The Firm (1989 Film) - Reception and Legacy

Reception and Legacy

As with most of Clarke's films, The Firm was similarly praised and condemned for its depiction of violence, but has garnered retrospective acclaim. Philip French, writing in The Observer in 2009, described it as "by some way the best movie on the subject of football hooliganism and a key text on the subject of Thatcher's Britain."

Being a British made-for-television film, The Firm was not reviewed by most film critics registered at popular review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, therefore it does not hold an overall approval rating there. Of the reviews collected by that site, Film4 awarded it 4.5/5 stars, describing it as "a brilliant and compelling drama" and lauding the work of Gary Oldman: "Oldman is a master at playing psychopaths who manage to be both terrifying and hysterical. Here, he's at his visceral, intense best as king wide-boy Bex." Derek Smith of Cinematic Reflections, in a positive review, described the film as "A jarring exploration of the male psyche and the devastating consequences of pride and uncontained machismo in a society where men's lives have lost meaning." Josh Ralske of AllMovie awarded the film 3.5/5 stars, noting the controversy it created when first aired on BBC television.

The Firm has been described as a cult classic. In 2011, Josh Winning of Total Film named Oldman's portrayal of Clive 'Bex' Bissel as the best performance of his career, describing it as "stunning".