The Firm is a gripping thriller based on the novel by John Grisham. Mitch is the guy that doesn’t have a lot but is a promising student that knows how to impress people and ends up impressing those at the firm of Bendini, Lambert & Locke so much that they offer him a job right out of the gate. The only problem is that Mitch is so eager to live the good life that he doesn’t bother to ask too many questions. The moment he starts asking questions though his life is essentially torn apart and eventually he has good reason to fear for his life.
Always read the fine print when accepting the job of a lifetime.
10. The majority of the movie’s score is done on piano.
The pianist added some extra sounds by banging on the wooden sides of the piano and actually strumming the strings inside as well. Aside from a few sporadic songs within the film the piano was the entirety of the soundtrack.
9. The film took just 23 days to shoot.
That must have meant that everyone was on time, ready to go, and able to keep up with the kind of pace that was needed in order to get it done.
8. Jason Patric turned down the role of Mitch.
It’s never been heard if he regretted the role but he did go on to star in several movies that gained a good deal of renown, though not quite as much as this one.
7. This is the first Grisham-inspired movie that Gene Hackman starred in.
He would also go on to star in The Chamber and Runaway Jury, each time in a villainous role. In The Chamber he played a convict on death row, while in Runaway Jury he played Rankin Fitch, a man who was notorious for tampering with juries to sway their decision in court.
6. Tom Cruise and Gene Hackman had top billing.
In the film Hackman’s name comes after Cruise’s and before the title, but he chose to leave his name off of the promotional materials as way to make his presence in the movie kind of a surprise.
5. There’s a filming flop during the sky tram scene.
If you look closely you can see a reflection of the helicopter that’s being used to film the scene. CGI might have been able to brush that off but I’m guessing that wasn’t in the budget or the plan.
4. The hotel in the Cayman Islands was destroyed in 2004.
It was one of the losses incurred by Hurricane Ivan. The hotel sat vacant for about a decade before it was finally torn down.
3. Mitch has a brother named Raymond.
Tom Cruise’s character in Rain Man also has a brother named Raymond.
2. Two directors were turned down because their price was too high.
Each one of them wanted around $3 million dollars in order to make this movie. That was deemed to be way too high for this picture.
1. The priest at the funeral is a genuine priest.
His name is Father Bill Parham and he’s a real priest in Memphis.
The job of a lifetime usually comes with a few caveats that people would be wise to recognize.
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