The Client

Mark Sway (Brad Renfro) and little brother Ricky run across mob lawyer Jerome Clifford trying to commit suicide in his car. Mark tries to stop him. Jerome grubs him into the car, and confesses the location where his client Barry Muldano (Anthony LaPaglia) buried a body to the boy. Mark lies to the cops saying he didn't talk to Clifford. The cops, the FBI, and the DA Roy Foltrigg (Tommy Lee Jones) do not believe him. Mark under pressure hires lawyer Reggie Love (Susan Sarandon). Meanwhile the mob sends hit men Paul Gronke (Kim Coates).

Brad Renfro is trying real hard to be a brat. In fact, he is trying too hard. He is successful in making his character very unlikeable. Joel Schumacher is concentrating on the kid. I think it may be better to concentrate on Reggie Love. Susan Sarandon does a great job and she saves this movie. Almost everybody else is playing one stereotype or another. Tommy Lee Jones is pouring it on. Mary-Louise Parker is playing the white trash single mom. And don't get me started on the mob guys. LaPaglia may as well be a pirate. Dialing it back would help sell the tension.

Then there is the basic Grisham story. I don't buy that they wouldn't just kill the kid. It would help to not make the mob guys such stereotypes. At least then I would believe that these guys don't get a kill every other week. Then there is the Tommy Lee Jones character. He's all stick, and no carrot. Again he's too one-dimensional. Why wouldn't he offer immunity is beyond me. He's all huff and puff at every turn. That's really the big problem with almost everything in this movie. Everything is push up the 11 even if it makes no sense.