SNMR 1.28: "The Firm"

Tonight's SNMR feature is "The Firm" (1993, R, 154 minutes), starring Tom Cruise, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Gene Hackman, Ed Harris, Holly Hunter, Hal Holbrook, David Straithairn and Wilford Brimley. The film was directed by Sydney Pollack.

I think that the first time I saw this film was after it came out on video and it quickly became one of my favorite movies. Tom Cruise may be a bit creepy and outspoken in his religious beliefs these days but you can't deny that he is an excellent actor.

From the DVD's dust jacket:

Three time Oscar nominee Tom Cruise delivers the most electrifying performance of his career in this riveting film based on the international best-seller.
Cruise plays Mitch McDeere, a brilliant and ambitious Harvard Law grad. Driven by a fierce desire to bury his working-class past, Mitch joins a small, prosperous Memphis firm that affords Mitch and his wife (Jeanne Tripplehorn) an affluent lifestyle beyond their wildest dreams. When FBI agents confront him with evidence of corruption and murder within the firm, Mitch sets out to find the truth in a deadly crossfire between the FBI, the Mob, and a force that will stop at nothing to protect its interests - THE FIRM.
Directed by Oscar winning Sydney Pollack and starring Oscar winner Gene Hackman plus a magnificent supporting cast, THE FIRM makes its case as the must see movie of the year.

From Martin & Porter's DVD and Video Guide 2006, p. 389:

Director Sydney Pollack takes the old-style Hollywood approach in this adaption of John Grisham's bestselling suspense-thriller by surrounding star Tom Cruise with a top flight cast of suppporting actors- and it works. Cruise plays an ambitious young lawyer who joins a law firm in Memphis only to find that his high salary and impressive perks come with a price: either go along with the company's corrupt dealings or become its next victim. Gripping.

This is an excellent film from beginning to end. I recall reading the novel but don't think that the screenplay strayed far from the book, if at all. The supporting cast is wonderful and I especially like Wilford Brimley's charachter - atypical for his usual good guy roles in all of his work that I've seen. Ed Harris makes a great FBI guy. Gene Hackman is one of the most versatile actors of the last 30 years or so. I'd recommend this film to anyone. It is lengthy though and I think the first hour drags a bit but not so much as to ruin the story. I like the piano music soundtrack, which is raw but it works well. I'll give this film four and a half out of five stars.