John Grisham started selling his novels for extortionate amounts of money in the mid to late 90's, and when you see the results (The Client, A Time To Kill) it's a wonder as to quite how he became such a popular writer in Hollywood. The answer lies in his early work, and most specifically, with The Firm.

The Firm's book sales were huge and a Hollywood adaptation was inevitable as was the films box-office success once Tom Cruise was on board.

Cruise plays Mitch McDeere, a young lawyer fresh out of school and selecting an employer that's capable of meeting his requirements. When that firm comes along Mitch and his young wife are swept off of their feet. But it's not long before the idyllic lifestyle of the other employees and their families start to show cracks. And Mitch soon realises that his employers have a very dark and very sinister side that he might not be able to escape.

The Firm is a first rate thriller, with strong performances all round, especially from Gene Hackman as the jaded Father figure to Cruise's wet-behind-the-ears attorney. Ed Harris also crops up in a role that he was genetically engineered for. Cruise's cocky lawyer is Cocktail and Days of Thunder combined but you can't help but become engaged as his world begins to fall apart around him.

It's a premise that's been done before and many times since, yet The Firm is a nearly perfect thriller mix, using a stellar cast and strong story though it does feel like paint-by-numbers film making. This was a movie guaranteed to succeed, hence the urge for Hollywood to start offering Grisham seven figure salaries for everything else he used a pen on.

It isn't classic filmmaking and there are no moments of cinematic genius, but it is a very strong thriller and very few people will walk away feeling unsatisfied. Just don't assume that it means The Rainmaker will be any good.