Why So Blu?

The Firm (Blu-ray Review)

Paramount Pictures has gone to its catalog vault and brought The Firm to Blu-ray in a Best Buy EXCLUSIVE.  The Firm is Sydney Pollack’s take on John Grisham’s legal thriller of the same name.  Tom Cruise stars in the The Firm which features a most impressive all star cast including Gene Hackman, Hal Holbrook, David Strathairn, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Holly Hunter, Ed Harris, and Gary Busey.  Talk about wow!  The Firm is yet another film that I have never seen before, but everyone I’ve talked to throughout the years has always said it was good.  Let us see how it stacks up on Blu-ray.  

Film 

Tom Cruise stars as young Harvard Law School student Mitch McDeere who shortly after making the runs interviewing for positions is suddenly recruited by the highly respectable law firm of Bendini, Lambert & Locke.  The Firm has made Mitch an offer that he cannot refuse.  Once in the firm he is teamed up with Avery Tolar (Hackman) who will act as his mentor.

Unbeknownst to Mitch two former associates of the firm are mysteriously killed in accidents.  All fingers point to the firm, and as Mitch gets closer to the truth he will put himself and his family in mortal danger.  The price is high when you work for The Firm.

Not being a John Grisham fan in general I’ve somewhat bypassed most of the films that have been adapted from his books.  The Firm was released in 1993 and I’m just seeing it now for the very first time.  As a film goes it’s extremely solid and kept my interest all the way through.  This being said, it isn’t without faults. The Firm clocks in at a hefty 154 minutes in length.  I think the running time hinders the overall picture.  It could have easily been cut down to nice and even two hour film.

Another thing that actually bothered me was the score that was used.  The score was composed by Dave Grusin and it’s a piano score.  Well, jazzy piano score to be more exact.  There were times where it just took me right out of the film.  I know music can be used as a weapon, but this was a pretty quirky score in my opinion.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of all music and appreciate musical scores, I just feel that the piano didn’t mesh with the dramatics of the film.  That’s just me.

The Firm is a very sinister film and I’d bet money that The Devil’s Advocate film borrowed somewhat from this film.  There’s even a character in The Firm that has the same last name as Keanu Reeves in his movie.  Coincidence?  You tell me. 

The Firm gets an above average rating, but please take note that The Firm on Blu-ray is a Best Buy EXCLUSIVE, so take that into account when searching for it. 

 

Video 

The Firm is presented in 1080p 1.78:1 widescreen.  The Firm is an almost twenty year old film, but on Blu-ray it only looks like a ten year old film.  Sort of.  It’s the early 90’s fashions that still makes me chuckle.  The Firm has a healthy layer of grain which is very consistent and lasts through the whole film.  I did detect a few instances of speckle, debris, and dirt, but that was few and far between.  Edge enhancement is also present, but is not terribly distracting.  Colors look great as do skin tones.  The Firm has slightly above average video quality.

Audio 

The Firm is presented in English 5.1 TrueHD.  The ultra cheesy score (in my opinion) is what really shines in the film.  The piano and jazzy components do deliver a punch through all of the appropriate sound channels.  Dialogue sounds good and the music never got in the way of listening to what was going on onscreen. There is good separation here.  Ambient tones are also very solid.  The LFE did get a very slight workout, but nothing major.  This is a legal thriller after all, so don’t expect a major explosion of sound.  It compliments the video well.

Special Features 

The Firm has two trailers in HD.  Yep.

Final Thoughts 

The Firm is a fairly well made legal thriller that showcases some awesome acting by all of those involved.  Tom Cruise and Gene Hackman are on top of their game here.  It can safely be said that The Firm is one of the best adaptations of a John Grisham novel.  If you’re into thrillers on a large scale then The Firm on Blu-ray will surely be your cup of tea.

 

Order The Firm on Blu-ray!