I've always felt that ensemble casts were the best, rather than single-star movies. Apparently, Cruise insisted only his name be at the top of the movie poster, which is unfortunate because the film works not only because of him but the rest of a stellar cast working with a fine screenplay. Along with Cruise, just about every other actor in the cast contributes to this film's success, particularly Jeanne Tripplehorn (who has just about as much screen time as Cruise), Gene Hackman, Holly Hunter, and Wilford Brimley, who plays against type as a ruthless "Mr. Fix-it" for the firm. Hunter was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. Honorable mention also goes to Ed Harris, David Strathairn, and Hal Holbrook.
Mitch McDeere is a stellar law student graduating from Harvard. He's being recruited by all the top law firms in the US, focusing on tax and property law. One law firm out of Memphis, TN, Bendini, Lambert & Locke, makes it clear they want him badly, and make him the biggest offer than any other firm (respective of geographic location). In other words, a $100,000/year salary in Memphis is worth about $175,000 in New York.
He and his wife Abby visit Memphis and the law firm, and find out a few strange things. Abby picks up on them but Mitch is rather oblivious. They hang out with another young couple whose husband has also just joined the firm. A couple of little items are mentioned by the other wife, that the firm encourages children and are not against a wife of an associate working. Huh? Since when does a law firm get to approve or disapprove of an associate's family situation? Mitch only sees the good and dismisses the red flags but Abby is concerned.
Despite the red flags, Mitch takes the offer, and the couple move into a nice house furnished by the firm who also puts in their telephones. They're told that the firm does all the telephone installations. Pretty quickly we learn the firm is bugging the McDeeres' household. Then two law firm associates were killed in some kind of a boating accident. Mitch and Abby meet with the young couple they had met during their exploratory visit. Both are distraught with grief.
Mitch is then paired with Avery Tolar (Gene Hackman), his assigned mentor to help with the bar exam. Mitch then learns no one at the firm ever failed the bar exam. Avery takes Mitch to the Cayman Islands to meet with one of their clients, who appears to be a bit sleazy. Who are the firm's clients? At night on the beach at the Cayman's, Mitch makes a behavioral decision which will deepen his commitment to the firm, but on their terms, not his. But that takes on more of an implication when he learns other law firm associates died under mysterious conditions which is confirmed by two FBI guys at a cafe, who inform him that no associate has ever left Bendini, Lambert & Locke alive.
The crucial scene comes when Mitch is given a message at a tax law conference in Washington DC to take a bus to a park. There he meets the agent he met in the cafe and another head agent. He is told his life as he knows it is over. Or is it? The FBI agents want him to steal files from the firm, which include illegal activity of their clients. Unfortunately, if Mitch engages in this behavior, he could jeopardize his future to practice law as this could violate the attorney-client privilege which states that a lawyer cannot reveal incriminating information about his or her client.
The whole point of the film is about how Mitch McDeere must straddle the pressure of the US government, his commitment as an attorney, and his life and relationship with his wife. A thoroughly compelling film from beginning to end. The finale of the film is quite a bit different than the novel, but I somewhat preferred the ending of the film to that of the book. Great performances by the whole cast. Cruise and Tripplehorn have great onscreen chemistry. Strathairn is also compelling as Mitch's brother to whom he reconnects. And Gene Hackman is compelling as the rogue associate at the firm who is allowed to mess around.
Mitch McDeere is a stellar law student graduating from Harvard. He's being recruited by all the top law firms in the US, focusing on tax and property law. One law firm out of Memphis, TN, Bendini, Lambert & Locke, makes it clear they want him badly, and make him the biggest offer than any other firm (respective of geographic location). In other words, a $100,000/year salary in Memphis is worth about $175,000 in New York.
He and his wife Abby visit Memphis and the law firm, and find out a few strange things. Abby picks up on them but Mitch is rather oblivious. They hang out with another young couple whose husband has also just joined the firm. A couple of little items are mentioned by the other wife, that the firm encourages children and are not against a wife of an associate working. Huh? Since when does a law firm get to approve or disapprove of an associate's family situation? Mitch only sees the good and dismisses the red flags but Abby is concerned.
Despite the red flags, Mitch takes the offer, and the couple move into a nice house furnished by the firm who also puts in their telephones. They're told that the firm does all the telephone installations. Pretty quickly we learn the firm is bugging the McDeeres' household. Then two law firm associates were killed in some kind of a boating accident. Mitch and Abby meet with the young couple they had met during their exploratory visit. Both are distraught with grief.
Mitch is then paired with Avery Tolar (Gene Hackman), his assigned mentor to help with the bar exam. Mitch then learns no one at the firm ever failed the bar exam. Avery takes Mitch to the Cayman Islands to meet with one of their clients, who appears to be a bit sleazy. Who are the firm's clients? At night on the beach at the Cayman's, Mitch makes a behavioral decision which will deepen his commitment to the firm, but on their terms, not his. But that takes on more of an implication when he learns other law firm associates died under mysterious conditions which is confirmed by two FBI guys at a cafe, who inform him that no associate has ever left Bendini, Lambert & Locke alive.
The crucial scene comes when Mitch is given a message at a tax law conference in Washington DC to take a bus to a park. There he meets the agent he met in the cafe and another head agent. He is told his life as he knows it is over. Or is it? The FBI agents want him to steal files from the firm, which include illegal activity of their clients. Unfortunately, if Mitch engages in this behavior, he could jeopardize his future to practice law as this could violate the attorney-client privilege which states that a lawyer cannot reveal incriminating information about his or her client.
The whole point of the film is about how Mitch McDeere must straddle the pressure of the US government, his commitment as an attorney, and his life and relationship with his wife. A thoroughly compelling film from beginning to end. The finale of the film is quite a bit different than the novel, but I somewhat preferred the ending of the film to that of the book. Great performances by the whole cast. Cruise and Tripplehorn have great onscreen chemistry. Strathairn is also compelling as Mitch's brother to whom he reconnects. And Gene Hackman is compelling as the rogue associate at the firm who is allowed to mess around.