History Film / TheFirm

** In the book, the Moroltos mislead the authorities into thinking the [=McDeeres=] had switched vehicles and moved inland. This ends their dragnet in Panama City Beach and leaves their group free to search for them. All it does it make it easier--though no less dangerous--for the [=McDeeres=] to slip away. They also end up spreading themselves thin since they attract unwanted attention from the remaining cops during their door-to-door search. By the time the [=McDeeres=] leave, they're working alone, hot, weary and lulled into boredom.
* NoEscapeButDown: Mitch has nowhere to go when he attempts to flee the firm's offices, so he breaks a window and leaps several stories down onto a flatbed truck filled with bales of cotton.

* PetTheDog: The Moroltos get a moment of this when Mitch has the audacity to show up on their doorstep with a proposition when the only reason they were in town was to kill him.

** At one point, Mitch says (in regards to Tarrance's threats that Mitch must cooperate) that "They don't run me, and you don't run me," a reference to a line spoken by Creator/JamesCaan in 1981's ''Thief'', which featured a hitman facing similar circumstances.

* HeKnowsTooMuch: Standard operating procedure in the firm is to kill any lawyers that try to leave because they may blow the whistle on their illegal operations. Mitch manages to exploit it in the final act by advising the Morolto brothers that yeah, he ''do'' knows too much -- and as long as they don't kill him that information will be kept confidential under attorney/client privilege.

* BetrayalInsurance: The firm arranges for Mitch to cheat on Abigail, photographs it, and then lets him know they've got this. They don't even suspect him of being an informant yet. This is standard procedure for the firm.

* SiblingInCrimes: The Morolto brothers.

* SiblingsInCrimes: The Morolto brothers.

* TakeAThirdOption: Mitch has two options, don't cooperate with the feds and go to jail, or do cooperate with the feds and lose his license (while likely getting put into either Witness Protection and/or getting killed by the Mafia). He manages to find a way to cooperate with the feds by getting evidence of his firm's criminal overbilling, which will not put him in the mob's crosshairs.

* ThrownFromTheZeppelin: Lawyers who've been working at Bendini, Lambert & Locke for a few years find themselves being summoned to a private meeting with the firm's partners, who tell them that the firm engages in tax fraud and money laundering for TheMafia. In fifty years, only two lawyers (three in the book) have ever dared to quit. All of them promptly learned the meaning of the phrase MakeItLookLikeAnAccident the hard way (as did two others who tried to go to the [=FBI=]).

** In the book, Tarrance gives him a "[[DontAskJustRun don't ask questions, just run]]" alert by calling the Firm and using the name "Judge Henry Hugo" which allows him to just walk (actually run) out the front door.

** In the book, Terrance gives him a "don't ask questions, just run" alert by calling the Firm and using the name "Judge Henry Hugo" which allows him to just walk (actually run) out the front door.