''The Firm'' is a 1993 American

legal thriller The legal thriller genre is a type of crime fiction genre that focuses on the proceedings of the Criminal investigation, investigation, with particular reference to the impacts on courtroom proceedings and the lives of characters. The genre came ...

film directed by Sydney Pollack, and starring

Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962) is an American actor and film producer. Regarded as a Cinema of the United States, Hollywood icon, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Tom Cruise, various accolades, includ ...

, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Gene Hackman, Ed Harris, Holly Hunter,

Hal Holbrook Harold Rowe Holbrook Jr. (February 17, 1925 – January 23, 2021) was an American actor. He first received critical acclaim in 1954 for a one-man stage show that he developed called ''Mark Twain Tonight!'' while studying at Denison University. H ...

, David Strathairn and Gary Busey. The film is based on the 1991 novel of the same name by author

John Grisham John Ray Grisham Jr. (; born February 8, 1955) is an American novelist, lawyer, and former politician, known for his best-selling legal thrillers. According to the Academy of Achievement, American Academy of Achievement, Grisham has written 37 ...

. Released on June 30, 1993, the film was a major commercial success, grossing $270.2 million against a budget of $42 million, making it the highest grossing film adapted from a Grisham novel, fifth highest-grossing and the highest-grossing R-rated film of 1993, and received generally positive reviews for the performances (particularly from Cruise and Hunter), although the screenplay received some criticism. Holly Hunter was nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 9th Academy Awards to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performanc ...

, while

Dave Grusin Robert David Grusin (born June 26, 1934) is an American composer, arranger, producer, jazz pianist, and band leader. He has composed many scores for feature films and television and has won numerous awards for his soundtrack and record work, incl ...

was nominated for Best Original Score.

Plot

Mitch McDeere, a top

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...

graduate, accepts a lucrative offer from boutique law firm Bendini, Lambert & Locke in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

. After he and wife Abby relocate there, he prepares for the Tennessee

bar exam A bar examination is an examination administered by the bar association of a jurisdiction that a lawyer must pass in order to be admitted to the bar of that jurisdiction. Australia Administering bar exams is the responsibility of the bar associat ...

. Senior partner Avery Tolar mentors Mitch on the firm's strict culture of loyalty, confidentiality, and high fees. Although the money and benefits, such as a new house, a

Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to simply as Mercedes and occasionally as Benz, is a German automotive brand that was founded in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group, established in 2019) is based in Stuttgart, ...

, and paid-off student loans have swayed Mitch, Abby resents the firm's meddling in employees' personal lives. Mitch passes the bar exam and works grueling hours, straining his marriage. Under Avery's guidance, Mitch discovers the firm's primary work involves helping wealthy clients hide money in offshore shell corporations and other questionable tax-avoidance schemes. On a work trip to the

Cayman Islands The Cayman Islands () is a self-governing British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory, and the largest by population. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, which are located so ...

, Mitch overhears a client mentioning how the firm's Chicago associates "break legs”. At the firm's Cayman condominium, he finds documents linked to four deceased associates. Meanwhile, the firm's security chief, Bill DeVasher, sends a prostitute to seduce Mitch and uses photos of the assignation to blackmail him into silence. Mitch hires private investigator Eddie Lomax, a former cell mate of Mitch’s brother Ray, to investigate the associates' deaths, but Lomax is murdered by hitmen, witnessed by his secretary Tammy. FBI agents reveal to Mitch that BL&L's top client is the Morolto

crime family A crime family is a unit of an organized crime syndicate, particularly in the Sicilian Mafia and Italian-American Mafia, often operating within a specific geographic territory or a specific set of activities. In its strictest sense, a ''family'' ...

of the Chicago Outfit, and most of the firm's lawyers are involved in a significant

tax fraud Tax evasion or tax fraud is an illegal attempt to defeat the imposition of taxes by individuals, corporations, trust (property), trusts, and others. Tax evasion often entails the deliberate misrepresentation of the taxpayer's affairs to the tax au ...

and

money laundering Money laundering is the process of illegally concealing the origin of money obtained from illicit activities (often known as dirty money) such as drug trafficking, sex work, terrorism, corruption, and embezzlement, and converting the funds i ...

scheme. The deceased associates were killed when they tried to leave the firm. The FBI warns Mitch that his home is bugged and pressures him to provide evidence against the firm and the Moroltos. Mitch agrees to cooperate for $1.5 million and his brother Ray's release from prison. The FBI release Ray and transfer half the money to a Swiss account Mitch has set up. The FBI secretly intend to return Ray to jail after Mitch provides the incriminating files. Mitch confesses his one-night stand in the Caymans to Abby, who plans to leave him. Mitch finds a possible way to save his career after discovering the firm regularly overbills its clients. He realizes it is

mail fraud Mail fraud and wire fraud are terms used in the United States to describe the use of a physical (e.g., the U.S. Postal Service) or electronic (e.g., a phone, a telegram, a fax, or the Internet) mail system to defraud another, and are U.S. fede ...

, exposing them to RICO charges. He and Tammy copy the billing records but need additional files from the firm's Cayman condo. Avery changes his schedule, jeopardizing Mitch's plan, so Abby flies to the Caymans and seduces and drugs Avery to get the files. The firm's phone tap records Abby warning Tammy, leading DeVasher's hitmen to pursue them. After Abby copies the files, Avery tells her the firm set up the prostitute who seduced Mitch on the beach. He warns Abby to leave and is later killed by DeVasher's hitmen, staging his death as a bathtub drowning. Mitch's plans are compromised when a prison guard on the Moroltos' payroll tips off DeVasher about Ray's transfer to FBI custody, forcing him to flee. He is chased through downtown Memphis by DeVasher and his hitman, until the former mistakenly shoots the latter, after which Mitch confronts DeVasher and knocks him unconscious. He meets with the Moroltos, presenting himself as a loyal attorney who uncovered the illegal overbilling, and asks for permission to turn over their invoices to help the FBI prosecute the firm, but assures them that any information about their legal affairs remains safe under

attorney–client privilege Attorney–client privilege or lawyer–client privilege is the common law doctrine of legal professional privilege in the United States. Attorney–client privilege is " client's right to refuse to disclose and to prevent any other person fro ...

, implying everything will remain confidential as long as he is alive. The Moroltos reluctantly agree to guarantee Mitch's safety, after which he hands over the evidence and is able to continue his legal career. He and Abby reconcile. Mitch's decision to work with the Moroltos angers the FBI, but he reminds them that the evidence he has provided is enough to make a RICO case and ensure that the firm's senior members go to prison for a long time. The film ends with the McDeeres returning to Boston in their old car. Ray, now with Tammy, enjoys his new life in the Caymans with the money Mitch obtained for him.

Cast

as Mitch McDeere, a promising recent Harvard Law graduate * Jeanne Tripplehorn as Abby McDeere, Mitch's wife * Gene Hackman as Avery Tolar, Mitch's mentor at the Firm * Holly Hunter as Tammy Hemphill, Eddie's secretary and lover who aids Mitch in copying and stealing the files in Memphis and the Cayman Islands * Ed Harris as FBI Agent Wayne Tarrance, the agent in charge of the investigation into the Firm; Mitch's primary contact with the FBI *

as Oliver Lambert, senior partner at the Firm * Jerry Hardin as Royce McKnight, managing partner at the Firm * David Strathairn as Ray McDeere, Mitch's brother who was in jail for a

manslaughter Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th ce ...

conviction * Terry Kinney as Lamar Quinn, Mitch's friend who works at the Firm * Wilford Brimley as Bill DeVasher, officially the head of security at the Firm—unofficially the Firm's main hitman * Sullivan Walker as Thomas Abanks, the owner of a scuba diving business * Gary Busey as Eddie Lomax, a

private investigator A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI; also known as a private detective, an inquiry agent or informally a wikt:private eye, private eye) is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. ...

and former cell-mate of Ray McDeere * Barbara Garrick as Kay Quinn, Lamar Quinn's wife who befriends both Abby and Mitch * Steven Hill as FBI Director Denton Voyles * Margo Martindale as Nina Huff, Mitch's Secretary * Paul Sorvino as Tony Morolto * Joe Viterelli as Joey Morolto *

Jerry Weintraub Jerome Charles Weintraub (September 26, 1937 – July 6, 2015) was an American film producer, talent manager and actor whose television films won him three Emmys. He began his career as a talent agent, having managed known singer John Denver in ...

as Sonny Capps * Tobin Bell as The Nordic Man, Morolto Hitman * Dean Norris as The Squat Man, Morolto Hitman * Karina Lombard as Young Woman on Beach who seduces Mitch * John Beal as Nathan Locke * Paul Calderon as FBI Agent Thomas Richie

Production

Paramount Pictures initially budgeted the film at $15 million with

Charlie Sheen Carlos Irwin Estévez (born September 3, 1965), known professionally as Charlie Sheen, is an American actor. He is known as a leading man in film and television. Sheen has received numerous accolades including a Golden Globe Award as well as ...

or Jason Patric considered for the lead with a scheduled release date of Christmas 1992. However, producers Scott Rudin and John Davis wanted it to be a bigger production and talked to Tom Cruise on the set of '' A Few Good Men'', who indicated that he wanted to star and direct. With the release date at risk, Rudin and Davis were given one week to sign a director and signed

John Badham John MacDonald Badham (born August 25, 1939) is an American film and television director, best known for directing the films ''Saturday Night Fever'' (1977), ''Dracula (1979 film), Dracula'' (1979), ''Blue Thunder'' (1983), ''WarGames'' (1983), ...

for $3 million. Soon after,

John McTiernan John Campbell McTiernan Jr. (born January 8, 1951) is an American former filmmaker best known for his action films. His work as director includes ''Predator (film), Predator'' (1987), ''Die Hard'' (1988), and ''The Hunt for Red October (film), ...

expressed an interest in directing with Cruise starring, which the studio was keen on however, McTiernan wanted Rudin removed as producer. Paramount Communications president Stanley Jaffe decided to keep Rudin so McTiernan went off to make '' Last Action Hero'' and Jaffe brought in Sydney Pollack. Principal photography took place from November 9, 1992, to March 20, 1993, and though it was primarily filmed in

, some scenes were filmed in Marion, Arkansas, and the

. The film's soundtrack is almost exclusively solo piano by

. Gene Hackman's name did not appear on the film's release poster. Hackman joined the film late, when it was already well into production, because the producers had originally wanted to change the gender of the character and cast Meryl Streep, until author John Grisham objected and Hackman was eventually cast.

's deal with

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. **Paramount Picture ...

already stated that only his name could appear above the title. Hackman also wanted his name to appear above the title, but when this was refused he asked for his name to be removed completely from the poster. This is also the final film for Steven Hill and John Beal.

Release

Theatrical

The film was released while Grisham was at the height of his popularity. That week, Grisham and

Michael Crichton John Michael Crichton (; October 23, 1942 – November 4, 2008) was an American author, screenwriter and filmmaker. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and over a dozen have been adapted into films. His literary works heavil ...

evenly divided the top six

paperback A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, also known as wrappers, and often held together with adhesive, glue rather than stitch (textile arts), stitches or Staple (fastener), staples. In contrast, ...

spots on ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list. It opened on June 30, 1993 in 2,393 theatres, and landed at #1 at the box office, grossing $25.4 million over the 4th of July weekend. It remained in the #1 spot at the box office for 3 weeks. After 12 weeks in theatres, the film was a huge success, making over $158 million domestically and $111 million internationally ($270 million worldwide). Additionally, it was the largest grossing R-rated movie of 1993 and of any film based on a Grisham novel. ''The Firm'' was one of two films released in 1993 that were adapted from a Grisham novel, the other being '' The Pelican Brief''.

Home media

The film was released on VHS in December 1993, with the cassettes specially made of blue plastic. It was released on

LaserDisc LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. It was developed by Philips, Pioneer Corporation, Pioneer, and the movie studio MCA Inc., MCA. The format was initially marketed in the United State ...

in the United States on December 16, 1993 in both

widescreen Widescreen images are displayed within a set of aspect ratio (image), aspect ratios (relationship of image width to height) used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ...

and pan and scan formats. The DVD was released on May 23, 2000. The special features include only the teaser and theatrical trailers. A

Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...

edition was released on September 11, 2012. A 4K UHD version was released on June 20, 2023.

Reception

Critical reception

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, the film holds an approval rating of 76% based on 58 reviews, with an average of 6.20/10. The site's critics consensus states: "''The Firm'' is a big studio thriller that amusingly tears apart the last of 1980s boardroom culture and the false securities it represented." Audiences polled by

CinemaScore CinemaScore is an American market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts from the data. Background Ed Mintz, who ...

gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...

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 .. butwith 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 " ry 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 ndpedantic thriller." Grisham enjoyed the film, remarking: "I thought om Cruisedid a good job. He played the innocent young associate very well."

Awards

The film earned two

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

nominations including Best Supporting Actress for Holly Hunter (losing to Anna Paquin for '' The Piano'', though she did win an Oscar at that year's ceremony for Best Actress in the same film as Paquin) and Best Original Score for

(losing to

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (November 15, 2022)Classic Connection review, ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...

for '' Schindler's List'').

In other media

In April 2011 Entertainment One announced that a sequel to ''The Firm'' was being produced with

Sony Pictures Television Sony Pictures Television Inc. (abbreviated as SPT) is an American television production company, production and broadcast syndication, distribution studio. Based at the Sony Pictures Studios complex in Culver City, California, it is a division o ...

and

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

. The series picked up the story of Mitch and his family ten years after the events of the novel and film. The first season was 22 episodes long and began production in Canada in July 2011. In May 2011, NBC confirmed that they had acquired the U.S. broadcast rights to the show and that they planned to début it in January 2012. The show was cancelled after its first season.

References

External links

* * * *
"''The Firm'': Blu-ray Review"
at HD-Report
"The Firm"
essay by Ian C. Bloom {{DEFAULTSORT:Firm, The 1993 films 1993 crime thriller films 1990s legal thriller films American crime thriller films American legal films Davis Entertainment films Films about the Federal Bureau of Investigation Films scored by Dave Grusin Films about lawyers Films adapted into television shows Films based on works by John Grisham Films directed by Sydney Pollack Films produced by John Davis Films produced by Scott Rudin Films produced by Sydney Pollack Films set in Harvard University Films set in Massachusetts Films set in Memphis, Tennessee Films set in Arkansas Films shot in Arkansas Films shot in Massachusetts Films shot in Tennessee Films shot in the Cayman Islands American legal thriller films Paramount Pictures films Films with screenplays by Robert Towne Films based on thriller novels 1990s English-language films 1990s American films English-language crime thriller films