...
, Holly Hunter
Holly Hunter
Holly Hunter is an American actress. Hunter starred in The Piano for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. She has also been nominated for Oscars for her roles in Broadcast News, The Firm, and Thirteen...
, Hal Holbrook
Hal Holbrook
Harold Rowe "Hal" Holbrook, Jr. is an American actor. His television roles include Abraham Lincoln in the 1976 TV series Lincoln, Hays Stowe on The Bold Ones: The Senator and Capt. Lloyd Bucher on Pueblo. He is also known for his role in the 2007 film Into the Wild, for which he was nominated for...
, and David Strathairn
David Strathairn
David Russell Strathairn is an American actor. He was nominated for an Academy Award for portraying journalist Edward R. Murrow in Good Night, and Good Luck...
. The film is based on the 1991 novel The Firm by author John Grisham
John Grisham
John Ray Grisham, Jr. is an American lawyer and author, best known for his popular legal thrillers.John Grisham graduated from Mississippi State University before attending the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1981 and practiced criminal law for about a decade...
.
Plot
Mitch McDeereMitch McDeere
Mitch McDeere is a fictional character portrayed by Tom Cruise in Sydney Pollack's 1993 film adaptation of John Grisham's The Firm . The character has been cast with Josh Lucas for Entertainment One Television's forthcoming show also named The Firm...
(Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV , better known as Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and he has won three Golden Globe Awards....
) is a young man with a promising future in law. About to graduate from Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
, he is approached by Bendini, Lambert & Locke, 'The Firm', and made an offer he cannot refuse. He and his wife, Abigail "Abby"
Abby McDeere
Abigail "Abby" McDeere is a fictional character portrayed by Jeanne Tripplehorn in Sydney Pollack's 1993 film adaptation of John Grisham's The Firm . The character has been cast with Molly Parker for Entertainment One Television's forthcoming show also named The Firm...
(Jeanne Tripplehorn
Jeanne Tripplehorn
Jeanne Marie Tripplehorn is an American film and television actress. She was brought to the public's attention through her supporting role in the 1992 film Basic Instinct, and since 2006 has starred opposite Bill Paxton in the HBO drama Big Love.-Early life:Tripplehorn was born in Tulsa,...
), move to Memphis, where The Firm is located. Avery Tolar (Gene Hackman
Gene Hackman
Eugene Allen "Gene" Hackman is an American actor and novelist.Nominated for five Academy Awards, winning two, Hackman has also won three Golden Globes and two BAFTAs in a career that spanned five decades. He first came to fame in 1967 with his performance as Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde...
) becomes his mentor at The Firm.
Seduced by the money and gifts showered on him, including a house and car, he is at first totally oblivious to the more sinister side of his company. Then, two associates are murdered. The FBI contact him, asking him for information and informing him that not only is The Firm mob connected but every associate that has ever tried to leave The Firm ends up murdered. His life as he knows it is forever changed. He has a choice: work with the FBI and risk being discovered by The Firm, or stay with The Firm knowing that at sometime he will get involved with laundering mob money and in the end go to jail when the FBI cracks The Firm. Either way he will lose his life as he knows it.
Mitch devises a plan that allows him to cooperate with the FBI by finding proof that all partners from The Firm were guilty of overbilling, while at the same time reaching an agreement with the mob Morolto brothers. In addition he manages to do so without breaking any laws, thereby being able to keep his status as a lawyer.
At the end of the film, the McDeeres leave their house in Memphis for Boston, driving the same car they arrived in.
Cast
- Tom CruiseTom CruiseThomas Cruise Mapother IV , better known as Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and he has won three Golden Globe Awards....
as Mitch McDeere, a promising recent Harvard Law graduate - Jeanne TripplehornJeanne TripplehornJeanne Marie Tripplehorn is an American film and television actress. She was brought to the public's attention through her supporting role in the 1992 film Basic Instinct, and since 2006 has starred opposite Bill Paxton in the HBO drama Big Love.-Early life:Tripplehorn was born in Tulsa,...
as Abigail "Abby" McDeere, Mitch's wife - Gene HackmanGene HackmanEugene Allen "Gene" Hackman is an American actor and novelist.Nominated for five Academy Awards, winning two, Hackman has also won three Golden Globes and two BAFTAs in a career that spanned five decades. He first came to fame in 1967 with his performance as Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde...
as Avery Tolar, Mitch's mentor at the Firm - Ed HarrisEd HarrisEdward Allen "Ed" Harris is an American actor, writer, and director, known for his performances in Appaloosa, Radio, The Rock, The Abyss, Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, A History of Violence, and The Truman Show. Harris has also narrated commercials for The Home Depot and other companies...
as Agent Wayne Terrance, the agent in charge of the investigation into the Firm; Mitch's primary contact with the FBI - Holly HunterHolly HunterHolly Hunter is an American actress. Hunter starred in The Piano for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. She has also been nominated for Oscars for her roles in Broadcast News, The Firm, and Thirteen...
as Tammy Hemphill, Eddie's old secretary, helps Mitch get and copy the files - Hal HolbrookHal HolbrookHarold Rowe "Hal" Holbrook, Jr. is an American actor. His television roles include Abraham Lincoln in the 1976 TV series Lincoln, Hays Stowe on The Bold Ones: The Senator and Capt. Lloyd Bucher on Pueblo. He is also known for his role in the 2007 film Into the Wild, for which he was nominated for...
as Oliver Lambert, senior partner at the Firm - David StrathairnDavid StrathairnDavid Russell Strathairn is an American actor. He was nominated for an Academy Award for portraying journalist Edward R. Murrow in Good Night, and Good Luck...
as Ray McDeere, Mitch's brother, in jail for a manslaughterManslaughterManslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
conviction - Terry KinneyTerry KinneyTerry Kinney is an American actor and theatre director, and is a founding member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, with Gary Sinise and Jeff Perry.-Early life:...
as Lamar Quin, Mitch's friend who works at the Firm - Wilford BrimleyWilford BrimleyAllen Wilford Brimley is an American actor. He has appeared in such films as The China Syndrome, Cocoon, The Thing and The Firm. He had a recurring role on the 1970s television series The Waltons...
as Bill Devasher, officially the head of security at the Firm - unofficially the Firm's hitman. - Sullivan WalkerSullivan WalkerSullivan Walker is a Trinidadian actor who has played numerous small and recurring roles on television shows since the early eighties...
as Barry Abanks, owner of scuba diving business - Gary BuseyGary BuseyWilliam Gary Busey , best known as Gary Busey, is an American film and stage actor and artist. He has appeared in a large variety of films, as well as making regular appearances on Gunsmoke, Walker, Texas Ranger, Law & Order, and Entourage...
as Eddie Lomax, a private investigatorPrivate investigatorA private investigator , private detective or inquiry agent, is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private detectives/investigators often work for attorneys in civil cases. Many work for insurance companies to investigate suspicious claims...
, friend of Ray McDeere
Production
Gene HackmanGene Hackman
Eugene Allen "Gene" Hackman is an American actor and novelist.Nominated for five Academy Awards, winning two, Hackman has also won three Golden Globes and two BAFTAs in a career that spanned five decades. He first came to fame in 1967 with his performance as Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde...
's name did not appear on the release poster; due to Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV , better known as Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and he has won three Golden Globe Awards....
's deal with Paramount
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
only his name could appear above the title. Hackman also wanted his name to appear above the credits, but when this was refused he asked for his name to be removed. His name does appear in the end credits.
The soundtrack, almost exclusively solo piano by Dave Grusin, is used to great effect during action sequences and interstitials.
Differences from the novel
The film accords with the book in most respects, but the ending is significantly different. Mitch doesn't end up in the CaribbeanCaribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, as in the book; he and Abby simply get into their car and drive away from Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
(to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, as the ending narration, "Do you think [the car] will make it?...to Boston...")
A more fundamental difference from the book is the motives and manner in which Mitch solves his predicament. In the book, Mitch acknowledges to himself that he is betraying the attorney-client privilege
Attorney-client privilege
Attorney–client privilege is a legal concept that protects certain communications between a client and his or her attorney and keeps those communications confidential....
by copying certain information and giving it to the FBI In actuality, in most US states this privilege only applies to crimes that have already been committed (however, in the case of the Menendez brothers' murders of their parents, the boys' telling of the details of the already-committed murders to their psychiatrist was admitted in their second trial). The privilege does not apply if a lawyer knows that his client either is committing or will commit a crime. Accepting that he will not be allowed to practice law anywhere again, he swindles
Embezzlement
Embezzlement is the act of dishonestly appropriating or secreting assets by one or more individuals to whom such assets have been entrusted....
$10 million from the mob law firm, along with receiving $1 million of a promised $2 million from the FBI for his cooperation. After an extended manhunt involving the police, the firm's lawyers, and hired thugs courtesy of the Morolto family, Mitch escapes with Abby (and his brother Ray) to the Caribbean.
In the film, apparently in order to preserve the protagonist's personal integrity
Integrity
Integrity is a concept of consistency of actions, values, methods, measures, principles, expectations, and outcomes. In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one's actions...
, Mitch steals no money from the Firm. Instead, he exposes a systematic overbilling scheme by the firm, thus driving a wedge between the mob (which in essence becomes complicit with Mitch) and its law firm (in the book, there is only one sentence that refers to overbilling). He receives a smaller amount of money from the FBI, which he gives to Ray, allowing him to disappear. This alters the character of the Mitch McDeere created by Grisham. Rather than capitalizing on his circumstances for personal gain, as in the book, the movie's McDeere ends up battered and bruised, but with his integrity and professional ethics intact. Mitch also makes the FBI have to work to bring down the firm by having to argue that each instance of excessive overbilling is a federal offense (by virtue of the excessive bills going via the US Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
); given the volume and frequency, it invokes the racketeering legislation
Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act
The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, commonly referred to as the RICO Act or simply RICO, is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization...
, thereby enabling the FBI to seize premises and equipment, as well as freezing bank accounts - in effect putting the firm out of business. From here the mafia would then need to find another law firm willing to take them on as clients, and if they couldn't, charges for non-lodgment of tax returns could be brought. In the book, detailed records and a recorded testimony
Testimony
In law and in religion, testimony is a solemn attestation as to the truth of a matter. All testimonies should be well thought out and truthful. It was the custom in Ancient Rome for the men to place their right hand on a Bible when taking an oath...
are provided by Mitch, which, either by itself or in addition to the evidence obtained by the FBI, enables indictments to be brought against the firm's lawyers and the mafia.
Instead of a BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
, Mitch gets a Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
for joining the Firm.
Avery Tolar was originally Avery Tolleson; the latest version of the novel uses the film's surname. Tolar is portrayed as a sort of reluctant villain in the film, while in the novel he has no such moral conflicts.
The surname of the man killed on Grand Cayman
Grand Cayman
Grand Cayman is the largest of the three Cayman Islands and the location of the nation's capital, George Town. In relation to the other two Cayman Islands, it is approximately 75 miles southwest of Little Cayman and 90 miles southwest of Cayman Brac.-Geography:Grand Cayman encompasses 76% of...
is Hodges, instead of Hodge like in the novel.
Mitch's confession to Abby about his sexual infidelity was also unique to the film. In the novel, McDeere never tells Abby about his infidelity. In the book, Abby not knowing about Mitch's infidelity is a major "suspense" piece. Mitch comes home one evening and finds an envelope addressed to Abby, that has "Photos - Do Not Bend" written on it. Mitch thinks it's the pictures he was shown of his infidelity overseas. Abby is in the bedroom when he sees the open package. He enters the bedroom and learns that Abby opened the package, but it was empty. Mitch realizes the head of security at the Firm is toying with him, and this incident in the book causes Mitch to take action against the Firm.
Also, in the book it's not Abby who seduces Avery in the Caribbean, but Eddie's old secretary, Tammy. This also changes the character development because in the movie Abby is portrayed as risking herself for Mitch. In the book, Abby is simply an accomplice to Tammy and it's Tammy who seduces and drugs Avery.
Filming locations
Memphis, TennesseeMemphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
- Owen Brennan's - Lunch scene in cocktail/bar area. Owen Brennan's commemorated the filming by placing plaques on the two cocktail chairs where Tom Cruise and Gene Hackman sat.
- Peabody HotelPeabody HotelThe Peabody Hotel is a luxury hotel in Downtown Memphis, Tennessee. The hotel is well known for the famous "Peabody Ducks" that live on the hotel rooftop, but which make daily treks to the hotel's lobby in a daily "March of Ducks" celebration.- History :...
- BBQ roof scene overlooking Mississippi River Bridge and downtown Memphis. - Beale StreetBeale StreetBeale Street is a street in Downtown Memphis, Tennessee, which runs from the Mississippi River to East Street, a distance of approximately . It is a significant location in the city's history, as well as in the history of the blues. Today, the blues clubs and restaurants that line Beale Street are...
- Scene where Mitch and Abby see young tumblers as street performers - Lausanne Collegiate SchoolLausanne Collegiate SchoolLausanne Collegiate School, originally known as Lausanne School for Girls, is an independent, coeducational, nonsectarian school in Memphis, Tennessee, for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade...
- Playground scene and others. - Front Street Deli - Meeting at diner.
- Mud IslandMud Island, MemphisMud Island is not actually an island but a small peninsula, surrounded by the Mississippi River to the west and the Wolf River Harbor to the east. In 1960, the Wolf River was diverted so that it went north of Mud Island, and Mud Island opened to the public in 1982...
- Blues City Cafe - FBI first meeting with Mitch.
- Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
Marion, Arkansas
Marion, Arkansas
Marion is a city in Crittenden County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 8,901 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Crittenden County, and is part of the Memphis metropolitan area...
- The Marion Hotel - Apartment room on top floor for a scene.
Critical reception
Critical reaction to The Firm has been mostly positive, with the film earning a 76% rating at Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
.
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
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."
The film earned some negative reviews as well, notably from James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli is an American online film critic.-Personal life:Berardinelli was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey and spent his early childhood in Morristown, New Jersey. At the age of nine years, he relocated to the township of Cherry Hill, New Jersey...
, who said that "[v]ery little of what made the written version so enjoyable has been successfully translated to the screen, and what we're left with instead is an overly-long [and] pedantic thriller." Grisham enjoyed the film, remarking: "I thought [Tom Cruise] did a good job. He played the innocent young associate very well."
Box office
The film was a huge success, making over $158 million domestically and $111 internationally ($270 million worldwide). Additionally, it was the largest grossing R-rated movie of 1993 and of any film based on a Grisham novel.TV sequel
In April 2011 Entertainment OneEntertainment One
Entertainment One Ltd is a leading international entertainment business operating in the United States, Canada, the UK, Ireland, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Australia and New Zealand...
announced that a sequel to The Firm was being produced with Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television, Inc. is an American and global television production/distribution subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment. In turn, the latter is part of the Japanese conglomerate Sony.-Background:...
and Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
. The series picks up the story of Mitch and his family ten years after the events of the novel and film. The first season is to be 22 episodes and begin production in Canada in July 2011. The series will be broadcast by Sony on their AXN
AXN
AXN is a Pay television, cable and satellite television channel owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, which was first launched on May 22, 1997. The network is now spread across several regions in the world, including Japan, Europe, other parts of Asia and Latin America...
network. In May 2011 NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
confirmed that they had acquired the U.S. broadcast rights to the show and that they plan to début it in January 2012. Shaw Media
Shaw Media
Shaw Media is the television broadcasting division of Shaw Communications. Shaw Media owns the Global Television Network, which broadcasts via 11 television stations, as well as various specialty channels including HGTV Canada, Showcase, Food Network Canada, and History Television.Despite also...
announced on May 16, 2011 that they had acquired the Canadian broadcast rights and would be showing the series on Global
Global Television Network
Global Television Network is an English language privately owned television network in Canada, owned by Calgary-based Shaw Communications, as part of its Shaw Media division...
. Lukas Reiter is the show runner
Show runner
Showrunner is a term of art originating in the United States and Canadian television industry referring to the person who is responsible for the day-to-day operation of a television seriesalthough such persons generally are credited as an executive producer...
.
External links
- "The Firm: Blu-ray Review" at HD-Report