The Firm 1993

Vincent Canby, New York Times: The movie is extremely long (two hours and 34 minutes) and so slow that by the end you feel as if you've been standing up even if you've been sitting down. Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: The Firm amusingly satirizes the New Traditionalist aspirations of today's young urban elite -- not so much the lifestyle itself as the illusion of utter security it represents. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: Very little of what made the written version so enjoyable has been successfully translated to the screen, and what we're left with instead is an overly-long (two hours and thirty-four minutes, to be exact), pedantic thriller. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: With a screenplay that developed the story more clearly, this might have been a superior movie, instead of just a good one with some fine performances. Read more

Richard Corliss, TIME Magazine: Tom Cruise heads a tony cast in a best-seller movie that is firm at the start and infirm by the end. Read more

Wally Hammond, Time Out: Adorning the film, in supporting roles, are its saving graces. Read more

Todd McCarthy, Variety: A smooth adaptation of John Grisham's giant bestseller that is destined to be one of the summer's strong audience pleasers. Read more

Joe Brown, Washington Post: Cruise was born to play company man, and the role is an opportunity to sum up his old roles and transcend them with his most potently emotional work. Read more

Rita Kempley, Washington Post: Pollack makes a solid job of it, as does Cruise. But solid isn't enough when it comes to thrillers -- or courtroom dramas, for that matter. Solid is great when it comes to office furniture. Read more