The first half of the 90s were good years for Grisham adaptations. Within two years three films went into circulation: "The firm" (1993, Sydney Pollack), "The pelican brief" (1993, Alan J. Pakula) and "The client" (1994, Joel Schumacher). In most of these films either the beginning or the end convinces. In for example "The pelican brief" the beginning is hard to believe, but when you are "into the story" the film is really tense. In "The firm" on the other hand, it is the beginning that I found rather disturbing. The way the main character (lawyer Mitch McDeere played bt Tom Cruise) gets into trouble seems very plausible. In the end however the film goes sadly in the overdrive, with unnecessary action scenes. The middle part is somewhere in between.
What is so good about the beginning of "The firm"? In my opinion two things. In the first place it is very understandble that Harvard graduate and social climber Mitch McDeere, not used to luxury, succumbs to "the offer you can't refuse" that a law firm offers him and so joins a company which happens to engage in and facilitate shady deals. In the second place the impact of this on the relationship with his girlfriend Abby (Jeanne Tripplehorn). Abby comes from a more wealthy family than Mitch and understands that there are no free lunches. Mitch interprets the fact that the employer arranges a house and interferes actively with the private life of their employees (they prefer that the wives do not have a job and stimulate children) as togetherness (the frm as one bg family). With Abby the alarm bells ring earlier. She interprets it not as togetherness but as as making the employee as dependent on the firm as possible.
By the way director Pollack shows at a very early stage that the firm does not only arranges a house, but that this house is full of eavesdropping equipment. He thereby uses a technique of Hitchcock (let the viewer know more than the main characters).
The middle part of the film (starting with the first encounter of Mitch and FBI detective Wayne Tarrance (Ed Harris)) is something weaker than the opening, but still rather good. It is only in the final part (starting with the cooperation of Mitch and Tammy Hemphill (Holy Hunter)) that the movie gives away to an overkill of action scenes.
That "The firm" only slightly detoriorates after such a strong opening is due to a couple of strong supporting roles (beside the main characters Mitch and Abby). For example Hal Holbrook as one of the founders of the lawfirm, seeming a nice and trustworthy old man, being the lawyer of the mafia. Or Gene Hackman as Avery Tolar, the mentor of Mitch. He is a decent man suspecting too little too late, and now he is totally dependant on the firm.
There are also a couple of strong scenes that boosts the average of especially the midlle part of the film. I think of the following scenes:
The first lunch of Mitch and Avery in which Avery tells Mitch that the firm is strict on alcohol during working hours, and directly after that orders a martini himself. The first meeting of Mitch and FBI detective Tarrance in a restaurant. Mitch is studying for his bar exam, Tarrance is talking to a colleague on a nearby table. Tarrance makes (deliberately too loud) a few remarks about the law firm of Mitch, that sets his suspicion in motion. The second meeting of Mitch and a young street artist. The first time Mitch has the energy to participate in the act. The second time Mitch listlessly passes by. He is well on his way to become a second Avery.
What is so good about the beginning of "The firm"? In my opinion two things. In the first place it is very understandble that Harvard graduate and social climber Mitch McDeere, not used to luxury, succumbs to "the offer you can't refuse" that a law firm offers him and so joins a company which happens to engage in and facilitate shady deals. In the second place the impact of this on the relationship with his girlfriend Abby (Jeanne Tripplehorn). Abby comes from a more wealthy family than Mitch and understands that there are no free lunches. Mitch interprets the fact that the employer arranges a house and interferes actively with the private life of their employees (they prefer that the wives do not have a job and stimulate children) as togetherness (the frm as one bg family). With Abby the alarm bells ring earlier. She interprets it not as togetherness but as as making the employee as dependent on the firm as possible.
By the way director Pollack shows at a very early stage that the firm does not only arranges a house, but that this house is full of eavesdropping equipment. He thereby uses a technique of Hitchcock (let the viewer know more than the main characters).
The middle part of the film (starting with the first encounter of Mitch and FBI detective Wayne Tarrance (Ed Harris)) is something weaker than the opening, but still rather good. It is only in the final part (starting with the cooperation of Mitch and Tammy Hemphill (Holy Hunter)) that the movie gives away to an overkill of action scenes.
That "The firm" only slightly detoriorates after such a strong opening is due to a couple of strong supporting roles (beside the main characters Mitch and Abby). For example Hal Holbrook as one of the founders of the lawfirm, seeming a nice and trustworthy old man, being the lawyer of the mafia. Or Gene Hackman as Avery Tolar, the mentor of Mitch. He is a decent man suspecting too little too late, and now he is totally dependant on the firm.
There are also a couple of strong scenes that boosts the average of especially the midlle part of the film. I think of the following scenes:
The first lunch of Mitch and Avery in which Avery tells Mitch that the firm is strict on alcohol during working hours, and directly after that orders a martini himself. The first meeting of Mitch and FBI detective Tarrance in a restaurant. Mitch is studying for his bar exam, Tarrance is talking to a colleague on a nearby table. Tarrance makes (deliberately too loud) a few remarks about the law firm of Mitch, that sets his suspicion in motion. The second meeting of Mitch and a young street artist. The first time Mitch has the energy to participate in the act. The second time Mitch listlessly passes by. He is well on his way to become a second Avery.