The Firm

So this John Grisham fella, he's a pretty decent writer I hear. A specialist in legal thrillers, Grisham has a long list of bestselling books to his name. Growing up though in the 1990s, I was at that age where neither the books nor the film adaptations really appealed to me. In 1995, 10-year old me wasn't too interested in the world of law. Go figure. The positive? 20-something me has gotten to catch up with both the books and the movies! Today's flick is 1993's The Firm.

Graduating from Harvard Law School, Mitch McDeere (Tom Cruise) has the world at his fingertips. Job offers from countless impressive, prestigious law firms are flowing in, and Mitch is able to make the decision on his own. He accepts an offer from Bendini, Lambert & Locke, a small, tax/accounting firm in Memphis. Their offer blows the others out of the water, and everything about the firm seems too good to be true. The family-like atmosphere appeals to Mitch so with his wife, Abby (Jeanne Tripplehorn), he moves to Memphis with his new house, new Mercedes and new job. He fully commits himself, a talented lawyer pushing himself to his absolute limit and testing his marriage with Abby because he's so committed to making this job work. His goals are pure, but maybe the job isn't? Mitch begins to suspect there's far more going on behind closed doors than he's being told. What secrets is the firm holding?

I'm a book nerd too on top of my movie nerdiness. If there's a book available of a forthcoming flick, I'll typically try and read the book first, and this Grisham novel/adaptation combo was no different. One of the author's most famous books, The Firm was an excellent read. Well-written, good story, cool/interesting characters. The film adaptation from director Sydney Pollack has all those ingredients and for the most part, works pretty well. It was filmed on-location in Memphis with the city serving an excellent backdrop to the story. The characters are fascinating, and the cast is impressive in its depth and talent. I don't usually criticize soundtracks, but I thought this Memphis blues (with a lot of piano) infused score was a big flop overall as well, to the point the score becomes a distraction because it didn't fit with the tone and rhythm.

Now onto one of my movie theories. Ah, screw it, theories in general! I call it the Christmas Eve theory. Do you want to know what your presents are or is the mystery and the build-up and the anticipation the best part? The mystery here works in a big way -- we're talking epic SENSE OF DOOM -- and the payoff does too. No Spoilers here though, sorry. It's the execution after the reveal that didn't work as well for me. The screenplay takes some giant liberties with Grisham's novel, making changes that severely alter characters, the entire story, the motivations and the payoff in the end. It's a long movie to begin with at 154 minutes, but I found myself drifting in the second half. There's some really intense, life and death chase scenes that are exhilarating to watch but things get disjointed in a big way. The ensemble gets lost in the shuffle, and the scene with the payoff feels almost laughable. Talk about a disappointment in the finale.

With all that said, the movie is still worth watching. Starting with Cruise, the cast is pretty impeccable. In quite a string of successful movies, Cruise is an excellent lead. Reading the book, he wasn't what I thought Mitch would look like, but the casting works. Cruise brings the right amount of confidence and smarts and then intense terror to the character. This isn't a flawless character -- thankfully -- but an interesting one. Of the supporting performances, I thought Gene Hackman was the best. Go figure, Gene Hackman being good at acting! He plays Avery Tolar, a partner at Bendini and Mitch's mentor who's supposed to take the young lawyer under his wing as he preps for the BAR exam. Their scenes as they meet and get to know each other feature some of the movie's strongest scenes. It's two actors going toe to toe, one holding the firm's secret, one trying to carve a niche out for himself.

Who else to look out for? LOTS of folks. Start with Hal Holbrook and Jerry Hardin as two heads of the firm who recruit Mitch to join Bendini. Wilford Brimley and his impressive mustache are quite imposing (and unintentionally funny at one line) as DeVasher, the firm's head of security. Helping Mitch figure out exactly what's going on are Gary Busey as a private detective and Holly Hunter as his sexy Southern secretary. Pushing Mitch to make a life-altering decision are some government officials -- cough FBI cough -- in the form of Ed Harris (with a shaved head and angry demeanor) and Steven Hill (taking a break from Law and Order). And also, look for David Straithairn as Mitch's brother, Ray, who has a secret that could cripple them all. Last but not least, also look for Paul Sorvino, Tobin Bell, Dean Norris, Margo Martindale, and Joe Viterelli in some other key supporting parts I don't want to give too much away about.

I wanted to like this movie more than I did. All the potential is certainly there from the cast to the novel to the directing (Pollack is a favorite of mine). It just never quite lives up to that potential. The first half is better than the second half, but the ending disappoints, limping to the finish. I sound like that guy, but the book is better than the movie. Oh, and Tom Cruise runs for his life around Memphis a lot so there's that.

The Firm (1993): ** 1/2 /****

The Swimmer

Like certain works of classic literature, movies and films can intimidate. I've avoided certain novels over the years because they're written by a certain author, about a certain subject, or in some cases, because that book is MASSIVE in size. As far as movies go, I've long been aware of 1968's The Swimmer. I've wanted to see it, but it hasn't been readily available and I'll be honest. It sounded like an imposing movie I was going to have some trouble with. Well, I caught up with it. Here we go.

On a warm late summer day in an affluent Connecticut suburb, Ned Merrill (Burt Lancaster) walks out of the woods wearing nothing but a swim suit. He jumps into a neighbor's pool and does a couple laps, getting out and catching up with some of his old neighbors. As he dries off, overlooking the valley, Ned comes up with an idea. Stretching all the way back to his home, Ned realizes all his neighbors have a backyard swimming pool, one after another leading right up to his own. In theory then, he could swim all the way across the county right back to his home. It sounds pretty harebrained but Ned is off and running and swimming. One by one, he swims in each of his neighbors' pools, but he may not like what's waiting for him at the end of his trek.

This is a movie with a message, and dammit, it's going to get that message across one way or another! From director Frank Perry (and an uncredited Sydney Pollack), 'Swimmer' is a very interesting movie if not a very good movie. It is based off a short story by author John Cheever, one that is a criticism -- if not a condemnation -- of the culture that developed in America following World War II. A generation returning from war wanted to return to a better life. Families moved outside cities, suburbs becoming a known thing. Houses had to be perfectly furnished with all sorts of appliances, and maybe most importantly, a swimming pool in the backyard. A condemnation of that materialistic desire is a tad obvious, a little noble, mostly interesting and bogged down in a reliance on artsy/art-house style.

If there's a strength to take away from this flick, it's Lancaster in the titular role. This is a film that the Hollywood legend considers one of his best. Considering how many great parts he had in a great career, that means something. This is a part that meant a lot to him, a movie that meant a lot to him. Playing Ned Merrill, the All-American dad and husband, Lancaster runs the gamut. We're introduced to a man on top of the world. It's a beautiful day, sunny and no clouds, and he's got an idea to "swim" across the county. As the day develops, as he gets closer to home, we learn everything isn't so peachy. His perfect life is far from it. No spoilers though, check out the movie for yourself. Lancaster is ideal casting though. He spends the entire movie in an almost-Speedo swimsuit and is in ridiculously good shape for a 55-year old actor. Lancaster does a lot without dialogue, his face and emotions doing more than words can. His physical mannerisms wither as the truths reveal themselves as he gets closer to home.

The story in 'Swimmer' is one episode after another, Lancaster's Ned (or Neddie to a lot of people) visiting friends who apparently haven't seen him in quite awhile. He talks about his wife, his daughters and his business and gets odd stares when people hear him talk about the family. It's one perfectly manicured house after another, immaculate house and pools with crystal blue water. The people welcome him...at first, and then the emotions switch. Friendly smiles and welcoming hugs and handshakes become stares and screaming and frustration. Some of those folks he meets along the way include Charles Drake, Kim Hunter, pre-plastic surgery Joan Rivers, and plenty other familiar faces if not instantly recognizable names. The movie's most dramatic scene (and most revelatory) is with a middle-aged woman, Shirley, played to perfection by Janice Rule, who holds quite a grudge against Ned.

There are positives but for me they mostly get bogged down in some stylistic choices that handicap the story. The soundtrack from Marvin Hamlisch -- for lack of a better description -- is too 1960s for its own good, dreamy, jazzy and soft rock, like we're watching a dream sequence. The look of the film is interesting, artsy and eerily beautiful, the transitions between pools adding to the dream-like qualities. One bizarre aside has Ned walking through the woods with Julie (Janet Landgard), his family's former babysitter who he meets at her parents' pool. Julie admits she had a crush on Ned growing up, the revelation sending the story down a weird, uncomfortable path. This all comes after an extended slow motion sequence where Ned and Julie run around a horse obstacle track. Bizarre much?

That's what the movie comes down to me. I think the message is worthwhile. The mystery and the tension kept me interested right until the end. Nothing is ever spelled out, a good and bad thing. I'd like a little more closure, a little more resolution. Unfortunately, the message gets bogged down in stylistic choices that are overbearing, acting that ranges from amateurish to over the top bad and a dream-like quality that never quite delivers. Worth a watch to experience it, say you've seen it, Burt Lancaster's performance the best thing going here.

The Swimmer (1968): **/****

Netflix review #18: The Yakuza

Finishing a Robert Mitchum bio last week, I was in a Mitchum frame of mind when I filled up my Netflix queue. Having read about all these movies I'd only heard about, I thought I'd give some a shot. First up, 1974's The Yakuza directed by Sydney Pollack.

When his daughter is kidnapped by Japanese gangsters, American businessman George Tanner (Brian Keith) turns to old friend and army buddy Harry Kilmer (Mitchum) to help bring her back. Harry has to call in a favor of a man named Tanaka Ken (Ken Takakura) to first find Tanner's daughter and then bring her back to safety. Ken is a former Yakuza, a Japanese gangster, who after 10 years is forced into the life he so willingly left. The actual rescue goes smoothly, but that's when the real problems arise. A big man in the Yakuza, gangster Tono, still has issues with both Tanner and Kilmer.

For a movie listed as an intelligent thriller, it's awfully slow-paced and laid back. The plotline unravels slowly as we get to know other characters and sub-plots. For one, Harry's long-lost love Eiko (Keiko Kishi) lives in Tokyo with her young daughter. The background? As an occupation soldier following WWII, Harry saved Eiko and her daughter's life. They fell in love, only to have Ken, Eiko's brother, show up and say she can't love an American. He owes a great debt to Harry, but at the same time he's torn because of his beliefs. With all the unraveling plot, expect a fair share of twists and turns, one big reveal in particular.

What does work here is the strained relationship between Harry and Tanaka Ken. They have little in common and have fought in the past. But because of their crossed paths, each owes the other something. It's never easy to do, but it's the right thing to do. They have an obligation to live up to their shared pasts. Watching the movie, all I could think was that this would make a great western, just like Seven Samurai inspired The Magnificent Seven. Like those movies, the characters are looking for redemption, and they're honor-bound to get the job done.

With the slowish pace, the confrontations then are that much more startling. Pollack lulls you into a comfortable state with scenes of dialogue between all these different characters, and then WHAM! gunshots and samurai swords everywhere! Here's a good example, although here's a SPOILER warning because one main character is killed. But the best thing is the final showdown and Harry, armed with pistol and double-barreled shotgun, and Ken, with his samurai sword, seek revenge against a small army of Tono's henchmen.

Now as I'm writing this, I'm liking the movie more now than I did watching it. It's not a long movie at 111 minutes, but the storytelling pace can be so slow at times it feels much longer. The ideas were all there but something doesn't translate. With too many characters and backgrounds, some get left in the background. I would have liked to know more about Keith's Tanner, but instead he vanishes for large chunks of the movie. The same for Herb Edelman as Oliver, a man who adopted Japan as his home after WWII who goes way back with Harry and George. In general, it feels like Pollack wasn't quite sure where to go with the movie, especially after the final showdown.

As the grizzled, emotionally-scarred Harry, Mitchum is dead-on. He's laid back but ready for a fight at a moment's notice and more than capable of handling himself. In his early 50s, the actor had a world-weary look to him that fits the part so well. Takakura matches Mitchum well as Ken, a warrior himself forced to do something that doesn't come easy for him. Also standing out in the cast is Richard Jordan as Dusty, George's personal bodyguard sent along to help Harry out if he can. He's young but experienced and is starting to figure things out about the world.

I'm conflicted about this one because I'm somewhere in the middle on a rating. Some parts really worked, and others didn't. It's definitely a movie that would benefit from another viewing with all that's going on. I wanted to like this one, but it didn't grab me. So for now, I'll give it a positive rating with an asterisk next to it. Enough was worth watching to recommend this one.

The Yakuza (1974): **/****