... There have been a number of Grisham adaptations most notably The firm, The client and The Pelican brief. However the majority of these films ( with the exception of the client ) sometimes stray away from the book and fail to deliver the suspense that Grisham provides on paper.
The firm ... Read review
This first film adaptation of a John Grisham novel is a crackerjack popcorn movie that ... more
satisfies even though it radically changes the last half of the book. The novel's dynamic setup is intact: Mitch McDeere, a hot law graduate (a well-suited Tom Cruis...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Three-time Oscar nominee Tom Cruise delivers the most electrifying performance of his ... more
career in this riveting film based on the international best-seller. Cruise plays Mitch McDeere, a brilliant and ambitious Harvard Law grad. Driven by a fierce desire...
This first film adaptation of a John Grisham novel is a crackerjack popcorn movie that ... more
satisfies even though it radically changes the last half of the book. The novel's dynamic setup is intact: Mitch McDeere, a hot law graduate (a well-suited Tom Cruis...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Three-time Oscar nominee Tom Cruise delivers the most electrifying performance of his ... more
career in this riveting film based on the international best-seller. Cruise plays Mitch McDeere a brilliant and ambitious Harvard Law grad. Driven by a fierce desir...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Mitch McDeere is a young intelligent and ambitious lawyer. When he gets a job with a top ... more
law firm in Memphis he is delighted but soon Mitch discovers that the firm is listening in on his phone calls and that the FBI want to speak to him. "Penguin Readers" is a series of simplified novels film novelizations and original titles that introduce students at all levels to the pleasures of reading in English. Originally designed for teaching English as a foreign language the series' combination of high interest level and low reading age makes it suitable for both English-speaking teenagers with limited reading skills and students of English as a second language. Many titles in the series also provide access to the pre-20th century literature strands of the National Curriculum English Orders. "Penguin Readers" are graded at seven levels of difficulty from "Easystarts" with a 200-word vocabulary to Level 6 (Advanced) with a 3000-word vocabulary. In addition titles fall into one of three sub-categories: "Contemporary" "Classics" or "Originals". At the end of each book there is a section of enjoyable exercises focusing on vocabulary building comprehension discussion and writing. Some titles in the series are available with an accompanying audio cassette or in a book and cassette pack. Additionally selected titles have free accompanying "Penguin Readers Factsheets" which provide stimulating exercise material for students as well as suggestions for teachers on how to exploit the Readers in class.
Postage & Packaging:£0.00 Availability:3-5 working days
When Mitchell McDeere qualified third in his class at Harvard offers poured in from every ... more
law firm in America. The firm he chose was small but-well respected. They were prepared to match and then exceed Mitch's wildest dreams: eighty thousand a year a BMW and a low-interest mortgage. Now the house the car and the job are his. Then the nightmares begin: the secret files the bugs in the new bedroom the mysterious deaths of colleagues and the millions of dollars of mob money pouring through the office into the Cayman Islands dollars that the FBI would do anything to trace. Now Mitch is in the place where dreams end and nightmares begin...
Postage & Packaging:£0.00 Availability:3-5 working days
Meet Harry Starks: club owner, racketeer, porn king, sociology graduate and keen Judy ... more
Garland fan. Starks rules swinging sixties Soho with a coercive fist and his favourite implement of torture: the red-hot poker. But despite his reputation for savagery and generosity in equal measure, the sensitive, intelligent Harry yearns for something more than the rough and tumble of criminal life...As Harry tries to jump the counter into legitimacy, his story is told through the eyes of cash-strapped politician Lord Teddy Thursby, fading movie star Ruby Ryder, petty criminal Jimmy and young lecturer and radical criminologist, Lenny - each of them finding his blend of charm and violence leaving an indelible mark on their lives.
Production Year: 1996 - Action/Adventure - Director: Tom Clegg - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring:Daragh O'Malley, Oliver Cotton, Jason Durr, Sean Bean, Allie Byrne
Production Year: 2008 - Action/Adventure - Director: Christopher Nolan - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring:Maggie Gyllenhaal, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine
Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Advantages: good strong cast Disadvantages: poor adaptation of the grisham best seller
John Grisham is the master of story telling, his best selling legal thrillers have engrossed thousands upon thousands of readers from all over the world. However it seems that Holywood loves him too. There have been a number of Grisham adaptations most notably The firm, The client and The Pelican brief. However the majority of these films ( with the exception of the client ) sometimes stray away from the book and fail to deliver the suspense that ... ...no exception, the core of the film is very similar to the book itself, but unfortunately there are a number of occasions where the film goes AWOL. Many of the books relationships are briefly covered and expanded upon such as the relationship between Mitch and his brother Ray, and some of the characters just don't seem believable enough, this is mainly due to some poor casting and direction. The one saving grace of this film is the cast itself. The ... more
John Grisham is the master of story telling, his best selling legal thrillers have engrossed thousands upon thousands of readers from all over the world. However it seems that Holywood loves him too. There have been a number of Grisham adaptations most notably The firm, The client and The Pelican brief. However the majority of these films ( with the exception of the client ) sometimes stray away from the book and fail to deliver the suspense that Grisham provides on paper.
The firm is no exception, the core of the film is very similar to the book itself, but unfortunately there are a number of occasions where the film goes AWOL. Many of the books relationships are briefly covered and expanded upon such as the relationship between Mitch and his brother Ray, and some of the characters just don't seem believable enough, this is mainly due to some poor casting and direction. The one saving grace of this film is the cast itself. The collaboration of Tom Cruise, Gene Hackman, Jeanne Tripplehorn and Ed Harris provide better chemistry and character portrayal than the script allows and ignoring the book produce a good thriller none the less.
Story : The story itself focuses on Mitch McDeere and his wife Abigail. Mitch has had to work for everything during the course of his life after coming from a poor family, while his brother Ray went to prison Mitch went to law school. Things start to get better however when Mitch passes the Bar exam with flying colours. He receives a number of amazing offers to work at some of the finest law firms, however one in particular grabs his eye.
A firm in Memphis is offering everything Mitch he could ever want and he duly accepts their offer. Soon he his driving a BMW, earning a six figure sum and living in a company house with abigail. However when Mitch is approached by the FBI he starts to suspect the firm may be hiding something, this suspicion is added to by the recent deaths of two employees.
Mitch is soon thrust into a world of lies, deceit and the mafia. The firm watch his every move and knows he is up to something. With the help of Abigail, Mitch desperately tries to uncover the truth and find the evidence that may save his life.
Cast : Tom Cruise ( Vanilla Sky, The last Samurai ) plays Mitch McDeere. Although one of his earlier performances he carries off the part like a seasoned pro. His energetic performance provides much suspense throughout and his chemistry with Hackman in particular is second to none. Coupled with his boyish good looks and charm, Cruise is the perfect choice for the central character.
Jeanne Tripplehorn ( sliding doors, Mickey Blue eyes ) is wonderful as Abigail. In similar films the female leads tend to over act however Jeanne comes across as very believable and " normal ". She also has great on scene chemistry with both Cruise and Hackman which brings life to her rather repressed character.
Gene Hackman ( Enemy of the state, The french connection ) plays Avery Tolar, a senior lawyer at the firm. He acts as mitch's tutor to the firms rules and regulations aswell certain aspects of the law. However his character goes much further than that and Hackman plays the unassuming, crooked yet friendly lawyer very well.
Ed Harris ( The Truman show, Enemy at the gates ) is FBI agent Wayne Tarrance, The FBI have been monitoring the firm for a number of years and are growing increasingly determined to shut it down, ED's aggressive perfomance tippifys this attitude and leads to more suspense throughout the film.
Other notable appearences are made by Hal Holbrook ( waking the dead, Men of Honour ) as the senior partner in the firm, Oliver Lambert. Gary Busey ( fear and loathing in Las Vegas, Under Siege ) plays private investigator Eddie Lomax. While Helen Hunt ( pay it forward, Twister ) is Lomax's recepionist Tammy Hemphill.
What the papers say : " A real thriller! great cast, great story, great suspense! " ( Joel Siegel, Good Morning America )
DVD extras : Theatrical Trailor Teaser Trailor
anything else : certificate 15 148 minutes run time English for hearing impaired european subtitles
To conclude, this is a good solid thriller which combines a gripping story, excellent cast and enough suspense to carry it out. However if you are a Grisham fan you may feel dissapointed at the films failed attempts to develop characters, its straying from the book at certain points and most of all the annoying music that couples almost every scene. The DVD is not available in most high street stores with the exception of HMV and Virgin, and is available from amazon for £5.97.
Advantages: Good cast, tense last 45 minutes Disadvantages: Highly improbable, convoluted, poor screenplay
...are no signs here of the man who directed 'Out of Africa', 'Three Days of the Condor' or 'Jeremiah Johnson'. A rather glaring lack of interest in the material coupled with a juvenile screenplay makes 'The Firm' watchable and occasionally engrossing, rather than an all out entertaining legal thriller.
Running to 154 minutes it is a shame that the lengthy exposition is so clumsily handled before we get to a genuinely engaging climax. The story tells ... ...to every length to secure the young Mitch McDeere's services. 'The Firm' then continues to consolidate it's new employees' happiness by making sure that he and his wife are very comfortable, and very much part of the insular social life that is a part of 'The Firm'. Everything seems so perfect that it is inconceivable that Mitch would ever want to leave 'The Firm'.
Very soon though, his suspicions are aroused when it appears that people DON'T leave ...
dadmancat 29.03.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Firm (DVD)
Advantages: Fantastic lead performance from Gary Oldman, the ORIGINAL movie about football hooliganism. Disadvantages: Single disk, fullscreen presentation, the Region 1 Alan Clarke boxset is a better buy for British Film enthusiasts, might make some uncomfortable viewing.
...his Frodo feet and caught The English Disease to a slick Kasabian soundtrack in GREEN STREET, Alan Clarke (the architect of SCUM, MADE IN BRITAIN and RITA, SUE AND BOB TOO) directed THE FIRM in 1988 for BBC television. The result is a film that's stripped down, no gloss, uncompromising and wears its made-for-TV-drama origins with pride. The story itself is simple enough, because it's been copied enough - two rival football firms (groups of hooligans ... ...in a mindless turf war. The 'prize' is the better firm gets exclusive, unchallenged 'rights' to initiate violence during the European Football Championship. What makes this film interesting is most movies portray violence as a means to an end - THE FIRM inverts this principle and introduces the concept of violence as a means to more violence. That violence is a drug and once you've taken one hit you need another and another and, like all addictions, ...
crispybits 15.03.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Firm (DVD)
Advantages: Tom Cruise main actor Disadvantages: none
The best thriller I have seen written by the famous John Grisham, you know that you can expect a great plot with lots of action and some unexpected twists inside. Cruise stars as a poor law student Mitch McDeere who is given the chance of a lifetime to join a prestigious Law Firm in Memphis. He goes there with his wife Abigail played by Jeanne Tripplehorn, for what they think is the chance of a lifetime. Little do they know that the Firm is watching ... ...Cruise is superb as the young lawyer planning to escape the Firm, without being killed or losing his law licence. The supporting cast are excellent, especially Gene Hackman as his mentor Avery Tolbard. An excellent thriller which I would recommend to watch even though the ending is completely different to the one Grisham used in his book! ...
Advantages: Great story. Solid acting by Hackman, Cruise and Gary Busey Disadvantages: Jeanne Tripplehorn got on my nerves!
Over the past few years, I have begun to enjoy the odd courtroom drama. This is all because I read The Runaway Jury by John Grisham when on holiday in Menorca. Since then, I have tried to read and watch as many adaptations of these as possible, and so far, The Firm is by far the best of the films that I have seen. Strangely, this is one of the books that I haven’t yet read. This is also one of only two films featuring Tom Cruise that I enjoy ... ...be true. Mitch settles into the firm well, but his wife becomes uneasy when she discovers that BLL “encourage” its employees to have children and many other things. It’s almost as if the firm wants to control their lives. After a bit of digging around, Mitch discovers to his dismay that the firm are lawyers that represents the mafia! Unsurprisingly he wants to get out. Unfortunately, the only way anyone has ever left the firm is ...
1drunkbrit 10.09.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of The Firm (DVD)
Advantages: Gene Hackman, Suspense Filled Disadvantages: Couldve been a wee better
...to see this film and the hype is not a decoy, this movie definitely fits in the category of all time memorable movies. All crew members have produced absolute brilliance.
Mitch Mcdeere (Tom Cruise) plays the role of a rookie lawyer with a scintillating resume and a lot of jobs on offer for him, he chooses this medium sized firm that gives him an offer he cannot refuse. The owners of the firm give him a palacial house, car and a very high pay, after ... ...the technical know how of the job and they get along just fine, his wife has a slight problem with him because of how flirtatious he is to her. Anyway times passes by and suddenly one day Tom is approached by the FBI warning him to help them with evidence leading to fowl play carried out by this firm, Tom doesn’t believe this and accuses the FBI of being rogue. Soon this firm’s reality is realized by tom and tom is flabbergasted wanting out only ...
craig82lewis 05.05.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of The Firm (DVD)
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Advantages: Very good exercises for all abilities, very calming Disadvantages: The woman who presents it has an annoying voice!
WHAT IS IT:
It is a mixture of the core firming and breathing elements of Pilates with the stretching and meditative aspects of Yoga. This DVD has a warmup and separate sections focusing on the abs, buttocks and a full body workout. There is also a partner or solo resistance stretching section. It is presented by Louise Solomon who claims to be the first person to combine Pilates and Yoga and the DVD was filmed in Byron Bay, Australia.
GOOD POINTS:
Unlike many workout videos, this is really easy to follow with Louise Solomon explaining at the very start the breathing technique in a way that makes it very clear how the breathing fits with the exercises. It sounds silly but it is often easy to forget to breathe whilst exercising particularly if you are experiencing some pain. Once you have got through the introduction and learned ...
Advantages: Really good work out, doesn't get boring to do often Disadvantages: none apart from the aches afterwards lol!
I have never been a fan of exercise. I have always been slightly overweight and unfit! I HATE going to gyms as I feel so self conscious
I have tried several exercise DVDs before but I have always lost interest after a few tries. I have seen some really good reviews about The Firm so I thought I'd give it a try and I haven't looked back since!
I can't recommend this DVD and the rest of the series enough. The ultimate fat burning workout is the third of The Firms routines I have tried and it is definitely the hardest so far. Having said that, I still found it enjoyable to do!
I think the secret to this DVD is that it uses repetitive series of movements that gradually become longer and more complex. This gradual approach makes it easier for you to learn the moves while the continuous additions of extra moves stop you from getting ...
Advantages: excellent if you are a john grisham fan Disadvantages: not an advisable purchase if you don't like legal thrillers.
worth every penny. Athough of course these films are quite old now and The Firm has recently been on tv, it makes each dvd £4.33 each - which ain't bad.
On an averaged weighting the whole box set i would rate as
8.66/10 ...
Firm ( 2009 United Kingdom ), Firm ( 2009 United Kingdom ), Firm ( 2009 United Kingdom ), Firm ( 2009 United Kingdom ), Firm ( 2009 United Kingdom )
Video Category
Feature Film
Country Of Origin
United States of America, United Kingdom
Plot
A Harvard graduate joins a law firm which takes him from mediocrity to money and power. His perfect world is shattered by a visit from the FBI and the discovery that his firm is a front for laundering Mafia money...
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
PARAMOUNT HOME ENTERTAINMENT; TECHNICOLOR DIST. SERVICES, PRISM LEISURE, CINEMA CLUB; SONY DADC; CINEMA CLUB
Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital Surround, Dolby Digital Stereo
Dubbing Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1 English Dolby Digital Surround Czech German, Dolby Digital Stereo English
Professional reviews
Review
"...Physically elaborate, the cinematic equivalent of the book's relentlessly descriptive prose..." (New York Times, p.C15, 30/06/1993)
"...A very smooth adaptation of John Grisham's giant bestseller....[The] supporting cast is stellar indeed..." (Variety, 12/07/1993)
DVD Description
Sydney Pollack directs Tom Cruise in this legal thriller based on John Grisham's best-seller. Cruise plays Mitch McDeere, an ambitious young lawyer who accepts an unmatchable offer from a Memphis law firm only to discover that the deal was too good to be true. As he becomes tangled in a web of deceit, Mob connections, and FBI investigations, he struggles to escape with his integrity--and his life.
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