document_title: Bicycle suspension

question_text: when was the first full suspension mountain bike made

text: Bicycle suspension

text: History[edit]

text: As early as 1885, the Whippet brand of safety bicycle was notable for its use of springs to suspend the frame.[1][2][3]

text: Front suspension[edit]

text: Front suspension is often implemented using a telescopic (i.e., telescoping) fork. The specifics of the suspension depend on the type of mountain biking the fork is designed for and is generally categorized by the amount of travel. For instance, manufacturers produce different forks for cross-country (XC), downhill (DH), freeride (FR) and enduro (ND) riding which all have different demands for amount of travel, weight, durability, strength, and handling characteristics.

text: Suspension forks have become increasingly sophisticated. The amount of travel available has typically increased. When suspension forks were introduced, 80–100 mm of travel was deemed sufficient for a downhill mountain bike. This amount of travel is now common for cross-country disciplines, whereas downhill forks typically offer 200 mm of travel for handling the most extreme terrain.

text: Other advances in design include adjustable travel, allowing riders to adapt the fork's travel to the specific terrain (e.g. less travel for uphill or paved sections, more travel for downhill sections). Many forks feature the ability to lock out the travel. This completely eliminates or drastically reduces the fork's travel for more efficient riding over smooth sections of terrain. The lockout can sometimes be remotely controlled by a lever on the handlebars via a mechanical cable, or even through electronics.

text: As with all shock absorbers it usually consists of two parts: a spring, and a damper. The spring may be implemented with a steel or titanium coil, compressed air, or even an elastomer. Different spring materials have different spring rates which have a fundamental effect on the characteristics of the fork as a whole. Coil-sprung forks keep an approximately constant ("linear") spring rate throughout their travel. The spring rate of air-sprung forks however increases with travel, making them progressive. Titanium coils are much lighter but much more expensive. Air-sprung forks are generally lighter still.

text: Air springs work by using the characteristic of compressed air to resist further compression. As the spring itself is provided by the compressed air rather than a coil of metal it is much lighter; this makes their use popular in cross country designs. Another advantage of this type of fork design is that the spring rate can easily be adjusted by changing the air pressure within the fork. This allows a fork to be effectively tuned to a rider's weight. To achieve this in a coil sprung fork, one would have to swap out different coils with different spring rates. However air pressure naturally controls both spring rate and preload at the same time, requiring air forks to have additional systems to adjust preload separately, adding to its complexity. Another disadvantage of air-sprung forks is the difficulty in achieving a linear spring rate throughout the fork's action. As the fork compresses, the air held inside is compressed. Towards the end of the fork's travel, further compression of the fork requires ever greater force. This results in an increase in spring rate and gives the fork its progressive feel. Increasing the volume of the air inside the spring reduces this effect but the volume of the spring is ultimately limited by the need to be contained within the fork. The use of two air chambers within the system has allowed a more linear feel to air suspension, this is achieved by having a 'reserve' chamber that becomes connected to the main chamber when it reaches a certain amount of compression. Once achieved, a valve opens and effectively makes the chamber larger. By linking the two, the force needed to compress the air in the chambers is reduced which reduces the exponential spring rate feel traditionally associated with air systems when approaching the end of the suspension's travel.

text: The amount of preload on coil-sprung forks can generally be adjusted by turning a knob on top of one of the fork legs. Air sprung designs have various ways of dealing with preload. Several systems have been designed to influence preload, such as separately pressurizing different chambers, or systems that automatically set sag after changing the air pressure.[4]

text: A damper is usually implemented by forcing oil to pass through one or more small orifices (also called ports) or shim stacks. On some models the damper may be adjusted for rider weight, riding style, terrain, or any combination of these or other factors. The two components are often separated by housing the spring mechanism in one of the fork's legs and the damper in the other. Without a damper unit the system would rebound excessively and would actually give the rider less control than would a rigid fork.

text: Some manufacturers have tried other variations to the telescopic fork. For example, Cannondale designed a shock absorber build into the steerer tube called HeadShok, and a single-sided fork with just one leg, called Lefty. The stanchions of both systems are not round but have flat faces machined onto them which slide on needle bearings instead of bushings, this prevents the wheel from rotating in relation to the handlebars. Both of these systems claim to offer greater rigidity and better feel, with lighter weight. Others such as Proflex (Girvin), Whyte and BMW, have made suspension forks that employ four-bar linkage systems instead of relying upon telescopic fork legs, much like BMW's Duolever. The Suntour Swing Shock fork is based on a coil cantilevered swing set-up, and suspension is given by a coil spring which is located within the steerer tube and can be accessed from the top,[5] technology which was originally used for suspension on early motorcycles.

text: To prevent water and dirt from damaging the suspension, gaiters have been used to cover the fork's stanchions. However even when properly sealing the stanchions and sliders, the gaiters have to have small openings in them to allow air to move in and out of the cavity between gaiter and stanchion as the fork moves through its travel. Some water and grit may find its way in through these holes, staying trapped inside and accumulating over time. Since modern dust wipers and seals keep out water and dirt adequately enough by themselves, and since gaiter-less stanchions are generally regarded as more aesthetically pleasing[by whom?], gaiters have fallen out of favor.

text: Rear suspension[edit]

text: Bicycles with rear suspension typically also have front suspension. Recumbent bicycles with suspension are an exception and often employ rear-only suspension.

text: Mountain bike suspension technology has made great advances since first appearing in the early 1990s. Early full suspension frames were heavy and tended to bounce up and down while a rider pedaled. This movement was called pedal bob, kickback, or monkey motion and took power out of a rider's pedal stroke — especially during climbs up steep hills. Input from hard braking efforts also negatively affected early full suspension designs. When a rider hit the brakes, these early suspensions compressed into their travel and lost some of their ability to absorb bumps. This happened in situations where the rear suspension was needed most. When braking efforts cause the suspension to compress it is referred to as brake squat,[6][7] when braking causes the suspension to extend it is called brake jack.

text: Problems with pedal bob and brake jack began to be controlled in the early 1990s. One of the first successful full suspension bikes was designed by Mert Lawwill, a former motorcycle champion.[8] His bike, the Gary Fisher RS-1, was released in 1992. Its rear suspension adapted the A-arm suspension design from sports car racing, and was the first four-bar linkage in mountain biking.[8] This design reduced the twin problems of unwanted braking and pedaling input to the rear wheel, but the design wasn't flawless. Problems remained with suspension action under acceleration, and the RS-1 couldn't use traditional cantilever brakes since the rear axle, and thus rim, moved in relation to the chainstays and seatstays. A lightweight, powerful disc brake wasn't developed until the mid-1990s, and the disc brake used on the RS-1 was its downfall.

text: Horst Leitner began working on the problem of chain torque and its effect on suspension in the mid-1970s with motorcycles. In 1985 Leitner built a prototype mountain bike incorporating what became known later as the "Horst link". The Horst Link is a type of four-bar suspension. Leitner formed a mountain bike and research company, AMP research, that began building full-suspension mountain bikes. In 1990, AMP introduced the Horst link as a feature of a "fully independent linkage" rear suspension for mountain bikes. The AMP B-3 and B-4 XC full-suspension bikes featured optional disc brakes and Horst link rear suspension very similar to the Macpherson strut. Note that the sliding piston in the shock absorber represents the fourth "bar" in this case. A later model, the B-5, was equipped with a revolutionary four-bar front suspension fork, as well as the Horst link in the rear. It featured up to 125 mm (5 inches) of travel on a bicycle weighing around 10.5 kg (23 pounds). For 10 years AMP Research manufactured their full-suspension bikes in small quantities in Laguna Beach, California, including the manufacture of their own hubs, rear shocks, front suspension forks and cable-actuated-hydraulic disc brakes which they pioneered.[9]

text: Soft tail[edit]

text: A soft tail (also softail) relies on the flexing of the chainstays of a regular diamond frame to create suspension travel, sometimes incorporating a specific flexing member within the chainstays. A shock absorber (or elastomer) is placed in line with the seat stays to allow the chainstays to move up and down, and for shock absorption. As the suspension moves through its travel the seat stay and shock absorber move out of alignment. This misalignment creates a mechanical lever for suspension forces, causing torque on the joint between chain- and seatstays. This is an inherent structural disadvantage of the soft tail design and severely limits the amount of travel possible, typically around 1 to 2 inches. Soft tails have few moving parts and few pivot points making them simple and requiring little maintenance. Some notable examples include the KHS Team Softail, Trek STP and the Moots YBB. Some bikes (such as the Cannondale Scapel, Yeti ASR Carbon and older Yeti bikes) use a four-bar suspension design where one of the pivots is replaced by a flexing link.

text: Unified rear triangle[edit]

text: The unified rear triangle or "URT" for short, keeps the bottom bracket and rear axle directly connected at all times. Suspension action is provided between the rear triangle, which unites rear axle and bottom bracket, and the front triangle, which unites seat and front axle. This design uses only one pivot, which keeps the number of moving parts down. The fixed length between bottom bracket and rear axle gives the URT the advantage of zero chain growth and consistent front derailleur shifting. Additionally the bike is easily modified into a single-speed. However, as the URT's suspension moves, the distance between seat and pedals changes, detracting from pedaling efficiency. Furthermore, when the rider shifts any weight from the seat to the pedals, he or she is shifting weight from the sprung part of the bike to the unsprung parts. As such, part of the rider's weight is no longer suspended by the suspension system. Since pedaling itself is a shift of this weight, the design is very prone to suspension bob.

text: Notable examples of bikes with this type of suspension include the Ibis Szazbo, Klein Mantra, Schwinn S-10, and Trek Y.

text: Single pivot[edit]

text: The single pivot is the simplest type of rear suspension. The rear axle is held by a swingarm which is connected to the frame via a single pivot located near the bottom bracket. When the suspension moves through its travel, the path the rear axle describes is a circle around the pivot point. The rear triangle can be directly attached to the rear shock for a fairly linear leverage ratio between wheel travel and shock absorber travel.

text: The main advantage of the single pivot design is its simplicity. It has few moving parts, few pivot points, is relatively easy to design and has good small bump compliance. Challenges with this design are brake squat and chain growth.

text: Due to its simplicity, many inexpensive department store bikes use this design.

text: Linkage driven single pivot[edit]

text: Another implementation of the single pivot design attaches the swingarm to the shock via additional linkages, typically creating a four-bar linkage actuating ("driving") the shock to create a more progressive leverage ratio between wheel travel and shock absorber travel. This design is referred to as linkage driven single pivot, colloquially called faux-bar. It employs a four-bar linkage but the rear axle is held in a swingarm and still describes a circular axle path. The four-bar linkage serves only to actuate the shock and has no role in governing the axle path. Manufacturers of the linkage-driven single pivot often use the word "four-bar" in their marketing campaigns, which gave rise to the design's nickname "faux-bar".

text: Notable manufacturers well known for their long-time use of this suspension design include KHS, Kona, Jamis, Diamondback Bicycles and older Trek Fuels.

text: High single pivot[edit]

text: This variation of single pivot suspension places the pivot in front of and above the bottom bracket, at a height above the smallest chainring or higher. This gives the design a significant amount of anti-squat when pedaling in smaller chainrings, which helps reduce loss of energy due to squat. This is of particular importance on steep climbs, when one would use the smaller chainrings. However, this is a trade-off since the pivot's placement causes the design to suffer more from pedal kickback. Notable examples are Santa Cruz's Heckeler and Superlight as well as Orange's entire line of full suspensions.

text: Split pivot[edit]

text: The split pivot design is a special case of linkage-driven single pivot in which one of the four-bar's pivot points coincides with the rear axle. This allows for the disc brake caliper to be mounted on the floating linkage (also called coupler) instead of on the swingarm. As a result of this the braking torque now interacts with the suspension via the floating linkage. The linkages can be designed such that this has a positive effect on suspension performance under braking, typically reducing brake jack. Furthermore, the relative rotation between brake disc and brake caliper as the suspension goes through its travel is different from that in single pivot designs. The four linkages in a split pivot design influence how braking torque is transmitted, how the brake caliper moves in relation to the disc and influence the leverage ratio between wheel travel and shock travel. Since these influences may have a different optimum linkage design, the bike's design has to strike a balance. Dave Weagle designed a split pivot which he named "Split Pivot". Trek Bicycle Corporation also released a version of the split pivot design called "Active Braking Pivot" (ABP) in early 2007. Cycles Devinci has released a licensed implementation of the "Split Pivot" design which Dave Weagle managed to patent.

text: Horst link[edit]

text: "Horst Link" suspension is a type of four-bar linkage suspension. It is characterized by having both connecting links pivot on the seat tube, with the lower pivot located above the center of the bottom bracket, and the rear axle being located higher than the pivot connecting floating link and lower connecting link.[10][11]

text: Specialized has bought several of Leitner's patents which they use for their "FSR Suspension". Several manufacturer had licensed the design from Specialized. Some European manufacturers, such as Cube and Scott, do use the same suspension design, but couldn't import it to the United States until 2013 due to patent protection.[12] Norco, Canadian bicycle manufacturer also licensed the design from Specialized but further optimized the FSR system, calling their own system Advanced Ride Technology (ART).[13][14]

text: Short link four-bar[edit]

text: Although not necessarily sharing any general suspension characteristics, these designs all share a certain structural benefit. Because the connecting links are so short, the floating link comes in the form of a rigid rear triangle big enough to encompass the rear wheel. This allows the rear triangle on both sides of the wheel to be rigidly connected together as one piece, before attaching to the connecting links of the four-bar. This significantly increases lateral and torsional stiffness of the rear, often a weakness of four-bar designs, and reduces the load on the pivots, connecting links and joint between rear axle and frame.

text: Virtual Pivot Point[edit]

text: The "Virtual Pivot Point" or VPP, is the name given to a four-bar linkage suspension with relatively short links connecting the rear triangle to the frame. It is characterized by having a chainstay lengthening effect and an 'S' shaped axle path.[15] Some variations may have the links rotate in opposite direction as the suspension moves. The instant centre of rotation, as found in all linkage systems, is also called virtual pivot point. The "Virtual Pivot Point" suspension was developed by Jamie Calon and James Klassen for Outland Bikes in the nineties[16] and the associated patents are now owned by Santa Cruz Bicycles.

text: DW-link[edit]

text: Dave Weagle's "DW-link" is another four-bar suspension system with two relatively short links, here they typically co-rotate. It is characterized by an anti-squat response that varies with suspension travel and is designed to reduce loss of energy resulting from squat during pedaling.[17] It typically has higher anti-squat at the beginning of suspension travel, and less thereafter. The DW-link was originally used by Iron Horse bicycle company. After they went out of business in 2009, the DW-link suspension design was up for grabs.The DW-link is now licensed to Ibis, Independent Fabrication, Turner Suspension Bicycles, and Pivot Cycles.[18]

text: Giant Maestro[edit]

text: Another variation using short, co-rotating, links is employed by Giant Bicycles called "Maestro". Dave Weagle sued Giant for patent infringement after Giant consulted with Dave Weagle of DW Link. In 2014 the lawsuit was dropped after a lengthy and costly battle.[19]

text: Switch link[edit]

text: Yet another variation of short link design is the "Switch link", found on some Yeti bikes like the SB-66 designed by Dave Earle. In the original form, the rear triangle is connected to the frame using an eccentric lower pivot, effectively creating a very short lower link whose length is that from the center of the eccentric to the attached pivot. The lower link would initially rotate upwards and backwards slightly. The links counter-rotated such that the top link would rotate forwards and upwards initially. As the top link rotated further it would move downwards reversing or "Switching" the lower link's direction downwards and forwards. In the more recent form, the lower link has been replaced with a liner bearing based on shock technology from Fox Racing Shox. This liner bearing simply moves up initially and then down towards the end of the suspension travel.

text: Trek Full Floater[edit]

text: Trek bicycles' "Full Floater" is a system where the rear shock is only attached to the rear triangle. The chainstays pivot on the seat-tube, and then extend into the front triangle, and the lower shock bushing attaches to the chainstays. The seatstays are attached to an "Evo" link, which then attaches to the shock top bushings. This system enables finer tuning of suspension kinematics, as the shock angle relative to the linkages during the travel changes in a more linear fashion. Trek also combines "Full Floater" with its "ABP" rear axle, where the rear suspension pivot is the rear axle, which reduces pedal feedback and prevents the braking forces on the wheel from altering the suspension movement. It also provides better traction and control through braking over rough terrain.

text: Equilink[edit]

text: The "Equilink" suspension system was developed by Felt Bicycles for their full suspension line. The system employs a "Stephenson-style" six-bar linkage suspension system.[20] Equilink gets its name from the dog bone shaped bar that ties the upper and lower links together. Early models included a pivot between chain- and seatstay whereas in later, carbon fiber, models the chain- and seatstays are one piece, creating pivoting action by flexing. Felt contends that the system holds its pedaling efficiency in any gear combination.[21]

text: Floating drivetrain[edit]

text: Bikes with a 'floating drivetrain' or 'floating bottom bracket' can use any type of suspension system to suspend the rear wheel from the frame, but use linkages to connect the crank assembly to the frame and rear suspension. Since the linkages are connected to the rear suspension, suspension movement causes the crank assembly to move as well. The floating drivetrain is often employed to compensate for the disadvantages of a particular rear suspension system so the design can make better use of its advantages.

text: Independent Drivetrain[edit]

text: The "Independent Drivetrain" (or "IDrive"[citation needed]) is a four-bar suspension system for bicycle crank assemblies,[22][23] the rear wheel itself is suspended as single pivot suspension. It was developed by mountain bike suspension designer Jim Busby Jr. and was a direct result of the limitations encountered with the GT LTS (GT Bicycles' "Links Tuned Suspension) four-bar linkage design used by GT Bicycles from 1993 to 1998. The IDrive attempts to maximize the efficiency of the transmission of energy from the rider to the rear wheel. The bottom bracket is placed eccentric in a bearing within the swingarm, the distance between the center of the bearing and the bottom bracket effectively creating a very short link, and the swingarm itself creating another. A link between bearing shell and frame then completes the four-bar linkage with the bottom bracket on the floating link and the linkage as a whole actuated by movement of the swingarm.

text: Monolink[edit]

text: The "Monolink" made by Maverick Bikes and designed by RockShox founder Paul Turner, is a variant of the Independent Drivetrain suspension, and is a variation of the MacPherson strut. It uses three pivot points and the sliding action of the shock to provide the fourth degree of freedom. This design places the bottom bracket on the link (the Monolink) connecting the frame and rear triangle. Any load on the cranks is partly unsprung since it is also a load on one of the suspension's parts itself, and actively works against the suspension. However, because of this there is less bob during out-of-the-saddle sprints. Once again it is an attempt at maximizing drivetrain efficiency, compromising other areas. Notable bikes using this design are the Maverick ML7, Durance, ML8 and the Klein Palomino.

text: Pendbox[edit]

text: The "Pendbox" is found on several of Lapierre's linkage driven single pivot bikes in which the crank assembly is hung from the frame using a 'mini-swingarm'; the Pendbox. A link connects the swingarm and Pendbox such that they form a four-bar linkage.[24]

text: Seat suspension[edit]

text: Suspension may be implemented at the saddle either using a suspension saddle or a suspension seatpost.

text: The effectiveness of saddle or seatpost suspension depends on the rider placing their weight on the saddle. For this reason, this style of suspension is most popular on more upright styles of bicycle, where the rider spends the majority of time seated.

text: Suspension hub[edit]

text: Suspension may be provided in the hub of a bicycle wheel.[25] One manufacturer offers 12 mm to 24 mm of travel.[26]

text: In mountain biking the term 'suspension hub' was used in the 90s to describe hubs with oversized axle ends and a thicker axles than were customary at the time. These hubs were designed to stiffen up suspension forks, which were still somewhat of a novelty, by rigidly holding the fork legs in position relative to each other once the wheel was fitted, improving steering response in the fork. This term is no longer used as this function is no longer an exceptional requirement for mountain bike front hubs, so all current mountain bike hubs are suspension hubs.

text: Terminology[edit]

text: Several terms are commonly used to describe different aspects of a bicycle suspension.

text: Travel[edit]

text: Travel refers to how much movement a suspension mechanism allows. It usually measures how much the wheel axle moves.

text: Preload[edit]

text: Preload refers to the force applied to spring component before external loads, such as rider weight, are applied. More preload makes the suspension sag less and less preload makes the suspension sag more. Adjusting preload affects the ride height of the suspension.

text: Rebound[edit]

text: Rebound refers to the rate at which the suspension component returns to its original configuration after absorbing a shock. The term also generally refers to rebound damping or rebound damping adjustments on shocks, which vary the rebound speed. More rebound damping will cause the shock to return at a slower rate.

text: Sag[edit]

text: Sag refers to how much a suspension moves under just the static load of the rider. Sag is often used as one parameter when tuning a suspension for a rider. Spring preload is adjusted until the desired amount of sag is measured.

text: Lockout[edit]

text: Lockout refers to a mechanism to disable a suspension mechanism to render it substantially rigid. This may be desirable during climbing or sprinting to prevent the suspension from absorbing power applied by the rider. Some lockout mechanisms also feature a "blow off" system that deactivates the lockout when an appropriate force is applied to help prevent damage to the shock and rider injury under high unexpected loads.

text: Bob and squat[edit]

text: Bob and squat refer to how a suspension, usually rear, responds to rider pedalling. Squat usually refers to how the rear end sinks under acceleration, and bob refers to repeated squat and rebound with each pedal stroke. Both are undesirable characteristics as they rob power from pedalling. Many suspension systems incorporate anti-bob, anti-squat, or "platform" damping to help eliminate bob.[27]

text: Pedal feedback[edit]

text: Pedal feedback describes torque applied to the crankset by the chain caused by motion of the rear axle relative to the bottom bracket.[27] Pedal feedback is caused by an increase in the distance between the chainring and rear cog, and it can be felt as a torque on the crankset opposite to forward pedalling.

text: Compression damping[edit]

text: Compression damping refers to systems that slow the rate of compression in a front fork shock or rear shock. Compression damping is usually accomplished by forcing a hydraulic fluid (such as oil) through a valve when the shock becomes loaded. The amount of damping is determined by the resistance through the valve, a higher amount of damping resulting from greater resistance in the valve. Many shocks have compression damping adjustments which vary the resistance in the valve. Often, lockouts function by allowing no or very little compression.

text: Unsprung mass[edit]

text: Unsprung mass is the mass of the portions of bicycles that is not supported by the suspension systems. At one extreme are road bicycles with no suspension in the frames, very little in the tires, and none in the saddles. By raising themselves off their saddles, riders may provide suspension with their knees, making their mass be sprung mass, but all of the mass of the bicycles remains unsprung mass. At the other extreme are full suspension mountain bikes. With front and rear suspensions the only parts unsuspended are the wheels and small parts of the front forks and rear chain-stays. Even then, as mountain bikes have large low-pressure tires which allow much more travel than small high-pressure road tires, the wheels are sprung to some extent as well.

text: In general, bikes are so light compared to their riders that travel is a much bigger motivator than unsprung mass in determining where to put the suspension and how much to use. The exception to this is that on recumbent and tandem bicycles where the riders are either unable to lift themselves out of their seat or unable to see in advance when that will be needed, the riders' mass can no longer be expected to be supported by their knees over road irregularities. These bicycles generally have some sort of suspension system to reduce unsprung mass.

text: Mountain bikes[edit]

text: Many newer mountain bikes have a full suspension design. In the past, mountain bikes had a rigid frame and a rigid fork. In the early 1990s, mountain bikes started to have front suspension forks. This made riding on rough terrain easier on a rider's arms. The first suspension forks had about 1½ to 2 inches (38 to 50 mm) of suspension travel. Soon after, some frame designers came out with a full suspension frame which gave riders a smoother ride throughout the ride.

text: Newer suspension frame and fork designs have reduced weight, increased amount of suspension travel, and improved feel. Many lock out the rear suspension while the rider is pedaling hard or climbing, in order to improve pedaling efficiency. Most suspension frames and forks have about 4-6 inches (100–150 mm) of suspension travel. More aggressive suspension frames and forks made for downhill racing and freeriding have as much as 8 or 9 inches (200 or 230 mm) of suspension travel.

text: Many riders still prefer to ride a hardtail frame, and almost all mountain bicycle riders use a suspension fork. Notable suspension fork manufacturers include Marzocchi, Fox Racing Shox, RockShox, and (to a lesser extent) X-Fusion, RST, Suntour and Magura. Some bicycle manufacturers (notably Cannondale and Specialized) also make their own suspension systems to fully complement and integrate the bike set-up.

text: Road bikes[edit]

text: Although much less common, some road bicycles do incorporate suspensions, particularly the Soft Tail variety mentioned above. One example is Trek Bicycle Corporation's s.p.a (Suspension Performance Advantage) rear suspension, offered on some of their Pilot models, but the system was removed for the 2008 model year. Virtually all bicycles produced by Alex Moulton bicycles also have very effective full suspension, due to the low unsuspended mass of the small wheels and high pressure tires, a characteristic of the unconventional design of these bicycles. A recent design is the cantilevered 'swing shock'[5] on some modern hybrid bikes.[28]

text: Recumbent bikes[edit]

text: Many recumbent bicycles have at least a rear suspension because the rider is usually unable to lift themselves off the seat while riding. Single pivot is usually adequate when the pedaling thrust is horizontal - that is, forwards rather than downwards. This is usually the case provided the bottom bracket is higher than the seat's base height. Where the bottom bracket is significantly lower than the seat base, there may still be some pedalling-induced bounce.

text: Short-wheelbase recumbents benefit from front suspension more than long wheelbase recumbents because the front wheel (often small diameter which further magnifies the need for suspension) is taking a much larger portion of the loads than in a long wheelbase recumbent.

text: Softride and Zipp[edit]

text: The Softride Suspension System was launched at the Interbike 1989 bike show. The original SRS systems consisted of two foam filled fiberglass boxes bonded together with a viscoelastic layer. Originally intended for the use in mountain bikes, Softride produced its first full-fledged mountain bike, the PowerCurve, in 1991. During 1996 Softride released its first aluminum frame road bike, the Classic TT. The Softride Suspension System is used almost exclusively for triathlon racing. Softride ceased bicycle production in 2007 after the design was banned from UCI races.[29]

text: A very closely related suspension design to the Softride is the Zipp 2001, a contemporary competing beam bicycle, where the suspension was in the hinge, rather than in flex of the beam itself.


document_title: Least count

question_text: least count of vernier caliper and screw gauge

root

text: Least count

text: In metrology, the least count of a measuring instrument is the smallest change in the measured quantity that can be resolved on the instrument's scale. [1]The least count is related to the precision of an instrument; an instrument that can measure smaller changes in a value relative to another instrument, has a smaller "least count" value and so is more precise. Any measurement made by the instrument can be considered repeatable to no less than the resolution of the least count. The least count of an instrument is inversely proportional to the precision of the instrument.

tag: p

text: For example, a sundial may only have scale marks representing the hours of daylight; it would have a least count of one hour. A stopwatch used to time a race might resolve down to a hundredth of a second, its least count. The stopwatch is more precise at measuring time intervals than the sundial because it has more "counts" (scale intervals) in each hour of elapsed time. Least count of an instrument is one of the very important tools in order to get accurate readings of instruments like vernier caliper and screw gauge used in various experiments.

text: Least count uncertainty is one of the sources of experimental error in measurements.

text: Least count error[edit]

text: The smallest value that can be measured by the measuring instrument is called its least count. Measured values are good only up to this value. The least count error is the error associated with the resolution of the instrument.

text: If we use a metre scale for measurement of length, it may have graduations at 1 mm division scale spacing or interval. A Vernier scale on caliper may have a least count of 0.02 mm while a micrometer have least count of 0.001  mm.

text: The least count error occurs with both systematic and random errors. Instruments of higher precision can reduce the least count error. By repeating the observations and taking the arithmetic mean of the result, the mean value would be very close to the true value of the measured quantity.


document_title: Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series

question_text: when does guardians of the galaxy telltale series episode 3 come out

question_tokens: when does guardians of the galaxy telltale series episode 3 come out

text: Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series

text: Gameplay[edit]

text: Guardians of the Galaxy plays similar to other Telltale games, in which the player's character talks to other characters, explore environments and interact with objects within it, and at times, complete action sequences made up of quick time events. Players make choices, such as dialog selection, that create determinants within the story affecting later actions within the episode and in future episodes. Within the series, the player primarily plays as Star-Lord, but may at times briefly take the role of another Guardian during action sequences, or, during specific times, play as another character in a flashback.[5]

text: Development[edit]

text: Telltale and Marvel partnered to develop the game, quickly establishing that they wanted to make an original story that used the character's canon but was not tied to the 2014 film. Telltale decided to go against an origins story, and instead focused on the connections between each of the five Guardians. Described by Marvel's Bil Rosemann, "A good Guardians story is about them as a family and showing how they're all misfits, they're all underdogs, they all feel like they don't have a family anymore" and coming together to form their own family that they depend on.[5] Telltale saw this as well as elements from the established character histories to find "potentially surprising" elements to include, according to Telltale producer Justin Lambros.[5] To achieve this, they planned each episode to center around each Guardian and explore their past, though the player will primarily remain in the role of Star-Lord throughout the series. This approach was novel for Telltale, since the character interactions that the player opts for in earlier episodes can have a stronger impact on the later episodes, particularly in the relationship between the other Guardians.[5] Telltale and Marvel's goal was to make the story accessible to people who may not have read through the comic series but had seen the film, while still dropping in hints and Easter eggs referring the Guardians' history in the comics to long-time fans.[5]

text: Telltale's Guardians was first revealed during the December 2016 Game Awards,[6] though rumors of the game had been previously found in material released by SAG-AFTRA actors as part of the 2016 video game voice actor strike in November.[7] The game's first of five episodes was released on April 18, 2017; in additional to digital downloads, a retail version will be available for the first episode release with an online pass to acquire the other episodes once released; this is expected to be released on May 2, 2017 in North America and May 5, 2017 in Europe.[8]

text: Telltale hosted a panel about the game at the 2017 PAX East event in Boston, MA in March 2017, as well as having the first episode available for a "crowd play" session during the 2017 South by Southwest event.[8]

text: Audio[edit]

text: The game is based on the Marvel Comic series and the recent film with an exclusive storyline. It has a different set of voice actors from the film. The cast currently includes Scott Porter as Star-Lord, Emily O'Brien as Gamora, Nolan North as Rocket Raccoon, Brandon Paul Eells as Drax the Destroyer, and Adam Harrington as Groot.[8]

text: Plot[edit]

text: Tangled Up in Blue[edit]

text: Peter Quill, AKA Star-Lord (Scott Porter) receives a distress-call from the Nova Corps, requesting the assistance of the Guardians of the Galaxy on an unidentified planet with an abandoned Kree outpost, where their forces are being decimated by the Mad Titan Thanos (Jake Hart). Arriving to reinforce the Nova Corps, the Guardians ship - the Milano - is shot down by Thanos' ship, causing it to crash-land on the planet. The Guardians survive and trek towards Thanos' location, with Rocket Raccoon (Nolan North) revealing he's constructed a new gun that can emit a highly powerful destructive force - at the cost of only having one shot. They discover Thanos has entered a large Kree building held shut by two metal doors, but Star-Lord is able to slip in through a fissure in the wall and blow it open from the inside using the canon from a crashed ship, finding the corpses of multiple Nova Corps members along the way. The Guardians then confront Thanos in the temple's lower chamber, who has obtained an ancient artifact called the Eternity Forge. The team struggles to defeat the tyrant and most become incapacitated, but Star-Lord manages to shoot Thanos in the chest with Rocket's new gun, successfully killing him. Star-Lord then takes the Eternity Forge from Thanos' hands, assuming it useless now that the danger has passed.

text: Following the battle, the Guardians celebrate their victory by spending the night at a bar in Knowhere, where Star-Lord interacts with his teammates now that their long-time foe is finally dead. He starts off with Drax the Destroyer (Brandon Paul Eells), who feels satisfied with Thanos' death as revenge for his family's murder by the mad tyrant. However, Rockets argue that Star-Lord was the one who killed Thanos with Groot (Adam Harrington) supporting him.

text:
If Star-Lord tells Drax the Destroyer that he earned his revenge, he states to Drax that he killed the one responsible for his family's death, satisfying Drax's need to atone for his family's death.
If Star-Lord doesn't tell Drax the Destroyer that he earned his revenge, he reminds him that he used Rocket Raccoon's gun on Thanos. This causes Drax to state that he would've expected this from Rocket Raccoon or Groot, promptly leaving after stating that he is not in the mood to celebrate.

tag: ul

text: Star-Lord than finds Rocket trying to show off the gun that killed Thanos to some of the bar-goers, bragging about being the brains behind the operation. Upon Star-Lord interacting with him, Rocket confesses that he's starting to feel burnt out by their life of constant chaos and near-death experiences, wishing to take a break on his own for a bit and even wondering if it's time for him to go his own way now that the Guardians no longer have to deal with Thanos. Afterwords, Star-Lord speaks with Gamora, who admits a small part of her wants to see her sister Nebula again - despite how angry the latter will be at learning she helped kill their adoptive "father" Thanos.

text:
If Star-Lord reminds Gamora that Nebula is still her sister, Gamora states that Star-Lord might be right and will consider calling her after a few more drinks. The two of them do a toast to family.
If Star-Lord tells Gamora to stay away from Nebula, he also tells Gamora that what Nebula doesn't know won't come back to kill them. Gamora states that it's a safe bet and wouldn't mind starting fresh. The two of them do a toast to moving on.

text: The next day, a hung-over Star-Lord wakes up to find the team amassed a large tab that they need to pay off and decide a good way to make money is to sell Thanos' body. Rocket suggests selling it to the Collector to get more credits, while Gamora thinks they should give the body to the Nova Corps so they don't have to deal with criminals. Both Gamora and Rocket Raccoon end up in an argument until Star-Lord breaks it up and that they will figure out who to sell Thanos' body to.

text:
If Star-Lord calls the Nova Corps to sell Thanos' body to them, he tells the female representative about it and takes in their bounty on him. After the call, Rocket gets angry and states that they would've gotten more units off of the Collector. The Guardians of the Galaxy will receive less of a paycheck and because the bounty has to go through a process, the money won't come to them until at least half a year.
If Star-Lord calls the Collector to sell Thanos' body to him, he talks with the Collector's representative Vylla (Erin Yvette) due to the conditions of Thanos' body, but manages to get their large share of space credits after some negotiation. Before ending the transmission, Vylla tells Star-Lord to make sure the body is there when she arrives with some associates. Gamora frustratedly states they are going down a dangerous path in dealing with the Collector.

text: After making a decision on who to sell Thanos' body to, Star-Lord suggests also selling the Eternity Forge for more credits and goes to retrieve it from his room, but the artifact starts to glow when he picks it up. Falling into a trance, Star-Lord experiences a flashback in which his mother Meredith Quill (Courtenay Taylor) gives a young Peter Quill (Jeremy Shada) advice on how to deal with bullies after one broke his walkman cassette player and having him promise to use his words instead of his fists in the future.

text:
If Peter Quill promises to use his words and not his fists, he tells his mother that he will. Meredith thanks her son. She also fixes Peter Quill's walkman as they listen to a song on it as a meteor shower occurs.
If Peter Quill can't hold on to that promise, he states that he doesn't know what will happen next time. Meredith tells Peter to try for her. She also fixes Peter Quill's walkman as they listen to a song on it as a meteor shower occurs.

text: As they watch the skies, Peter suddenly finds the Eternity Forge in his hands and hears his mother ask to "Come find me" - after which either Gamora or Rocket will snap Star-Lord out of it and tell him that he's been standing there for hours talking to the relic. Realizing the Eternity Forge isn't an inert trinket, Star-Lord decides not to sell it with Thanos' body.

text: After completing the trade of Thanos' body with whoever it was sold to, the team is attacked by Hala the Accuser (Faye Kingslee), her second-in-command Jyn-Xar (Chris Cox) and their small Kree army, demanding the Eternity Forge. During the chaotic battle, Hala manages to steal the Forge from Star-Lord and damage the Milano's engines before escaping back to the Kree's ship, the Revenant. Star-Lord than takes either Gamora or Drax with him in pursuit of Hala.

text:
If Star-Lord takes Gamora, she states they'll make their way through the ship with as little conflict as possible. Drax the Destroyer tells Star-Lord to kill all the Kree for him - and that he won't forgive him if any are left alive.
If Star-Lord takes Drax the Destroyer with him, Drax the Destroyer states that he shall be a violent worthy ally. Gamora tells Star-Lord not let Drax do anything stupid.

text: Star-Lord and his teammate arrive on the Kree ship, only to discover it barely operational with only a skeleton crew aboard - and a large assortment of preserved Kree corpses in stasis pods. Making their way to the bridge, the pair confront Hala the Accuser and learn the Eternity Forge can supposedly raise the dead, with Hala planning to resurrect her son Bal-Dinn and the rest of the Kree race after they and their entire planet were destroyed by Thanos - which will apparently require numerous "sacrifices" to accomplish. Hala than impales Star-Lord with her lance and incapacitates his teammate, though Rocket manages to intervene with the repaired Milano and blow out the bridge's windows before she can finish them. Star-Lord manages to reclaim the Eternity Forge as it is sucked out into space, while his teammate grabs him and carries him back to the Milano. As the team argues amongst themselves in panic over what to do, Star-Lord succumbs to his injuries.

text: While near-death, Peter Quill relives attending his mother's funeral as a boy and how he was adopted by Yondu (Mark Barbolak), who visited him in the chapel and revealed that Meredith entrusted him to watch over Peter Quill.

text:
If Peter trusts Yondu, he agrees to go along with Yondu who starts to show him his new home.
If Peter doesn't trust Yondu, this will cause Yondu to forcefully drag him to his new home.

text: Afterwards, the adult Peter finds himself hearing a knocking noise from his mother's casket and opens it, only to find his mother behind him. Placing her hand on his chest, Meredith tells Peter to come find her - while back in the present, the rest of the Guardians are left shocked as the Eternity Forge successfully heals Star-Lord's wound, bringing him back to life.

text: Under Pressure[edit]

text: After Star-Lord is revived, the rest of the Guardians are surprised and disbelieving at what the Eternity Forge did and thought he was possessed at first until he proves his identity. The Guardians are unsure on how the Eternity Forge could bring Star-Lord back to life, but Star-Lord can bring up how Hala mentioned the Forge could resurrect the Kree with enough "sacrifices" - allowing Drax the Destroyer to realize the Eternity Forge trades a life for a life, deducing it must absorbed Thanos' life-force when he died and than gave to Star-Lord to revive him. Just then, the Revenant catches up to the Milano, forcing them to take evasive maneuvers to escape. The Guardians suspect that Hala the Accuser plans on using the Eternity Forge to revive the dead Kree in her ship's stasis pods to create an unlimited army, re-establishing the Kree's empire. In order to lay low and for Rocket Racoon to fix the Milano, Star-Lord states that he knows someone who could help them out.

text: Heading to the planet Rajak in its Neon District, the Guardians arrive at a building where Star-Lord's surrogate father Yondu is living in seclusion. As Star-Lord introduces everyone to Yondu, he witnesses Rocket point his gun at Yondu, stating that he doesn't trust Ravagers. Yondu then has his telekinetic arrow pointed at Rocket in a tense stalemate.

text:
If Star-Lord asks Rocket what he is planning to do, Rocket states that Yondu's house is already a garbage heap as Star-Lord tells him not to blow Yondu and everyone inside to pieces.
If Star-Lord advises Yondu to put his arrow away, he also tells Yondu that Rocket has been sensitive that everyone is out to kill them. Yondu states that he can add them to the list.

text: Regardless of the choice, the two of them than start to laugh with Yondu revealing the two know each-other rather well, having been buying stuff from Rocket for years. After catching up, Star-Lord shows Yondu the Eternity Forge in hopes of learning more about it. When both of them touch the Eternity Forge, Star-Lord again flashes back to his childhood, where Meredith Quill tells the young Peter that he is meant for more of this life, claiming that he is going to save the galaxy, kill Thanos and change everything - something that surprises Peter as Meredith is describing things she wasn't even there to see. Meredith than asks Peter to sit with her and observe the stars.

text:
If Peter sits by his mother, he does so for just a minute.
If Peter doesn't sit by his mother, he claims that he is cool where he is.

text: As the two of them stare at the stars, Peter notices an hourglass-like constellation with the same shape as the Eternity Forge, with a series of patterns appearing across it that he doesn't recognize. Turning around, Peter realizes his mother is no longer there as he again hears call to "Come find me, Peter." After the flashback ends, Yondu comments that it's been decades since he has seen Meredith's face and the two wonder how she could be connected to the Eternity Forge. As Star-Lord looks over the relic again, glyphs appear over its surface that Gamora identifies as part of an ancient Kree language. While she can't translate it, Gamora thinks that Nebula might be able to, as the latter had taken something with similar markings for Thanos - though first they would have to find her and convince her to help, before Hala finds her.

text: As Yondu goes to obtain a device that would help repair the Milano, Rocket steps outside and Star-Lord goes to check up on him. As both of them go over what little they understand about the Eternity Forge's capabilities thus far, Rocket reveals that he hopes it can help him with someone he lost. Even though Rocket states he knows that Nebula is the top priority, he tells Star-Lord that they have to stop at Halfworld first so that, if nothing else, he can at least try to use the Eternity Forge. However, Gamora soon after reveals she's found out Nebula (Ashly Burch) has taken Thanos' ship and intends to recover his corpse from whoever the Guardians gave it to - if sold to the Collector, Nebula will be threatening the attendant within his museum for information on Star-Lord, before he and Gamora make their presence known; if sold to the Nova Corps, she will hijack one of their ships and make off with the body on Thanos' vessel, forcing the Milano into a space battle to capture Nebula before the Nova Corps kill her.

text:
If Star-Lord agrees to help Rocket, he tells the rest of the Guardians and Yondu that they will be making a detour to Halfworld. While displeased, Gamora reluctantly agrees to take the detour as Yondu warns Star-Lord to be careful with the newly repaired Milano. On Halfworld, Star-Lord and Rocket arrive outside the abandoned laboratory where Rocket was created, arriving at a grave that Rocket tries to use the Eternity Forge on. When that fails, Gamora tells Star-Lord that Nebula is tearing apart the place where Thanos' body is being held. By the time the Guardians catch up to Nebula and subdue her, she will have already secured Thanos' body and sent it to a place where she assures he'll receive a proper burial.
If Star-Lord doesn't agree to help Rocket, he tells Rocket that he wishes they could help but must find Nebula first. Rocket is not pleased with the answer and states that he will find his own way to get there. After Yondu fixes the Milano, Star-Lord tells Yondu that Rocket isn't here when asked for him to fire up the engines - only for the group to witness Rocket taking off in Yondu's ship, much to Yondu's dismay. Star-Lord reveals Rocket is going to Halfworld to take care of something as Yondu warns him to keep his group in line. Deciding to catch up with Rocket after they capture Nebula, the Guardians manage to intercept and capture Nebula before off before she can recover Thanos' body. Upon catching up to Rocket on Halfworld, Star-Lord is bitterly told by Rocket that he had his chance to help him and that the Forge didn't work.

text: In either case, when Star-Lord arrives on Halfworld and touches the Eternity Forge on Rocket Raccoon's hand after it fails to work for him, he suddenly experiences a flashback of Rocket Raccoon's past regarding his creation. In it, Rocket is placed in a cage across from the otter Lylla (Fryda Wolff) as the two of them plan their escape. As Rocket assembles a device to help them, he finds information that the scientists are going to eliminate Lylla. Unfortunately, as the two of them evade the robots, Rocket finds that one of the machines managed to land a lethal injection on Lylla. After sealing in the Halfworld scientist (Chris Cox) and the robots, Lylla opens the doors as she plans to take some of them down with her before the lethal injection kicks in, advising Rocket to leave while he has the chance.

text:
If Rocket honors Lylla's death wish, he says goodbye to Lylla and tells her to mess them up for the both of them, to which Lylla promises that she will. After Rocket escapes, he hears an explosion come from the laboratory and sees smoke emerge, mourning Lylla's death.
If Rocket carries Lylla out of the laboratory, both of them make it out into the open. He then places Lylla's body on the ground as she shares a moment outdoors with Rocket, fulfilling her desire to see the outside world before she dies in his arms.

text: After the memory experience ends, Rocket angrily tells Star-Lord that he had no right to see it, feeling violated at having his past revealed without his permission. Rocket than restores Lylla's grave, which Star-Lord can offer to help with or not, before they return to the Milano. Star-Lord than tries to devise a way to get Nebula's help in deciphering the ancient Kree language, with Gamora suggesting they offer Rocket repairing Nebula's damaged mechanical arm as leverage. Entering Gamora's room, which Nebula has been locked up in, Star-Lord and Gamora explain that they need her to translate the ancient Kree language, but Nebula is reluctant cooperate. When Nebula tells Gamora that she still remembers Tar-Voll, Gamora draws her sword on her as Nebula orders for Gamora to leave.

text:
If Star-Lord has Gamora leave, she does so while warning Star-Lord that she won't help him if she hears screams. Nebula than remarls that she never cared for them.
If Star-Lord agrees with Gamora, he states that Gamora has the right idea in thinking Nebula untrustworthy as he pins Nebula against the wall.

text: Drax the Destroyer later tells Star-Lord that there was a device found in Nebula's skull, and Star-Lord persuades Nebula into giving him the device, though she states that it telling him everything he'll want to know will also mean Star-Lord now owes her. While talking to Gamora and Drax the Destroyer, Star-Lord is told by Drax that the item is a Cypher Module - something that shouldn't exist anymore. Upon uploading it to the translator, Star-Lord uses his mask to read the ancient Kree language and is stunned to find it says "Come find me in the temple", mirroring the words of his mother in the visions. Star-Lord than tells Gamora and Drax the Destroyer that they are going back to the temple.

text: Returning to the unidentified planet with the abandoned Kree outpost, Star-Lord states that Rocket will need some space after what happened on Halfworld and that someone will need to remain behind to guard Nebula. Both Gamora and Drax the Destroyer want the opportunity to guard her - the former to try and reconnect with her sister, the latter because he believes she will start a fight he will need to quell.

text:
If Gamora is chosen to guard Nebula, Star-Lord tells Gamora that she'll be able to tell if Nebula is going to make a move.
If Drax the Destroyer is chosen to guard Nebula, he tells Star-Lord that he won't let him down.

text: On the planet's surface, Star-Lord re-enters the temple with Groot and whoever wasn't chosen to guard Nebula, using his scanner to find that Hala the Accuser was already here before them. Upon activating the switches on the statues, a platform is raised as Star-Lord translates the revealed glyphs on the wall, which exposit on how the Eternity Forge can be wielded responsibly and that "she" will remain entombed throughout the galaxy until than. Star-Lord than discovers that temple in question is at a place called Emnios, while his teammate also notes the images of the Eternity Forge displaying one life being given for every life brought back - which causes Star-Lord to realize why it failed to help Rocket; it wasn't "charged" again after it brought Star-Lord back. When Star-Lord tells whoever was left guarding Nebula to have the Milano's engines fired up for departure, he is told that Rocket is in the engine room with sounds of destruction being head.

text: In the Milano's engine room, Star-Lord finds Rocket is still mourning for Lylla and claims that she is the only thing keeping him alive, as well stating his makeshift computer - all that he has left of her - is no longer working, weeping as he states that he can't fix it this time.

text:
If Star-Lord tells Rocket to move on, he advises that Rocket let go of it, to which Rocket admits he already knows he needs to move on.
If Star-Lord tells Rocket to keep it, he tells Rocket to hold onto it as it means a lot to him, with Rocket solemnly clasping it to his body

text: As a system failure suddenly takes place across the Milano, Star-Lord leaves to deal with it as he tells Groot to help Rocket. However, Star-Lord finds the failure is actually a breech warning, as the ship is under siege by the Kree soldiers with the Revenant closing in on them. As Drax and Gamora fight them off, Nebula offers to help Star-Lord and asks he free her, stating self-preservation as a mutual goal for them to unite under.

text:
If Star-Lord agrees, he will release Nebula with a warning not to betray them, which she fulfills by helping fight off the Kree.
If Star-Lord refuses, he will leave Nebula locked up as she bitterly states he will regret his choice.

text: After dealing with the Kree in the cockpit, Star-Lord heads down to the engine room where he gets shot in the leg by Jyn-Xar, who has defeated Rocket and Groot. With the Eternity Forge in hand, Jyn-Xar states he will return it to Hala, but Star-Lord rants toward Jyn-Xar about the attack as a diversion while Rocket gets back on his feet. Depending on the advice Star-Lord gave him, Rocket will either successfully put the makeshift computer back together to help electrify Jyn-Xar, or rewire the Milano's vents in order to set Jyn-Xar on fire, with Star-Lord reclaiming the Eternity Forge from Jyn-Xar's body. Hala the Accuser than contacts Star-Lord over the radio, warning him that he can't run forever and that the Eternity Forge will be hers. Gamora tells Star-Lord that the Revenant's weapons are coming online while Rocket works to get the engines back online, barely managing to escape. Star-Lord than tells Gamora to set a course to Emnios, while dropping off their "stowaways" on the way there.

text: Closing in on Emnios, Star-Lord feels certain that his mother is on Emnios, embarking with Gamora through the opened doors into a bright light, where they see the outline of something moving.

text: More Than a Feeling[edit]

text: Following a figure into the white light from the previous episode, Star-Lord again relives a memory from his childhood. In it, the young Peter is dropped off at a music store by his mother so she can pick up a prescription from the pharmacy, having been experiencing painful headaches as of late. As the shopkeeper (Mark Barbolak) copies a mixtape for him to give him mom, Peter is harassed by the local bully Clarence (John Omohundro) who has been regularly attacking him and broke his cassette player. Clarence taunts Peter about his mother being unable to afford her medical bills and that there are rumors she has been going door-to-door begging for handouts. If left uninterrupted, Clarence says his dad is drinking buddies with Meredith's doctor and claims that she's dying, insulting her to her face when she returns to the shop.

text:
If Peter attacks Clarence, he will punch him hard enough to cause a nosebleed, causing Clarence to throw a radio at him in retaliation, though it ends up missing. Realizing he has only angered Peter further, Clarence panics and freezes up, allowing Peter to tackle him against a shelf and start pummeling him. Meredith pulls Peter off of Clarence, who laments that Peter may have broken his jaw. Disappointed and upset with Peter's actions, Meredith begins to cough and have trouble breathing as the aggravates her condition, causing the shopkeeper to call for an ambulance while Clarence runs away.
If Peter uses his words, he'll brush off Clarence's taunts and mock him for having "elephant ears", causing Clarence to rub in how Meredith kept her terminal condition secret from Peter. If Peter remains calm and insists that his mother just needs proper medicine, Clarence tells Peter to simply buy her poison so that can't waste her money trying to get better anymore. Outraged, Meredith slaps Clarence and intimidates him into fleeing, thanking Peter for not lashing out and apologizing for her poor example in striking Clarence. Peter asks Meredith if Clarence was right about her dying.

text: At the end of the flashback, Peter's mother tells him he is "so close" and tells him to find her, culminating in the adult Star-Lord waking up to find himself back on Earth in the middle of a forest. Walking through woods, he finds Gamora screaming into a field at nothing before muttering about her sister and reacting as if attacked. Confused, Star-Lord approaches Gamora only to have her start swiping at him with her sword, believing that he is Nebula. Getting pinned to the ground, Star-Lord struggles to keep Gamora's blade away from his throat and suddenly begins experiencing one of Gamora's memories just like he had with Rocket Raccoon. In it, Gamora is training with the than-unaltered Nebula in a combat arena, advising Nebula on keeping her awareness at all times when Nebula expresses frustration with being confined. The two continue dueling until finally locking blades, Nebula pleading that Gamora is hurting her.

text:
If Gamora finishes the fight, she will overpower Nebula and knock her down, but is distracted when Thanos enters the room - which Nebula takes advantage of to kick Gamora's legs out and press a blade to her neck. Thanos than compliments Nebula's use of duplicity to win and if Gamora claims Nebula cheated, Thanos will remark it Gamora's fault for leaving herself open.
If Gamora throws the fight, she eases pressure off of her sword enough for Nebula to knock her down in front of Thanos, much to Gamora's chagrin. If Gamora reveals she let Nebula win the fight, Thanos will still favor Nebula for having taken advantage of Gamora's hesitance.

text: Thanos muses that Nebula may be the greatest assassin in the galaxy and gives the sisters a mission; head to a Kree outpost on Phelion and locate General Tar-Voll, who has obtained a device that Thanos requires. He instructs Gamora to recover the device while Nebula is to kill Tar-Voll, overjoying Nebula with his acknowledgment that she is ready to go out into the galaxy. Thanos than reveals to Gamora in private that his giving Nebula the mission is because he is losing faith in Gamora's capabilities, intending for Nebula to "tighten the slack" - regardless of if she's actually capable enough yet - and that Nebula will in turn be the one who suffers if they fail. After Thanos speaks with Nebula in private, the sisters arrive on Phelion and split up to complete their goals. Infiltrating the command chamber, Gamora kills the guards and obtains the device, but Nebula is overpowered by Tar-Voll, forcing Gamora to step in and kill the General to save her. Enraged that Gamora took her kill, Nebula demands the device so that she doesn't return a failure. Gamora can either comply or refuse, but Nebula will ultimately impale Gamora with her sword to keep her failure a secret, leaving her sister for dead.

text: After the memory experience ends, Gamora reawakens and pins Star-Lord again, forcing him to slap her to snap her out of it. Realizing he saw her memories, Gamora reveals the betrayal is the main reason for her bitterness with Nebula and that her sister resented her acts of protection, seeing it as pity and a lack of trust. However, Gamora states she also blames herself for not being more honest with Nebula about her doubts and that she still wants to repair their relationship, despite fearing that Nebula will never stop resenting her. Returning focus onto what the Temple is trying to show them, Star-Lord and Gamora hear music that the former recognizes as one of his mother's favorites, drawing them to an old chapel in the middle of the forest. Gamora warns Star-Lord to be careful as the Temple is using their memories against them, entering the chapel to find it a recreation of Meredith's funeral, albeit devoid of anybody else. As they approach the podium, the music intensifies and distorts until going quiet when Star-Lord reaches the casket and opens it, releasing a bright light that disperses the memory world and reveals the Temple on Emnios. Finding a large container in place of his mother's casket, Star-Lord and Gamora watch the object open to reveal the body of a female figure, which tumbles onto the floor.

text: Discovering the figure to be a humanoid girl with a pair of antennae, the woman introduces herself as Mantis (Sumalee Montano) and calls Peter by name, claiming they have met before - than asks to borrow Peter's gun. Star-Lord can oblige her or refuse, though either way Mantis will force her prison container over the edge of the platform and destroy it, gladdened to finally be free of her "tomb". Proclaiming Peter to be "the Celestial One", Mantis reveals she was the source of Peter's visions through the Eternity Forge, calling for him to come find her - albeit unconsciously, with the message using Peter's most vivid memories, and by extension Meredith's form, on reflex to communicate it. Apologizing for her actions, Mantis holds Star-Lord's hands and is able read his responses before he even speaks, revealing she is an empath that can read others' emotions or transmit her own to them, explaining her duty is to help "the Celestial One" decide the fate of the Eternity Forge. Returning Mantis to the Milano, Star-Lord and Gamora introduce her to the rest of the Guardians by way of showcasing her abilities on either Drax the Destroyer, Rocket Raccoon or Groot. Star-Lord explains Mantis was the one calling to them through their memories, to which Drax questions how Mantis is connected to the Eternity Forge, despite Rocket's protests against a lengthy narration.

text: If allowed to speak of her past, Mantis explains that the Eternity Forge was brought into existence eons ago as a way to balance the Universe's flow of life-energy, by allowing control over the cycles of life and death. Mantis herself was charged with serving as both its guardian and a guide for it's wielder to ensure only someone worthy could use it - but when none came, the Kree separated Mantis from the Forge and locked them away separately, so that it's power couldn't be abused. Mantis than explains that there is a legend of "the Celestial One" - a chosen hero with the wisdom and insight to wield the Eternity Forge and decide both its use and it's ultimate fate - and that Star-Lord is the one the legend speaks of. Rocket is skeptical of the Legend since the Forge wasn't able to bring Lylla back, to which Mantis explains the Eternity Forge is only operating in a limited capacity - unless it is restored to full power, it can only resurrect intact and undamaged corpses, which in turn explains why Hala was preserving Kree bodies. However, Mantis reveals that as the Celestial One, Peter can restore the Forge to its full power if he returns it to the Sacred Shrine, which would allow it to resurrect any deceased being from any point, though at the cost of one life for another - or he can destroy it to keep its power forever out of evil hands. Rocket and Drax want to use it to bring back their loved ones, but Gamora and Groot wish it to be destroyed so that it's power can't be abused, by Hala or anyone else.

text: Star-Lord asks if Mantis can take them to the Shrine, to which she states she may be able to sense it's location with his help. However, the unrest and division among the crew makes it too difficult for Mantis to try, asking Star-Lord to speak with them first and find it’s source. Star-Lord finds Groot caring for a potted seedling and Rocket drinking his sorrows away, while Drax the Destroyer feels pensive over hope he'll get his family back and anxiety over Mantis' peering into people's feelings - as well as sympathy for the kind of pain that insight causes. Finally, Star-Lord discovers the primary source of unrest is from Gamora and Nebula, the former voicing frustration and uncertainty over failing to reach her sister. Star-Lord can advise Gamora to either give up on Nebula or keep trying to reach her, before going to speak with Nebula himself. Expressing bitterness at Gamora's attempts to speak with her, Nebula claims her sister doesn't know the full truth behind why she betrayed her, to which Star-Lord suggests she show him via Mantis' empathic abilities. Agreeing, Nebula shows Star-Lord her memories of the sisters' last mission, revealing that she hadn't been trying to kill Gamora; Thanos had been listening in as he believed that Gamora was untrustworthy. When Gamora disobeyed him and killed Tar-Voll, Thanos ordered Nebula to kill Gamora lest he do so himself, albeit slowly and painfully, with Nebula complying in order to save Gamora from Thanos' wrath. Gamora than walks in on Star-Lord viewing Nebula's memories and interrupts, causing another argument between them over each-other's trustworthiness despite them both wanting to reconnect.

text:
If Star-Lord tells Nebula to leave, she will bitterly depart and end up joining Hala the Accuser in order to gain protection from the Nova Corps. She than fights Gamora in the episode's climax, taunting her for never listening to her while Gamora vows to keep defeating her, though the fight ultimately ends with Nebula helping subdue Gamora.
If Star-Lord tells Nebula to stay, she and Gamora finally start to reconcile and Nebula accompanies the Guardians, leaving Gamora hopeful they can regain each-other's trust. Nebula and Gamora fight side-by-side in the episode's climax, expressing happiness at working together again, though Nebula ends up getting injured protecting Gamora.

text: With the crew's feelings now sorted out, Mantis is able to locate the Sacred Shrine and the crew readies to leave. Gamora talks with Star-Lord about the outcome of taking to Nebula, Rocket apologizes for his drunken rant at Peter and Mantis listens to music on Peter's cassette player, voicing anxiety on how much the team is weighed down by their pasts rather than living in the present. Playing some music to help ease tension, Star-Lord helps Mantis acclimatize to the Guardian's chaotic life on the Milano as they travel to the Shrine, which is located in a subterranean cavern on Drobino. Entering the Shrine, Mantis directs Star-Lord to place the Eternity Forge on the central pedestal and energize the temple, though damage to the statues forces them to manually re-adjust the lenses meant to focus power to the platform. Upon focusing the beams of light on the Eternity Forge, Star-Lord is given the choice of whether or not to fully empower it or destroy it, but Hala the Accuser enters immediately afterword with a group of Kree soldiers to try and claim it for herself, though Rocket disarms her of the remote-gauntlet for her lance.

text:
If Star-Lord decides to destroy the Eternity Forge, Drax the Destroyer and Rocket Raccoon feel hurt and betrayed at losing the chance to have their loved ones back, verbally lashing out at Gamora and Groot when they approve of the choice. When Hala enters, the Guardians fight her forces to a standstill but Hala manages to reach the broken Eternity Forge. She than attempts to resurrect her son Bal-Dinn, but his body disintegrates moments after materializing and the stricken Eternity Forge explodes. However, Hala survives the blast, badly burned but infused with the Forge's power, swearing revenge on Peter for costing her the chance to bring back her son and army.
If Star-Lord decides to empower the Eternity Forge, Gamora and Groot will respectively express anger and disappointment at personal attachment superseding the risk, with Drax the Destroyer and Rocket Raccoon criticizing the two for being afraid. When Hala enters, the Guardians fight her forces to a standstill but Hala manages to reach the empowered Eternity Forge. She than uses it to successfully resurrect her son Bal-Dinn (Johnny Yong Bosch), embracing him upon affirming he is alive. Claiming the Eternity Forge for herself, Hala uses it to revive the rest of her soldiers within the Shrine, intent on repeating the process for the Kree's army.

text: Who Needs You[edit]

text: This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2017)

tag: table

text: Episodes[edit]

text: The game was separated into five episodes for release on mobile devices, personal computers, and PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles.[9] The version of the series for the Nintendo Switch was announced in August 2017, though its release date is not yet known.[10]

text:
No.
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original release date

1
"Tangled Up in Blue"
Jonathan Stauder
Zack Keller, Nicole Martinez & Timothy Williams
April 18, 2017 (2017-04-18)[1]

The Guardians help the Nova Corps intercept Thanos as he steals an artifact from an ancient Kree tomb called the Eternity Forge. Star-Lord uses Rocket's atomic gun to kill the Mad Titan, and after a night of celebration at a bar on Knowhere rack up a hefty tab. When getting the money to pay the tab, Hala the Accuser attacks the team and takes the Eternity Forge from Star-Lord's possession to resurrect the extinct Kree Empire. Peter pursues her with (either Drax or Gamora) to her ship. She mortally wounds Star-Lord, who barely escapes her with the Forge. In death, Peter sees his mother who, by way of the Eternity Forge, restores her son to life.

2
"Under Pressure"
Jason Latino
Nicole Martinez, Jessica Krause & Timothy Williams
June 6, 2017 (2017-06-06)[2]

When the Guardians stop on Rajak for repairs, Star-Lord visits his adoptive father Yondu to learn how the Eternity Forge and his mother Meredith are connected. Experiencing another vision, Peter is shown Kree glyphs that Gamora thinks Nebula can translate, but Rocket wishes to detour to Halfworld to see if the Eternity Forge can bring back his lost friend Lylla. After persuading Nebula to help them, the Guardians return to the artifact's temple and are directed to Emnios, but are attacked by Hala's Kree soldiers. Barely escaping, the Guardians arrive on Emnios, where Peter believes he'll find his mother.

3
"More than a Feeling"
Mark Droste
Meghan Thornton, Zack Keller and Jessica Krause
August 22, 2017 (2017-08-22)[3]

Entering the Temple on Emnios, Peter experiences another memory of his childhood while Gamora relives Nebula betraying her. Finding a casket within the Temple, they open it and release an alien named Mantis - the Eternity Forge's guardian and the one who called out to Star-Lord using his mother's image, believing he is "The Celestial One" destined to determine the Forge's fate. Guided by Mantis to the Kree's Sacred Shrine on Drobino, Star-Lord must decide whether to empower or destroy the Eternity Forge - a choice the rest of the Guardians are hotly divided on - before Hala arrives to try and claim it for herself.

4
"Who Needs You"
TBA
TBA
October 10, 2017 (2017-10-10)

5
"Don't Stop Believin'"
TBA
TBA
TBA 2017 (TBA 2017)

text: Reception[edit]

text:
Aggregate review scores

Game
Metacritic

Episode 1: Tangled Up in Blue
(PC) 70[11]
(PS4) 72[12]
(XONE) 74[13]

Episode 2: Under Pressure
(PC) 72[14]
(PS4) 70[15]
(XONE) 78[16]

Episode 3: More Than A Feeling
(PC) 72[17]
(PS4) 68[18]
(XONE) 70[19]

text: Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series received favorable reviews from critics earning praise for its story, voice acting, action sequences, and portrayal of the titular characters, although its humor, animation, and technical issues have been criticized.

text: Episode 1: Tangled Up in Blue[edit]

text: Aggregating review website Metacritic gave the Microsoft Windows version 70/100 based on 21 reviews,[11] the PlayStation 4 version 72/100 based on 29 reviews[12] and the Xbox One version 74/100 based on 12 reviews.[13]

text: Episode 2: Under Pressure[edit]

text: Aggregating review website Metacritic gave the Microsoft Windows version 72/100 based on 12 reviews,[14] the PlayStation 4 version 70/100 based on 9 reviews[15] and the Xbox One version 78/100 based on 6 reviews.[16]

text: Episode 3: More Than A Feeling[edit]

text: Aggregating review website Metacritic gave the Microsoft Windows version 72/100 based on 10 reviews,[17] the PlayStation 4 version 68/100 based on 6 reviews[18] and the Xbox One version 70/100 based on 8 reviews.[19]


document_title: The Firm (1993 film)

question_text: where does the movie the firm take place

text: The Firm (1993 film)

text: Plot[edit]

text: Mitch McDeere (Tom Cruise) is a young man from an impoverished background, but with a promising future in law. About to graduate from Harvard Law School near the top of his class, he receives a generous job offer from Bendini, Lambert & Locke, a small boutique firm in Memphis specializing in accounting and tax law. He and his wife, Abby (Jeanne Tripplehorn), move to Memphis and Mitch sets to work studying to pass the Tennessee bar exam. Avery Tolar (Gene Hackman), one of the firm's senior partners, becomes his mentor and begins introducing Mitch to BL&L's professional culture, which demands complete loyalty, strict confidentiality, and a willingness to charge exceptional fees for their services. Seduced by the money and perks showered on him, including a house and car, he is at first totally oblivious of the more sinister side of his new employer, although Abby has her suspicions.

text: Mitch passes the bar exam and begins working long hours that put a strain on his marriage. Working closely with Avery, Mitch learns that most of the Firm's work involves helping wealthy clients hide large amounts of money in off-shore shell corporations and other dubious tax-avoidance schemes. While on a trip to the Cayman Islands on behalf of a client, Mitch is seduced by a local woman and cheats on Abby. Actually this encounter is a photographed set-up made for the firm's sinister security chief, Bill DeVasher (Wilford Brimley), who later uses Mitch's beach tryst with that woman as blackmail to keep him quiet about such tax evasions and whatever illegal financial transactions.

text: Mitch realizes he is now trapped, but after two associates of the firm die under mysterious circumstances, he is approached by FBI agents who inform him that while some of BL&L's business is legitimate, their biggest client is the Morolto Mafia family from Chicago. The firm's partners, as well as most of the associates, are all complicit in a massive tax fraud and money laundering scheme. The two associates who died learned about the firm's dark side, and were killed to keep them from talking. They warn Mitch that his house, car, and office have probably all been bugged. The FBI pressures Mitch to provide the Bureau with evidence they can use to go after the Moroltos and bring down BL&L. Mitch knows he faces a stark choice. If he works with the FBI, he believes that even if he stays alive, he will have to disclose information about the firm's legitimate clients—thus breaking the attorney–client privilege and risking disbarment. However, the FBI warns him that if he stays with the firm, he will almost certainly go to jail when the FBI takes down both the firm and the Moroltos. Either way, his life as he knows it is over, and he agrees to cooperate with the FBI in return for $1.5 million and the release of his imprisoned brother Ray in Arkansas.

text: Desperate to find a way out, Mitch inadvertently stumbles on a solution when one of his clients reveals that he was billed for extra five hours fees, for the Firm's money laundering services for the Moroltos. However, mailing these illegal bills to their clients is considered as mail fraud, and it exposes the Firm to RICO charges. Mitch begins secretly copying the Firm's billing records. However, he is unmasked when a prison guard on the Moroltos' payroll alerts DeVasher. Evading DeVasher and his thugs, he finds the Morolto brothers and, offering himself as a loyal attorney looking out for his clients' best interests, leads them to believe that his contact with the FBI and files copying were merely an attempt to expose and eliminate such illegal overbilling. Mitch asks the Moroltos to turn over their billing invoices in order to help the FBI make their case against the firm. He assures them that as long as he is alive, any other information he knows about their legal affairs is covered under attorney-client privilege and will never be revealed. Convinced thus, the Moroltos agree to guarantee Mitch's safety and let him give the FBI all the evidence they need to destroy the Firm. Since the attorney-client privilege doesn't apply when a lawyer knows about ongoing criminal activity, Mitch is able to keep his status as a lawyer.

text: The film ends as the McDeeres leave their house in Memphis and return to Boston, driving the same car in which they arrived there.

text: Cast[edit]

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

text: Production[edit]

text: Gene Hackman's name did not appear on the release poster; due to Tom Cruise's deal with Paramount only his name could appear above the title. Hackman also wanted his name to appear above the credits, but when this was refused he asked for his name to be removed.[1] His name does appear in the end credits. This is also the final film for Steven Hill and John Beal.

text: Principal photography began on November 9, 1992 and ended on March 20, 1993.

text: The soundtrack is almost exclusively solo piano by Dave Grusin.

text: Differences from the novel[edit]

text: The film accords with the book in most respects, but the ending is significantly different. Mitch does not end up in the Caribbean, as in the book; he and Abby simply get into their car and drive back to Boston, as the ending narration, "Do you think [the car] will make it?...to Boston?..."

text: A more fundamental difference from the book is the motives and manner in which Mitch solves his predicament. In the book, Mitch acknowledges to himself that he is breaking the attorney-client privilege by copying information and giving it to the FBI. In most US states this privilege only applies to crimes that have already been committed. The privilege does not apply if a lawyer knows that his client either is committing or will commit a crime. However, Mitch must disclose information about his legitimate clients as well. Accepting that he will likely not be allowed to practice law anywhere again, he swindles $10 million from the Firm, along with receiving $1 million of a promised $2 million from the FBI for his cooperation. After an extended manhunt involving the police, the firm's lawyers, and hired thugs from the Morolto family, Mitch escapes with Abby (and his brother Ray) to the Caymans. Before fleeing, he leaves behind detailed records of the firm's illegal activities, as well as a recorded deposition. Mitch's information gives federal prosecutors enough evidence to indict half of the Firm's active lawyers right away, as well as several retired partners. The documents also provide the FBI with circumstantial evidence of the Firm's involvement in money laundering and tax fraud, and thus probable cause for a search warrant for the firm's building and files. This additional evidence is enough to smash both the firm and the Morolto family with a massive RICO indictment.

text: In the film, apparently in order to preserve the protagonist's personal integrity, Mitch exposes a systematic overbilling scheme by the firm, thus driving a wedge between the Moroltos (who in essence become complicit with Mitch) and their law firm (in the book, overbilling only received a brief mention). He receives a smaller amount of money from the FBI, which he gives to Ray, allowing him to disappear. Rather than capitalizing on his circumstances by stealing money from the Firm, as in the book, the movie's McDeere ends up battered and bruised, but with his integrity and professional ethics intact. Mitch also makes the FBI have to work in order to bring down the firm by having to argue that each instance of excessive billing is a federal offense (by virtue of the excessive bills being sent through the mail). The volume and frequency meets the criteria for RICO, thereby enabling the FBI to effectively put the Firm out of business by seizing its property and equipment and freezing its bank accounts. From here the Moroltos would then need to find another law firm willing to take them on as clients, and if they couldn't, charges for non-lodgment of tax returns could be brought. Since Mitch is exposing only illegal activity, he is able to retain his law license.

text: Instead of a BMW, Mitch gets a Mercedes-Benz for joining the firm.

text: Avery Tolar was originally Avery Tolleson; the latest version of the novel uses the film's surname. Tolar is portrayed as a sort of reluctant villain in the film, while in the novel he has no such moral conflicts.

text: The surname of the second man killed on Grand Cayman is Joe Hodges, instead of Hodge as in the novel.

text: Mitch's confession to Abby about his sexual infidelity was also unique to the film. In the novel, McDeere never tells Abby about his infidelity. In the book, Abby's not knowing about Mitch's infidelity is a major "suspense" piece. Mitch comes home one evening and finds an envelope addressed to Abby, that has "Photos – Do Not Bend" written on it. The photos were surreptitiously given to DeVasher by Art Germain. Mitch thinks it is the pictures he was shown of his infidelity overseas. Abby is in the bedroom when he sees the open package. He enters the bedroom and learns that Abby opened the package, but it was empty. Mitch realizes DeVasher is toying with him, and this incident in the book causes Mitch to cooperate with the FBI. In the film, Mitch's confession prompts Abby to seriously consider leaving him, but she ultimately helps him bring down the firm.

text: Also, in the book, Eddie's old secretary, Tammy, seduces and drugs Avery. In the movie, however, it is Abby who seduces Avery. This also changes the character development because in the movie Abby is portrayed as risking herself for Mitch. In the book, Abby is simply an accomplice to Tammy.

text: Filming locations[edit]

text:
Elmwood Cemetery – funeral scene
Owen Brennan's – Lunch scene in cocktail/bar area. Owen Brennan's commemorated the filming by placing plaques on the two cocktail chairs where Tom Cruise and Gene Hackman sat.
Peabody Hotel – BBQ roof scene overlooking Mississippi River Bridge and downtown Memphis.
Beale Street – Scene where Mitch and Abby see young tumblers as street performers
Lausanne Collegiate School – Playground scene and others.
Front Street Deli – Meeting at diner.
Mud Island
Memphis Suspension Railway
Blues City Cafe – FBI first meeting with Mitch.
Scates Hall, University of Memphis – legal deliberations

text: The Marion Hotel – Apartment room on top floor for a scene.

text: Release[edit]

text: Critical reception[edit]

text: Critical reaction to The Firm has been mostly positive, with the film earning a 75% rating at Rotten Tomatoes.[2]

text: Roger Ebert gave The Firm three stars out of four, remarking: "The movie is virtually an anthology of good small character performances. [...] The large gallery of characters makes The Firm into a convincing canvas [... but] with a screenplay that developed the story more clearly, this might have been a superior movie, instead of just a good one with some fine performances."[3]

text: The film earned some negative reviews as well, notably from James Berardinelli, who said that "[v]ery little of what made the written version so enjoyable has been successfully translated to the screen, and what we're left with instead is an overly-long [and] pedantic thriller."[4] Grisham enjoyed the film, remarking: "I thought [Tom Cruise] did a good job. He played the innocent young associate very well."[5]

text: Box office[edit]

text: The film was released while Grisham was at the height of his popularity. That week, Grisham and Michael Crichton evenly divided the top six paperback spots on The New York Times Best Seller list.[6] It opened on June 30, 1993 in 2,393 theatres, and landed at #1 at the box office, grossing $25.4 million over the 4th of July weekend. It remained in the #1 spot at the box office for 3 weeks. After 12 weeks in theatres, the film was a huge success, making over $158 million domestically and $111 million internationally ($270 million worldwide).[7][8] Additionally, it was the largest grossing R-rated movie of 1993 and of any film based on a Grisham novel.[9]

text: Awards[edit]

text: The film earned two Academy Award nominations including Best Supporting Actress for Holly Hunter (losing to Anna Paquin for The Piano, though she did win an Oscar at that year's ceremony for Best Actress in the same film as Paquin) and Best Original Score for Dave Grusin (losing to John Williams for Schindler's List).

text: Home Media[edit]

text: The Firm was released on home video in December of 1993, and the cassettes were colored blue. The DVD was released on May 23, 2000. The special features include only the teaser and theatrical trailers. The Blu Ray will be released for the first time on September 12, 2017.

text: TV sequel[edit]

text: In April 2011 Entertainment One announced that a sequel to The Firm was being produced with Sony Pictures Television and Paramount Pictures. The series picked up the story of Mitch and his family ten years after the events of the novel and film. The first season was 22 episodes long and began production in Canada in July 2011. In May 2011, NBC confirmed that they had acquired the U.S. broadcast rights to the show and that they planned to début it in January 2012.[10] The show was cancelled after its first season.