I've been doing a tour of all the Grisham movies and today I re-watched The Firm for the first time in a handful of years.
In answer to your question, there's the scene about an hour in where Cruise meets with the government guy on the park bench in Washington and Mitch asks the question directly, "Why can't I just leave?" The government guy's answer is, "That's what Kozinzki and Hodges were trying to do." Remember they are the two guys who are killed near the beginning of the film. So it's implied that, even though Mitch isn't in deep, he's still not getting out alive.
Regarding the film itself, I think you have a higher opinion of it than I do. As much as I want to like this movie, I frankly find it to be a bit of an overlong mess with often opaque plot points.
The only Grisham film I have thus far not watched is The Gingerbread Man. Of the rest, I feel like The Rainmaker, A Time to Kill and The Client are the best. The Pelican Brief comes in at #4. After that, surprisingly, I would probably put The Chamber. The weird thing is that I don't really feel like it's as good of a film as The Firm, but I found it to be a more entertaining one. Then I'd put The Firm, and finally, in dead last, I'd put Runaway Jury, which I disdain for its political stance.
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dkgambler (158)
5 years ago
Agree, decent movie but way too long and too many plot contrivances. Three off the top of my head:
1. "Oh look, I just saw Mitch here at Mud Island! Just thought I'd take the kids to a local tourist attraction and there he was but I don't think he saw me!"
2. "Gush darn you guys, the fax machine's outta paper!" Uh huh, the crack security team can handle everything but paper in the fax machine.
3. "You dirty rat, you gotta move your truck full of soft stuff that would be very convenient if an on-the-run attorney were to jump out of a window!"
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PrimeMinisterX (8289)
5 years ago
LOL
Yeah, #3 got me as well. As you say, there just happened to be a convenient landing spot--how often would that happen in real life?--and he doesn't even hesitate when he jumps. He just did it like it's something he does every day.
I really want to like this movie, but I just don't really care for it. It's okay, but I'd take nearly any other Grisham film over it to rewatch.
It's a shame because it's got a damn good cast. Cruise and Hackman together is a hell of a thing.
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AnubisRaydeen (7897)
5 years ago
I remember loving this movie. You guys are making me want to never rewatch it in order to preserve my fond memory.
Regarding #3: Personally, I'm OK with convenient soft landing tropes. Their ubiquity has made me immune to the coincidence. The alternative is an abrupt ending to the story.
This and Three Days of the Condor are the only Sydney Pollack movies I like.
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PrimeMinisterX (8289)
5 years ago
Do you tend to like Grisham movies in general? As I mentioned earlier, I just got done watching all of them. Went through the whole damn list.
Regarding Sydney Pollack, I just looked up his filmography and was surprised was to see that there were only a few movies that I've seen and liked. I've give the thumbs up to Tootsie and Sabrina.
To be fair though, there are several that I have not seen. Out of Africa, for instance, I've heard good things about but haven't seen. Guess I need to go watch more Sydney Pollack movies before I say too much on the topic.
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AnubisRaydeen (7897)
5 years ago
I didn't like Tootsie. I have never understood why people go crazy when a man wears women's clothing. It makes people laugh (the big final, super funny joke in Bird Cage {a better movie than Tootsie} is Hackman wearing drag). What's funny about it? Looks kinda gross to me. Tootsie skates on this gimmick the whole way and people laugh and slap their knees and shower it with praise. Is your movie unremarkable? Put someone in drag and watch it succeed. The Emperor wears women's clothes.
I didn't see Sabrina but thought Out of Africa was luke-warm fare.
To be fair, I don't consider his films to be utter trash. I just don't like most of what I have seen. The man is obviously a capable director/producer. He's no Rob Zombie. I still give him credit.
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PrimeMinisterX (8289)
5 years ago
It's been long enough since I last saw Tootsie that I can't remember much about it, but I do remember feeling like it was a well-made and entertaining movie, and I don't think that's because Dustin Hoffman was running around in drag.
I would recommend that you check out Sabrina. I have no idea if you'll actually like it, but I thought it was a charming film. It's hard to go wrong with 90s-era Harrison Ford, and the underrated Greg Kinnear also has a major role.
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Yabeina (185)
4 years ago
Him in drag is not funny per se. Tootsie's character is interesting, even if she were actually female. The fact of an arrogant sexist make having to learn what life as a woman is like, and how well-written all that is, is fucking hilarious. His obsessive-compulsive approach to his drag is funny, more so than the drag. He is not campy. He is trying to look like a real older woman, and he does it well. It's funny when the father of the woman he is interested in hits on him. Bill Murray's deadpan is funny. How Tootsie gets back at the pervy male actor is so righteously funny. The fact he's a man, not actually a woman, makes it ironically much funnier.
Etc.
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AnubisRaydeen (7897)
4 years ago
"The fact he's a man, not actually a woman, makes it ironically much funnier."
This is what I dispute.
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Yabeina (185)
4 years ago
The fact he's a man, a sexist man, experiencing a women's point of view. We don't have to agree.
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