The Firm ★★½
SYDNEY Pollack was a good film director, but 1993’s The Firm is far from his best.
The American, who died nine years ago, had a great run of 10 films starting with The Swimmer in 1968 until Out of Africa in 1985.
Apart from technical skill and story-telling ability, his versatility is clear in a filmography that also included Tootsie, Absence of Malice, Three Days of the Condor, The Way We Were and They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?
He also wasn’t a bad actor, most notably in small, effective roles such as in Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut and Michael Clayton.
But I digress. So what is wrong with The Firm?
It’s not a bad film; it’s just that the years haven’t been kind. The direction now appears very static, the production design dated and the script too laboured.
The base story is a book by John Grisham, the highly successful author of thrillers set within the law and justice professions.
I can’t recall reading that particular book but I’ve read others and they are generally entertaining and some have been adapted into decent films like A Time to Kill, The Rainmaker and The Client
The problem with The Firm is that from the outset every turn in the plot is telegraphed to the audience to the extent that nothing is unexpected and therefore ultimately disappoints.
Mitch McDeere is an amazing law student, in demand by every major firm to complete his internship with them.
Yet his brilliant mind doesn’t seem to comprehend that there is something very amiss with the Memphis law firm that throws every incentive his way but is also unusually controlling and secretive.
The same is true of pretty much every move the firm makes to protect its interests al all costs. Again, while Mitch thinks he can play both sides – the firm’s ruthless hierachy and the FBI’s untrustworthy investigators – everything points to the opposite.
There are also some gaping plot holes and lapses in logic or character motivation that again detract from the overall enjoyment.
Cruise is fine and Jeanne Triplehorn reasonable as his wife Aby, but the best part of the film by far is the talent in supporting roles, including Gene Hackman, Hal Holbrook, David Strathairn, Holly Hunter, Gary Busey, Wilford Brimley and Ed Harris.
Once again, this was a film scripted by committee with three writers, of whom only Robert Towne has a good record.
The other annoying aspect is the extremely obtrusive music score from Dave Grusin which does its best to ruin many scenes. Grusin may have 50 credits but nothing stands out except maybe The Graduate from 1967.