Taglines: They made him an offer he should have refused.
The Firm movie storyline. Mitch McDeere is a young man with a promising future in Law. About to sit his Bar exam, he is approached by ‘The Firm’ and made an offer he doesn’t refuse. Seduced by the money and gifts showered on him, he is totally oblivious to the more sinister side of his company. Then, two Associates are murdered. The FBI contact him, asking him for information and suddenly his life is ruined. He has a choice – work with the FBI, or stay with the Firm. Either way he will lose his life as he knows it. Mitch figures the only way out is to follow his own plan.
The Firm is a 1993 American legal thriller film directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Tom Cruise, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Gene Hackman, Ed Harris, Holly Hunter, Hal Holbrook, and David Strathairn. The film is based on the 1991 novel The Firm by author John Grisham. The Firm was one of two films released in 1993 that was adapted from a Grisham novel, the other being The Pelican Brief.
About the Story
Mitch McDeere (Tom Cruise) is a young man from an impoverished background, but with a promising future in law. About to graduate from Harvard Law School near the top of his class, he receives a generous job offer from Bendini, Lambert & Locke, a small, boutique firm in Memphis specializing in accounting and tax law. He and his wife, Abby (Jeanne Tripplehorn), move to Memphis and Mitch sets to work studying to pass the Tennessee bar exam.
Avery Tolar (Gene Hackman), one of the firm’s senior partners, becomes his mentor and begins introducing Mitch to BL&L’s professional culture, which demands complete loyalty, strict confidentiality, and a willingness to charge exceptional fees for their services. Seduced by the money and perks showered on him, including a house and car, he is at first totally oblivious to the more sinister side of his new employer, although Abby has her suspicions.
Mitch passes the bar exam and begins working long hours that put a strain on his marriage. Working closely with Avery, Mitch learns that most of the Firm’s work involves helping wealthy clients hide large amounts of money in off-shore shell corporations and other dubious tax-avoidance schemes.
While on a trip to the Cayman Islands on behalf of a client, Mitch is seduced by a local woman and cheats on Abby. Unbeknownst to Mitch, this encounter is a set-up and their tryst on the beach is photographed by people working for the firm’s sinister security chief, Bill DeVasher (Wilford Brimley), who later uses these photographs as blackmail to keep Mitch quiet about what he knows.
Mitch realizes he is now trapped, but after two associates of the firm die under mysterious circumstances, he is approached by FBI agents who inform him that while some of BL&L’s business is legitimate, their biggest client is the Morolto Mafia family from Chicago. The firm’s partners, as well as most of the associates, are all complicit in a massive tax fraud and money laundering scheme.
The two associates who died learned about the firm’s dark side, and were killed to keep them from talking. They warn Mitch that his house, car, and office have probably all been bugged. The FBI pressures Mitch to provide the Bureau with evidence they can use to go after the Moroltos and bring down BL&L. Mitch knows he faces a stark choice.
The Firm (1993)
Directed by: Sydney Pollack
Starring: Tom Cruise, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Gene Hackman, Terry Kinney, Hal Holbrook, ilford Brimley, Holly Hunter, Gary Busey, David Strathairn, Barbara Garrick
Screenplay by: David Rabe, Robert Towne, David Rayfiel
Production Design by: Richard Macdonald
Cinematography by: John Seale
Film Editing by: Fredric Steinkamp, William Steinkamp
Costume Design by: Ruth Myers
Set Decoration by: Casey Hallenbeck
Art Direction by: John Willett
Music by: Dave Grusin
MPAA Rating: R for language and some violence.
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
Release Date: June 30, 1993
Views: 450
