Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, July 2, 1993 TAG: 9307020116
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
It's a slick, old-fashioned Hitchcockian thriller of the "North by Northwest" school. A superb cast doing excellent work saves the film from some glaring structural problems. Fans of novelist John Grisham may not approve of the changes that have been made in the plot - particularly at the end - but the filmmakers have been faithful to the spirit if not the letter of the source material.
Mitch McDeere (Tom Cruise) is a graduating star at Harvard Law School. Big outfits are begging him to come to work for them, but one small Memphis firm, Bendini, Lambert & Locke makes him an offer he can't refuse: huge salary with promises of immediate raises, fancy house with a low mortgage and a new Mercedes convertible in the color of his choice.
At first, his wife, Abby (Jeanne Tripplehorn), is nervous about the firm's active and intrusive promotion of "family values," but the deal is too sweet to pass up. When two other lawyers are killed, it begins to look as if this all-white, all-male organization may be more sinister than it appears.
That's really all that should be said about the story. Why risk spoiling the suspense for both people who haven't read the novel or heard the main plot twist?
Writers David Rabe, Robert Towne and David Rayfiel do a fair job of compressing Grisham's slow, engaging novel for the screen. But it still makes some abrupt transitions from Memphis to Grand Cayman to Washington to Arkansas. At times the action bogs down in details, too, but those are relatively minor flaws for two reasons - the cast and the conclusion.
The supporting cast is just as interesting as the stars. If Gene Hackman hadn't won an Academy Award last year for "Unforgiven," he'd be a shoo-in here. As Avery Tolar, Mitch's designated "mentor" in the firm, he creates a finely shaded portrait of a complex, likeable, flawed man.
Gary Busey makes a brief but memorable appearance as a detective. Ed Harris deserves an Oscar nomination for his work as Tarrance, the FBI agent who's no more ethical than he has to be. Kindly old Wilford Brimley, from the cereal commercials, is really sinister as DeVasher, the head of firm security. And Holly Hunter almost steals the film from all of them as Tammy, the secretary who may be the key to Mitch's salvation.
But their efforts wouldn't count for much if Cruise didn't measure up in the lead, and he does. He's perfect for this kind of escapism. The role is a short step up from the popular characters he played in "Top Gun" and "Days of Thunder," and he wears it comfortably. Jeanne Tripplehorn more than holds her own against him. Though she was overshadowed by Sharon Stone in "Basic Instinct," this film shows that she's on the verge of real stardom.
Veteran director Sidney Pollack is back up to the form he displayed in "Tootsie" and "Absence of Malice." He's unobtrusive for most of the film, but in the last third, when the pace really heats up, he weaves three plotlines together to build a satisfying degree of suspense.
If that ending is a little confused and if it doesn't make complete sense, it makes enough sense. Thrillers have to work on a basic how-are-they-going-to-get-out-of-this-one level, and this one does just that. No less and no more.
Purists can find flaws - lots of them - but for a long (two and a half hours plus) break from the reality of summer, "The Firm" delivers.
The Firm: ***
A Paramount release playing at the Salem Valley 8. 159 min. Rated R for strong language, sexual content, violence.
by CNB