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The chase: Mitch summoned to the partners after taking Avery's files, Tarrance's 'get out of there' call, and the escape through Memphis

The chase is the one pick: Mitch takes files from Avery's office, is stopped for a word, Brimley comes down, and the Ed Harris 'get out of there' call starts a fifteen-minute stretch the host watches every time, with Cruise running, jumping onto a truck that happens to carry pillows, riding the tram and hanging on while the two hitmen chase him; it carries the movie and is Sidney Pollack doing Three Days of the Condor twenty years later.

The scene where Mitch guesses his salary is a minor but good dramatic scene, one of the few that shows his intellect at work, and the hosts play the clip; the final maneuver that turns the ending into a court proceeding with Lambert as judge and Lamar as defense lawyer is also loved.

"It's amazing how much you miss the sky"

Nominated lines: Ray's 'it's amazing how much you miss the sky', DeVasher's 'what do you think I am, the fucking night watchman', Mitch's line about Harvard and jail both ending up surrounded by crooks, and every Ed Harris line, including the 'chicken shit little Harvard cocksucker' speech played as a clip; one host's favorite is 'we'll take those steak sandwiches to go', and Harris is called a candidate for the overacting award too.

The film

The Firm (1993)

Directed by Sydney Pollack · Thriller / Drama

154 minutes

Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Tom Cruise Mitch McDeere , a promising recent Harvard Law graduate
Jeanne Tripplehorn Abby McDeere, Mitch's wife
Gene Hackman Avery Tolar, Mitch's mentor at the Firm
Holly Hunter Tammy Hemphill, Eddie's secretary and lover who aids Mitch in copying and stealing the files in Memphis and the Cayman Islands
Ed Harris FBI Agent Wayne Tarrance, the agent in charge of the investigation into the Firm; Mitch's primary contact with the FBI
Hal Holbrook Oliver Lambert, senior partner at the Firm
Jerry Hardin Royce McKnight, managing partner at the Firm
David Strathairn Ray McDeere, Mitch's brother who was in jail for a manslaughter conviction
Terry Kinney Lamar Quinn, Mitch's friend who works at the Firm
Wilford Brimley Bill DeVasher, officially the head of security at the Firm—unofficially the Firm's main hitman
Sullivan Walker Thomas Abanks, the owner of a scuba diving business
Gary Busey Eddie Lomax, a private investigator and former cell-mate of Ray McDeere
Barbara Garrick Kay Quinn, Lamar Quinn's wife who befriends both Abby and Mitch
Steven Hill FBI Director F. Denton Voyles
Margo Martindale Nina Huff, Mitch's secretary
Paul Sorvino Tony Morolto
Joe Viterelli Joey Morolto
Jerry Weintraub Sonny Capps
Tobin Bell The Nordic Man, Morolto Hitman
Dean Norris The Squat Man, Morolto Hitman
Karina Lombard the prostitute on the beach who seduces Mitch
John Beal Nathan Locke
Paul Calderon FBI Agent Thomas Richie

Everything from the episode

In the order the hosts got to it. Open a row for the discussion.

Sources

The episode

Episode identity, air date and credited participants come from the official podcast listing. Of the producers, only the show's lead producer is credited.

Conversation notes

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Movie facts

Release year, director, runtime and selected cast credits are gathered separately from the discussion. Genre tags are editorial browsing labels.