The Firm (1993) - Quotes

An Offer He Should Have Refused

Taglines: They made him an offer he should have refused.

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The Struggle Against Temptation and Power

Taglines: Power can be murder to resist.

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Legal Consequences of Corporate Misconduct

Mitch McDeere: I got mine, Wayne, you get the rest of them.

Wayne Tarrance: Get em with what? Overbilling, mail fraud? Oh, that's exciting.

Mitch McDeere: It's not sexy, but it's got teeth! Ten thousand dollars and five years in prison. That's ten and five for each act. Have you really looked at that? You've got every partner in the firm on overbilling. There's two hundred fifty acts of documented mail fraud there. That's racketeering! That's minimum one thousand, two hundred fifty years in prison and half a million dollars in fines. That's more than you had on Capone.

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Claiming Independence and Personal Victory

Wayne Tarrance: Man, I don't understand you. What'd you do it for? You didn't win a thing.

Mitch McDeere: Oh, yes I did. I won my life back. YOU don't run me, and THEY don't run me!

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A Promise of Love and Commitment

Mitch McDeere: Did I lose you?

Abby McDeere: You look tired.

Mitch McDeere: Did I?

Abby McDeere: I've loved you all my life. Even before we met. Part of it wasn't even you. It was just a promise of you. But these last days... You kept your promise. How could you lose me?

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Betrayal and Manipulation in a Dangerous Game

Avery Tolar: Abby, the girl on the beach was a setup. They do things like that, in case the other enticements don't work.

Abby McDeere: What are they going to do to you?

Avery Tolar: Whatever it is, they did it a long time ago.

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Life as You Know It is Over

Mitch McDeere: Are you saying my life is in danger?

Denton Voyles: I am saying that your life as you know it is over.

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Moral Dilemma in Legal Ethics

Mitch McDeere: Let me get this straight: you want me to steal files from the firm, turn them over to the FBI, send my colleagues to jail...

Wayne Tarrance: They roped you into this.

Mitch McDeere: Breach attorney-client privilege, thus getting myself disbarred for life, then testify in open court against the Mafia...

Wayne Tarrance: Well, unfortunately, Mitch...

Mitch McDeere: Let me ask you something: are you out of your fucking mind?

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Confrontation Between Agent and Suspect

Wayne Tarrance: How about you get down on your knees and kiss my ass for not indicting you as a co-conspirator right now, you chickenshit little Harvard cocksucker?

Mitch McDeere: I haven't done anything, and you know it!

Wayne Tarrance: Who gives a fuck? I'm a federal agent! You know what that means, you lowlife motherfucker? It means you've got no rights, your life is mine! I could kick your teeth down your throat and yank them out your asshole, and I'm not even violating your civil rights!

Mitch McDeere: You are Agent Wayne Tarrance.

Wayne Tarrance: Yeah, you’re goddamn right I am. Maybe local cops can’t…

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The Limits of Legal Boundaries

Avery Tolar: Do you think I'm talking about breaking the law?

Mitch McDeere: No, I'm just trying to figure out how far you want it bent.

Avery Tolar: As far as you can without breaking it.

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Inspiration Behind Choosing a Legal Career

Mitch McDeere: What led you to law school?

Avery Tolar: It's so far back I don't think I can remember.

Mitch McDeere: Sure you can, Counsellor.

Avery Tolar: I used to caddy for lawyers and their wives on summer weekends. I looked at those long tan legs and just knew I had to be a lawyer. The wives had long tan legs, too.

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Questioning Trust and Family Secrets

Royce McKnight: He lied about his brother.

Avery Tolar: Wouldn't you lie about having a felon in the family to get a job like this?

Bill DeVasher: He ought to be kept on a short leash.

Avery Tolar: Why? You've got nothing to be suspicious about.

Bill DeVasher: I get paid to be suspicious when I've got nothing to be suspicious about.

Longing for Freedom and the Open Sky

Mitch McDeere: Anything I can do for you?

Ray McDeere: Sure. Get me out of here.

Mitch McDeere: Where to?

Ray McDeere: Anywhere I can see a whole lot of sky. I get through the days, I even eat the food. It's amazing how much you miss the sky.

Brotherly Support Amidst Tough Circumstances

Ray McDeere: How'd you land a job like that with a brother in the slammer?

Ray McDeere: I get it. Don't worry, I'd probably have done the same thing.

Mitch McDeere: You're always there for me, Ray...

Ray McDeere: I'd have done the same thing. You think I want to tell the guys around here that I got a brother at Harvard?

The Firm's Hidden Surveillance Revealed

Abby McDeere: Somewhere, inside, in the dark, the firm is listening.

The Game of Tax Law and Wealth

Avery Tolar: Being a tax lawyer's got nothing to do with the law. It's a game. We teach the rich how to play it so they can stay rich. The IRS keeps changing the rules so we can keep getting rich teaching them. It's a game...

Irony of Fate and Choices

Mitch McDeere: Hey Ray, wouldn't it be funny if I went to Harvard, you went to jail and we both ended up surrounded by crooks.

Rediscovering the Law After Three Years

Mitch McDeere: You want to know something funny? I discovered the law again. You actually made me think about it. I managed to go through three years of law school without doing that.