Product Details

• Actors: Tom Cruise, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Gene Hackman, Hal Holbrook, Terry Kinney
• Directors: Sydney Pollack
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Paramount
• VHS Release Date: November 12, 1996
• Run Time: 154 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (87 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302935148
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #16,905 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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  Video > Mystery & Suspense > Mystery & Suspense Masters > John Grisham

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential video

By far the best adaptation of a John Grisham bestseller, this smart, fast-paced 1993 film--directed by Sydney Pollack (Out of Africa)--offers up the dilemma of a young lawyer whose life is turned upside down when he takes a job at a Southern law firm owned by the mob. Mitch McDeere (Tom Cruise), having just graduated from Harvard Law, is besieged with offers but takes a job, too good to be true, with a small Memphis firm. He and his wife, Abby (Jeanne Tripplehorn), are sucked in by the seemingly close-knit, collegial nature of the firm's partners and the expensive perks that come with the job. His mentor, Avery (Gene Hackman), teaches him the ropes, but Mitch and Abby begin to sense there's something wrong with this idyllic life. When a couple of associates turn up dead, Mitch begins to investigate the history of the firm; and when the FBI asks him to spy on the firm for them, Mitch realizes his life will never be the same and that, if discovered, he, his wife, and his long-lost brother will be in mortal danger. Mitch must use all his talents as a lawyer to outsmart the firm, the FBI, and the mob in order to reclaim control over his life. A very entertaining thriller that engages the audience at a breakneck pace while not taking itself too seriously. It also features some fine writing and strong performances from a large cast of exceptional actors. --Robert Lane

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Entertaining--Great Acting, May 10, 2002

By	Craig Clarke (New England) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Okay, so Tom Cruise gets a job at a Memphis law firm, right? We've all read the book or seen the movie, so how does one recommend this to one uninitiated?

Cruise puts in a solid performance, again playing his guy-who-doesn't-catch-on-for-a-while character he does so well. Sydney Pollack is a great mainstream director, and he pushes all the buttons, as well as giving us a great cast including Gene Hackman, Holly Hunter, Ed Harris, Jeanne Tripplehorn, David Straithairn, Gary Busey, Hal Holbrook, and Wilford Brimley.

Top-notch acting all around, with especially good turns by Brimley and Hunter, playing against type. Hackman is always good to watch and he does a terrific job of making Avery Tolar a likeable guy in spite of his faults. I suppose the most amazing job was done by David Straithairn, who, with less than ten minutes of screen time, paints an indelible portrait of Ray McDeere, Cruise's convict brother. He is the most likeable character in the film.

The plot is the standard rising-above-conflict stuff. Watch this movie (again) for the performances, or for the fine score from Dave Grusin and try to ignore the changes from the book (which I think were justified in making the ending more cinematic and Hollywood).

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Better than a book!, February 16, 2006

By	A. Chopra - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Firm (DVD)

Nothing can be better than "The Firm" written by John Grisham, who himself is a lawyer. The attentions to details that Grisham manages to pull are just fantastic. I read the book before watching the movie, and hence can compare and tell that the movie has been directed perfectly and in fact a lot more interesting than the book, as the book gets slow in between, but not the movie.

Cruise's is superb, so are the other actors in this movie. I don't know why people have given negative reviews by comparing it with real life scenarios. This is a movie based on a fiction novel, and as rightly said by one of reviewer here;it does its job by entertaining the audiences.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The best Grisham adaptation, October 14, 2004

By	Marcell Orosz (Budapest, Hungary) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Firm (DVD)

The worst mistake by a movie reviewer can be the comparison between the movie and the book (in this case it is the bestseller book of John Grisham) where most movies fail so I rated this movie on its own terms and haven't made comparisons to the book. My first impression: this movie is a bit overlong and contains some filler minutes which could have been avoided. Apart from that it is a good watch with really good performances.

The cast is made up from excellent actors who all draw awesome pictures of their characters. Tom Cruise is a brilliant choice for Mitch, the young graduate lawyer who accepts the job offer of a little Memphis law firm which turns out to be a front of the mighty Mob. Cruise incorporates all the features of the young, willing yuppie who would sell his soul for $100.000 a year, a house and a beautiful car. Although when he realizes that the behind the facades his life (and the lives of all lawyers at the firm) is being ruthlessly and efficiently ruined he tries to escape. Gene Hackman is also a good choice for Mitch's senior partner, Avery who lost his illusions long ago. Ed Harris is the FBI officer whose task is to stir the calm waters at the Mob's law firm. His performance is a bit over the top (Harris seems to overplay all his roles), anyway it is acceptable. Wilford Brimley is the security man of the firm. He is cold, efficient and frightening and seems never to make a mistake. In fact, he's the one to put goose bumps on your back. The only weak link is Jeanne Tripplehorn, who throws in a pale, unlikely version of Mitch's wife. You simply can't believe her feelings because they're not played well. Last, but not least, kudos to Holly Hunter, who steals all the scenes she's in (unfortunately there are not too many scenes with her).

The director and the director of photography manage to create an atmosphere that sucks you in from the very first moment of the movie and doesn't let you go till the end. The movie makes a dark impression and even the shots taken in the Caribbean don't make you feel good. There is a sinister intention in every move and you can actually feel the growing tension. The Firm is a very well directed movie, indeed.

Unfortunately, the DVD itself doesn't offer much for the viewer. All we get are two trailers, but no documentary, no interviews and absolutely no extras. Even the compulsory director narrates the movie track wasn't added. You can choose between 2.0 surround or 5.1 digital, neither is outstanding. The lack of extras deserved the 1 star minus for the production.