Most critics find The Firm an absorbing, polished thriller, and the praise clusters around Sydney Pollack’s assured direction and the cast. Gene Hackman is singled out more than anyone, with Tom Cruise close behind, and several reviews point to the supporting performances as the film’s chief strength. The detail of life inside the law firm is noted as one of the things that keeps it watchable across a long running time.
The reservations are about length and weight. Even admirers call it overlong and the story slow to unfold, and Empire finds it overindulgent and forgettable despite working as pulpy entertainment. The sharpest dissent comes from Time Out, which faults Pollack for softening the novel’s conspiracy paranoia and reducing the Mob to ordinary goons. The spread is fairly wide, from warm approval to outright disappointment, though most land on the approving side.