Tom Cruise Confronts Danger in ‘The Firm’

Novelist John Grisham’s law thrillers have long been a treasure trove for filmmakers, with “The Firm” standing out as one of the most engaging adaptations.

The 1993 drama, featured on MGM+ Marquee this Friday, August 23, runs just under three hours, yet keeps its momentum remarkably well thanks to veteran director Sydney Pollack and his skilled team. Tom Cruise may be the headline star, but the film boasts a stellar ensemble with several actors turning in some of their career-best performances.

Cruise plays Mitch McDeere, a fresh recruit at a Memphis law firm that lures him with numerous perks, including an eye-popping salary that leaves his schoolteacher wife Abby, played by Jeanne Tripplehorn, in awe. However, shortly after moving from Boston, the firm experiences a tragedy involving two of its attorneys, triggering McDeere’s suspicions.

These suspicions are heightened by an insistent FBI agent, portrayed by Ed Harris, who aims to use McDeere as an informant. On the other side, the firm’s security chief, Wilford Brimley, is equally determined to prevent any information from leaking to the FBI. A private detective (Gary Busey) and his secretary (Holly Hunter, nominated for an Oscar for best supporting actress here and winner of the best actress award for “The Piano” the same year) also get drawn into the unfolding drama.

Gene Hackman delivers a strong performance as Avery Tolar, McDeere’s assigned mentor within the firm. Tolar is smug and self-assured, often bending the rules to his advantage. His interest in Abby initially offends her but ultimately becomes beneficial, as she takes an active role in trying to free her husband and herself from the dangerous situation they find themselves in. Perturbed by Mitch’s astuteness, Tolar pointedly asks him, “I’ve never had a protégé. You ever been one?”