A very classy legal thriller with bags of suspense (The Firm (DVD))

Member Name: emmajt81

Product:	The Firm (DVD)
Date:	24/08/09 (10 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Slick, well presented, great story and great acting

Disadvantages: Long at 2 and a half hours but this passes quickly

When Mitch McDere (a fresh faced Tom Cruise) lands a job at a massive law firm in Memphis straight out of Harvard Law school he couldn't be more thrilled. It's well paid, comes with a house and a car and he and his young wife Abby (Jeanne Tripplehorn) are delighted. Abby gets a job at a local school and for a while life is perfect. Until Mitch begins to suspect that his employers have a very dark and sinister side to them and that he could end up having his life controlled forever by The Firm.

A great thriller written by John Grisham and directed by Sydney Pollack, The Firm is slick and full of suspense. Cruise puts in a great performance here as the cocky young lawyer who has all his confidence sidelined when he realises who and what he's working for. Cruise does the cocky character well and is one of his staple roles - he also plays the hero well which although is a little understated here, is still the case for the most part. McDere has to contend with his dreams and ego being shattered - and being the one who convinced his wife this was the right job to take is determined to make things right.

There's a great supporting performance from Gene Hackman as Avery, a co lawyer in The Firm who also acts as a bit of a father figure to McDere. Although he's corrupt and outwardly full of bravado and wise cracks, he's fragile and quite a sad character really. You end up feeling quite sorry for him as it's clear the life he's chosen has made him into a broken man. As Abby points out to her husband at the end, it could easily have been him in 25 years time.

It's a thriller that hits all the right notes - the acting is first rate and believable and as McDere's seemingly perfect new life falls apart around him you can't help but become engrossed in how he's going to redeem the situation. Saying that, the storyline and unfolding events take centre stage rather than the characters - although they have a plan it's never revealed to the audience, meaning you're hooked as you follow them, wondering what they're going to do to pull it off. This is all done quite moderately paced and you never feel like it's rushing which keeps the suspense going nicely. The film doesn't drag either, even though it is two and a half hours long.

The story just keeps you totally immersed throughout, and whilst the ending some may say is a bit of a comedown after all the revelations, this film is still an absolutely brilliant one to watch. Tom Cruise at his best - highly recommended.

Summary: A very classy legal thriller with bags of suspense HIGHLY reccommended