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"THE FIRM" (1993) (Tom Cruise, Gene Hackman) (R) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Moderate Moderate Extreme Moderate Heavy Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Mild None Mild None Extreme Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Heavy Moderate Heavy Moderate Heavy QUICK TAKE: Drama/Thriller: A young lawyer finds his life in danger after discovering that the job of his dreams comes with a deadly catch. PLOT: Mitch McDeere (TOM CRUISE) is a young lawyer with a promising future. After graduating from Harvard at the top of his class, he's awash in offers from firms around the country, ultimately deciding on a small Tennessee firm that promises enough money to provide a good life for Mitch and his wife, Abby (JEANNE TRIPPLEHORN). At first blush, the opulent firm, the perfect new friends and company Mercedes convertible seem like a dream come true, and Mitch's assigned mentor, Avery Tolar (GENE HACKMAN), assures him he has a long career ahead of him. After Mitch accidentally uncovers some shady business deals and decides to investigate, however, the dream quickly becomes a nightmare. With help from his convict brother Ray (DAVID STRAITHAIRN), a short-lived private eye named Eddie (GARY BUSEY) and his quick-thinking assistant, Tammy (HOLLY HUNTER), Mitch uncovers the truth about his firm's shady dealings, seemingly always one step ahead of FBI Agent Wayne Tarrance (ED HARRIS), who is on the same trail. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? Older kids who are fans of John Grisham's books may have an interest in seeing this movie. In addition, kids who are fans of other older Cruise movies ("Top Gun," "Risky Business," etc.) may want to see him in a different style of film. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R For language and some violence. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: TOM CRUISE plays Mitch McDeere, an overachieving Harvard law grad from the wrong side of the tracks. He is acutely aware of the lingering class difference between him and his young wife, Abby, who grew up wealthy, and selects the job offer with the most money to build a life for them that meets those standards. Mitch clearly has tried to be a do-gooder all his life - studying hard, working multiple jobs, and the like - so when some questionable information about his firm surfaces, he wants to investigate. He is torn between the prestige of his job and his knowledge of the truth. Because of his young age, his naïveté and insecurity frequently overwhelm his cleverness and lands him in some sticky situations that put him and Abby in danger. Mitch drinks, uses profanity, has sex, and commits adultery. JEANNE TRIPPLEHORN plays Abby McDeere, Mitch's wife, who sees through the firm's "act" from the beginning and tries to convince him to back out of the job. Despite her privileged upbringing, she believes being with the person you love is much more important than money, which is demonstrated by her desire to leave their manicured Tennessee house and go back to their crumbling one-bedroom in Boston. When Mitch tells her what he has discovered, she tries to help him as much as possible. When Mitch admits he had an affair, however, she has doubts about their marriage. Abby drinks and drugs a man's drink to get access to secret files for Mitch. GENE HACKMAN plays Avery Tolar, the senior attorney assigned to be Mitch's mentor. He has spent years working questionable business deals for the firm and knowingly breaking the law. When Mitch's investigations are discovered, Avery defends his young friend, but never beyond the point that would get him into trouble. As problems escalate, he tries to get out, but fails. Avery drinks and is an admitted womanizer who tries to seduce Abby. DAVID STRAITHARN plays Ray McDeere, Mitch's older brother, who is in prison for manslaughter. He introduces Mitch to a private investigator to help him zero in on the firm's shady dealings and is also the beneficiary of a parole deal Mitch makes with the Department of Justice in exchange for his cooperation in investigating the firm. GARY BUSEY plays Eddie Lomax, the private investigator Ray directs Mitch to after hearing what the firm is doing. Eddie begins to poke around but gets shot by firm "security" officers before he can get too far. He drinks, smokes, and has an affair with his secretary. HOLLY HUNTER plays Tammy Hemphill, Eddie's secretary, who starts working to help Mitch to avenge Eddie's death. She makes photocopies of firm documents to pass to the government, posing as a delivery girl to get access to the building. Tammy smokes cigarettes and openly discusses cheating on her husband with Eddie. ED HARRIS plays Wayne Tarrance, the FBI agent who tries to work with Mitch to bring down the firm. He uses frequent profanity. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this thriller that's been rated R. Profanity consists of at least 17 "f" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are present. Some sexually related dialogue is present, while a husband has an affair (not fully seen, but some introductory fooling around occurs). A different sexual encounter seems imminent, but it's just part of a setup and nothing else occurs. Violence includes several people being shot (with some bloody results), while other non-lethal contact also occurs. Some of that material and/or other moments of potential peril might be unsettling or suspenseful to some viewers. Various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes, while some drinking and smoking are present. Finally, a couple's marriage is strained over various things, including his work and subsequent affair. If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE We see a shot of several liquor decanters in a limousine. Avery orders two martinis at lunch. A character drinks a beer. Mitch and Abby imply that they drink as they reminisce about the "good old days" of living in their old Boston apartment, where they'd order Chinese food and drink beer. The lawyers pop champagne at a celebration for Mitch after he passes the bar. Abby and Avery drink "Havana Club" at a bar in the Cayman Islands. Abby drugs Avery's drink so he'll pass out. BLOOD/GORE A man shoots Eddie in the ear, shoulder and arm trying to get him to talk about the work he's doing for Mitch. Eddie, in turn, uses a gun under his desk to shoot the man in the leg. We see blood at all the wound sites. After this, the man kills Eddie. Tammy, hiding under Eddie's desk, is shown shaking with fear, spattered with Eddie's blood. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Those who work for the firm have bad attitudes for criminal and/or unethical behavior. The firm's head security guard threatens to blackmail Mitch with photos of him sleeping with another woman (meaning he cheated on her by having an affair). Agent Tarrance yells at Mitch about the consequences of Mitch not helping the FBI. Mitch blackmails Tarrance with a recording Tammy has made of him. They argue. Tarrance screams at his subordinates. Avery grabs Abby and demands to know what she's doing in the Cayman Islands. FRIGHTENING SCENES A man shoots Eddie in the ear, shoulder and arm trying to get him to talk about the work he's doing for Mitch. Eddie, in turn, uses a gun under his desk to shoot the man in the leg. We see blood at all the wound sites. After this, the man kills Eddie. The man who killed Eddie makes Mitch get in a car with him; they drive to a remote location. The firm's security man threatens Mitch that the FBI may come after Abby and show her photos of Mitch having an affair. Mitch walks in to the firm library, where the entire firm is waiting for him. It appears as though they're on to him and are going to corner him, but it turns out to be a surprise celebration for Mitch's passing the bar. The firm finally finds out about Mitch and chases him through the building; he runs through the halls trying to escape. Mitch jumps out the window from many stories up; he lands on a truck carrying some soft material like insulation, which saves him. The man who killed Eddie pursues Mitch with a gun. Mitch suspends himself from the top of a shelf to hide from the men pursuing him. He is sweating profusely and it's dripping on the floor; it looks like they will discover him. GUNS/WEAPONS Handguns: Carried and/or used to threaten, wound, or kill others. See "Violence" for details. Eddie loads a gun while talking to Mitch. The man who killed Eddie pulls out a gun and hunts for Mitch. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Who the f*ck are you? What the f*ck are you doing here?" "As long as they're making money, they don't give a f*ck." "You're gonna feel like you were f*cked by a d*ck big enough for an elephant!" "Are you out of your f*cking mind?" "Why did you f*ck some stranger on the beach?" "What do you think I am, the f*cking night watchman?" "M*therf*cker," "Oh, f*ck!" "Are you trying to f*ck with me?" "Ever f*cking lawyer on earth ought to be killed." "If I get my hands on this f*cking kid…" "What the f*ck is this all about?" "Like Yasir f*cking Arafat." "Sh*t - I forgot, she called last night." "Why you chickensh*t little…" "Who gives a sh*t?" "Don't give me that sh*t." "Son of a b*tch!" "It was a hell of a shot." "The hell with him." "I don't give a damn about an audit." "Beats the hell out of any insurance tables I've ever seen." "That son of a b*tch pays less than 5% in taxes." "Those sons of b*tches!" "Kiss my ass." "I could knock your teeth out and pull them out your a**hole" "You're g*ddamn right." "Don't you dare, you son of a b*tch!" "Wake the son of a bitch up." "Check every g*ddamn floor…that son of a b*tch cut a deal." "G*ddammit - I knew they wouldn't find him." "The whole g*ddamn world is going to be looking for you." "You son of a b*tch!" "Where the hell are you?" "What the hell are you doing?" "How the hell are you gonna get all them?" "You made a deal to save your ass," "How in the hell did you ever come up with mail fraud?" and "They made me study like hell for it." Mitch jumps out the window from many stories up; he lands on a truck carrying some soft material like insulation, which saves him. JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) Several scenes have suspenseful music, particularly as the firm's armed henchmen pursue Mitch. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY Profanity consists of 17 "f" words (1 used with "mother," 1 used sexually) , 6 "s" words, 2 slang terms using male genitals ("c*cks*cker" and "d*ck") 8 hells, 7 S.O.B.s, 4 uses of "G-damn" and 1 use of "Jesus Christ." SEX/NUDITY Mitch grabs Abby and throws her on the couch, kissing her. Abby says, "You'll have to leave now, I'm expecting my husband." Mitch uses a lewd term to describe to a client the consequences of not taking his deal, "You're gonna feel like you were f*cked with a d*ck big enough for an elephant." A woman flirts with Mitch while he's on a business trip in the Cayman Islands. She says that, since they're on an island, they should do "primitive" things. She insinuates that she is occasionally paid for sex to supplement her income. She puts Mitch's hand on her breast and he unbuttons her shirt. She straddles him and they have sex (not shown). There is a reference to statutory rape. Eddie smacks Tammy on the behind. Eddie makes out with Tammy. There is a reference to prostitution. The firm's security man shows Mitch incriminating pictures of himself having sex with the woman on the island. There is a reference to oral sex. The pictures are a grainy black and white and don't show anything explicit. Mitch confesses to Abby that he had an affair. Abby asks Mitch, "Why did you f*ck some stranger on the beach?" after he fesses up about his affair during his trip to the Cayman Islands. Avery tells Abby he has a habit of "messing around." Avery starts to unhook Abby's bra and takes her shirt halfway off. She starts kissing him to play along and straddles him, then realizes the drugs she has given him have kicked in and he's unconscious. Abby goes to open her bathrobe but Avery stops her. SMOKING A man smokes a cigarette at a backyard barbecue. Tammy smokes constantly; in Eddie's office, while making copies, while driving, etc. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Mitch and Abby argue about the fact that he wants to make enough money to provide her with the lifestyle she grew up with. She insists it's not what she wants. Mitch tells Abby their house is bugged and their lives are in danger. She is terrified. Mitch confesses to Abby that he slept with another woman. She is devastated and walks out on him. Later, she packs her things and leaves to go to her parents' house. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Doing the right thing/knowing when to ask for help. Organized crime. Class differences. Lawyers and law firms. Affairs. VIOLENCE A man and woman are arguing. He grabs her and begins shaking her. A man shoots Eddie in the ear, shoulder and arm trying to get him to talk about the work he's doing for Mitch. Eddie, in turn, uses a gun under his desk to shoot the man in the leg. We see blood at all the wound sites. After this, the man kills Eddie. Abby throws a wine bottle at the wall in frustration. The firm's security man thinks he's shooting Mitch but instead shoots the man who has been pursuing Mitch. Mitch punches and kicks the security man until he is unconscious. Reviewed off DVD / Posted August 27, 2007