Susan Sarandon should stick with the tough minded lawyer more often. Perfectly cast in the role of Reggie Love, she brings a certain charm to a role which could have lacked in that department. And to make matters even tougher on her, she was almost outshined by Brad Renfro, who made quite an impression in a film such as this. While the film was put together in a rather conventional way, with Tommy Lee Jones playing an over clichéd character, the film is still rather gripping. A decent film to have in your collection, and one of the better John Grisham book-turned-movie adaptations.
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Agent1013 August 2002
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g-bodyl22 December 2012The Client is a good film with moments of extreme greatness especially for a courtroom thriller such as this. But there are also scenes where they should have been added into the editing room. The film was excellent in the beginning, slows to a crawl in the middle, and picks up in the end. If it stayed like the beginning, this film would have been flawless.
After a 11-year-old kid and his brother witnessed a suicide, the kid hires an attorney to help protect him and his family from threatening mafia members and a stubborn Federal District attorney.
The acting is very good in this film. Susan Sarandon seemed like she was born to play this role. She was just perfect! For a kid who never acted before, Brad Renfro was brilliant as the snobby 11-year-old.
Overall, this is a slightly above-average crime thriller. Sarandon steals the show as her role of the attorney. Joel Schumacher directed a masterpiece compared to the Batman films he would take over after this film. I rate this film 8/10. -
anil-kulkarni-108-856635 July 2020Standard tale of a kid who inadvertently watched a mob lawyer kill himself. With the mob, the FBI and the media hounding him, a young Brad Renfro turns to Susan Sarandon a rookie lawyer who holds his hand through to the end.
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Chrysanthepop8 February 2008'The Client' is perhaps one of the many films that won't be enjoyed as much after one has read the book. I, having not read John Grisham's novel, quite enjoyed it. Sure the movie has its flaws in the form of plot holes, caricatures, obvious clichés etc, but it essentially manages to keep the viewer engaged. 'The Client' is further backed up by strong performances. Susan Sarandon makes full use of her powerful screen presence and easily stands out. No wonder she's an exceptional actress. Reggie Love is one of her most memorable performances (among the so many she's already given). The late Brad Renfro, as the young Sway, is very competent and does impress in several scenes. Tommy Lee Jones is funny (both intentionally and unintentionally). From the supporting cast, Mary-Louise Parker leaves a mark. William H. Macy barely has more than a few lines but has a dignified presence. The villains both look and act like caricatures. In a nutshell, it's an interesting film with a flawed but gripping plot and marvelous performances.
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First off all, you should always read the book first. I think it is a pretty good adaption. John Grisham fans should not be disappointed by the choice of actors for the parts in the book. Especially Tommy Lee Jones, a personal favorite, plays his part well, and his scenes with Sarandon are the best part of the film. They keep testing each other and have some verbal clashes but in the end you can see Jones' character isn't as bad as he seems and he clearly respects Sarandon's efforts. Only negative comment for this movie is that it never seems to reach the suspense it is aiming for and so it becomes good entertainment for one evening but forgettable soon after.
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mjw230529 December 2006Mark Sway (Brad Renfro) and his little brother are witnesses to the suicide of a mob lawyer. After his brother falls into a coma and he becomes the target of the mob and the federal prosecutor (Tommy Lee Jones) he is forced to hire Reggie Love (Susan Sarandon) who is an attorney with a chequered past and a courageous heart.
The direction and story are both very strong, and i thought Jones and Saradon both put in great performances; and even if i did find new-comer Brad Renfro's character a little annoying at times, it wasn't at detriment to the film.
The Client is a tense and dramatic thriller that has enough entertainment value to forgive it, its minor plot holes.
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smatysia9 October 2001Somehow the plot holes didn't seem so glaring in Grisham's novel. Anyway, this is one of Susan Sarandon's many excellent performances. And Tommy Lee Jones gleefully chews the scenery here. You might think he is overacting, but he is really playing a character that comes across that way. Brad Renfro was an excellent find for this part. I haven't seen him in anything else, though. I imagine his Southern accent will hurt in getting other roles. Current TV stars Bradley Whitford and Anthony Edwards were non-entities in this film. It's a good film, not great. Grade B-
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SnoopyStyle18 March 2014Mark 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. -
"The Client" is one of the better big-screen adaptations of a John Grisham novel and it's largely down to a terrific cast. some of who weren't even 'names' at the time. The plot is fairly typical Grisham, (a witness to a killing needs to be protected from the killers), but the twist here is that the killing was a suicide, the victim a mob lawyer who blurted out where the body was hidden before blowing his brains out and the witness, an eleven year old street-wise kid.
It's a decent thriller plot and it does make for an entertaining picture but it's given quite a lift by a whole host of superb actors with Susan Sarandon taking the lioness' share of the honors, (she won the BAFTA), as the hard-nosed lawyer the kid hires. Other lawyers determined to bring down the mob include Tommy Lee Jones, J.T, Walsh, Bradley Whitford and Anthony Heald while Anthony La Paglia is the principal bad guy and there's a very nice supporting performance from the great Will Patton as the kind of policeman you're not sure if you can trust or not. Brad Renfro is the kid. Unfortunately, the director was Joel Schmuacher who doesn't bring a lot of imagination to the party but keeps things moving along in predictable fashion. A better director might have turned this into a classic. -
marcinbloom21 August 2020The people who will love a great courtroom drama / thriller will really love and enjoy this film it has everything you would love in a great thriller. The actors and casting is amazing and I will say I found it highly suspenseful where it almost made me feel anxious! It is in the classic genres to me I will definitely recommend this film to everyone who enjoys great films of the thriller types. Tommy Lee Jones and Susan Surandon are incredible in this and the young leading actor aswell. Amazing.
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frankde-jong20 November 2022Of the three John Grisham adaptations that were released in 1993 / 1994, "The client" is in my opinion the worst.
"The firm" (1993, Sidney Pollack) has a credible opening followed by too much action.
"The Pelican brief" (1993, Alan J. Pakula) has an unlikely opening but is tense once the story is "on the road".
In "The client" (1994, Joel Schumacher) the storyline never becomes credible.
Central theme is a young boy who has seen too much and therefore becomes a target for the maffia. This theme is not unlike the theme of for example "Witness" (1985, Peter Weir). The problem with "The client" is that the storyline is a little bit overloaded.
The boy is not only a target for the maffia but also chased by the public prosecutor, for whom his political ambitions are more important than the safety of his witness.
The boy lives in a poor single parent family with a history of violence by an alcoholic father.
The boy is assisted by a female lawyer who also has a history of drinking problems.
Central to the film is the relationship between the boy (played by Brad Renfro) and his lawyer (played by Susan Sarandon). Althoug both play well, the relationship never becomes credible. The lawyer is drifting very far from her profession and the 11 years old boy acts like a little Trump firing his lawyer every time he gets irritated. -
bbewnylorac20 June 2020It's heavy on dialogue but The Client has an excellent plot - a trailer park boy witnesses a terrible incident involving gangsters and, while on the run from them, chooses a struggling recovering alcoholic lawyer, a woman called Reggie Love, to represent him. As the boy, Mark Renfro is outstanding - focused, tough but vulnerable, and funny. I was sad to learn that Renfro died of substance abuse age 25 - he was really talented. As his down and out mother, Mary-Louise Parker tries hard - it's more her character and lines that are cliched. But the real stars are Susan Sarandon as the spirited lawyer Reggie Love who gets many knocks but gets back up again. And Tommy Lee Jones, as the lead detective, is just wonderful - smart and tough and a little devious in his attempts to get information oit of the kid. Like in The Fugitive, the police are actually harassing the witness and not the culprits. In this case, the witness is a child, whose rights Reggie ferociously fights for.
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I had a really good time watching this good Grisham's thriller; there are a few thing that putted together make of this movie a good one!: (1) A good script; with Grisham sign on it, is captivating, tense and thrilling. (2) A good cast, with an outstanding acting of Susan Sarandon and a good acting performance of Tommy Lee Jones. (3) Great cinematography (4) Good directing of Joel Schumacher that combine all of the previous. The only thing that i didn't liked much was the acting of the boy Brad Renfo, it was obvious that he is a rookie actor; he doesn't show any emotion during the film, even in the most tense situations, but i respect this, Grisham wanted to look this way; i simply didn't liked it.
ABOUT THE MOVIE: Brad Renfo plays the role of Mark Sway, a boy who don't live in the best economical conditions, who liked to sneak outside his house, one day, with his brother Ricky (David Speck) they saw a man that wanted to commit suicide, an attorney, who before killing himself told Mark that he knew where Barry "The Blade" Muldano (Anthony LaPaglia) hide the corpse of a killed senator; later, he and his brother witnessed the suicide. The story of Mark here became tense as the Police and the news describe him as witness, and the mafia of "The Blade" try to find him, thinking that he knows something; Mark don't wan't to declare what he knows to the police, leaded by Reverend Roy Foltrigg (Tommy Lee Jones) and he finds an attorney, Reggie Love (Susan Sarandon) who protect him. The cat - mouse play begin in a tense and good story; Mark mom Diane (Mary-Louis Parker) plays a good role.
7/10! another good film of Grisham! and Schumacher! -
Cal-373 September 1999I want to address some of the major holes in the plot, so if you haven't seen the movie yet you may want to skip this review.
Why would the mob assume that this lawyer, who was about to commit suicide, would be telling the kid anything regarding the dead body? That's a pretty big assumption to make. OK, so assuming that they did guess right, i.e. the kid now knows everything, why do they think scaring him will keep him from talking? Wouldn't it be more final just to bump him off in the elevator when they have the perfect opportunity? But no, let's threaten him only, still giving him the chance to spill his guts to the authorities.
But the little jerk can't just tell what he knows, and let the authorities sort it out. He and his stupid lawyer decide that they must go and see the body for themselves, to be sure that the suicide committing lawyer wasn't lying in the first place. Yeah, right. That makes perfect sense. Let's break into the dead lawyers boathouse, and see if the rotting corpse is there, then maybe he'll testify. -
rmax30482320 October 2004Wow, what a cast! And they all deliver the goods too. Susan Sarandon is an exceptional actress. Watch the scene in "Dead Man Walking" when she visits the family of one of the victims. She doesn't just sit quietly. She actively "listens" to them. And Tommy Lee Jones uncovers the comic side of his dashing political lawyer. Even the eleven-year-old kid gives a spot on performance, anything but cute, which is a relief. The smaller roles are equally well done although there is less to be done well. J. T. Walsh is always good. Mary-Louise Parker never makes a wrong move as the stressed-out mother. Ossie Davis is a monumental presence as the judge. Bill Macy is given only a few lines.
The script isn't bad either, especially in the first half of the film, in which the characters are being established. There are, alas, three clichés.
The bad guys LOOK like move bad guys usually look. They dress in black, have long greasy hair, are engraved with threatening jailhouse tattoos of barbed wire and things, and they never seem to enjoy themselves.
There are also two stereotypical scenes which really should have been avoided. In the first, the boy, Renfro, is trying to sneak out of a hospital. He pokes his face through a door into the reception room, where he sees his mother and two cops walking around. In the shadows he also spots the man he knows is trying to murder him. So what does he do? Does he run to his Mom and the police for protection? Certainly not. He does what aay potential murder victim would do. He dashes away from safety, down several flights of an empty stairway, followed closely by the squinter with a knife. The scene that follows is lifted straight out of "Coma," with the killer being locked in a refrigerator.
The other stereotyped situation is towards the end, when (just by the most improbable of coincidences) Sarandon and Renfro reach an empty boat house at the same time as three of the heavies. The two innocents try to avoid being discovered. There is a lot of tiptoeing around on creaky boards, a foot chase through some bushes, one of those scenes in which one person holds a gun on a second, and the second smiles and says, "You don't have the guts to pull the trigger," and walks up closer to the muzzle.
I've pointed out these weaknesses not because this is a bad movie. It's really pretty good. But the cast is so outstanding that any weakness in the story is the more highly illuminated.
See it, if only to see the range of facial expressions into which Jones is able to fashion his face. -
michaelRokeefe15 September 2000Joel Schumacher directs an intense and enthralling catch as catch can thriller based on John Grisham's novel of the same name. A young boy(Brad Renfro) witnesses the suicide of a high dollar lawyer, who is do to represent a Mafia hitman that is accused of killing a Senator. An egotistical district attorney(Tommy Lee Jones), the FBI and the Mafia all suspect that the boy, found at the scene, knows the dead lawyer's secrets. The 'wiser than his age' lad seeks help from a savvy female attorney (Susan Sarandon).
This movie leaves you little time to be bored. Not overly dramatic, but causing just enough tension to see you through to the end.
Also in the cast are Anthony Edwards, J.T. Walsh, William Macy and Ossie Davis. -
pawebster27 August 2009This could have been a children's film: boy hero outwits authorities and beats villains. Such is the predictable plot. Others have pointed out that the story rambles pointlessly and could easily have been shortened to half an hour. To make matters worse, the film becomes schmaltzy in the last ten minutes.
Tommy-Lee Jones and Anthony LaPaglia both overplay ridiculous caricatures. In fact all the baddies are like something from a kids' comic.
However, all this nonsense is saved by two performances. The best one is that of Susan Sarandon, who is just great in this - especially in her early scenes, in which she wipes everyone else off the screen.
Brad Renfro is also amazingly good as the boy. Not many child actors could have carried off this difficult part. He manages to do this without sentimentality.
It's worth a watch, but don't spend money on it. -
safenoe11 February 2022I saw The Client in the cinema when it was all the ralge to go to the cinema. I thought The Firm was better, but still, The Client doesn't necessarily disappoint. But I expected more from a cinematic experience. The Client could have been a more than decent TV film I guess.
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davidpixley621 September 2021Two simple problems. 1: An 11 year old kid would never have the balls, experience or stamina to stand up to the system. Give me a break.
2: The judge would never let a lawyer step up and lean on the bar and stick his face 3' away from an 11 year old to badger and intimidate.
There is much more. But those two film choices make me say, come on man! -
namashi_119 March 2011Based on the novel of the same name by John Grisham, 'The Client', directed by Joel Schumacher, in an interesting thriller, that also packs in memorable performances by it's lead-cast.
'The Client' tells the story of a eleven-year old boy, who, witnesses the suicide of a lawyer whose client is in the mob, and a female attorney, who, tries to protect him.
Joel Schumacher's body of work is a mixed bag. However, 'The Client', can surely rank amongst his better works. He has handled a couple of sequences with ease. However, I would like to state, that, the writing loses pace in it's final 30-minutes. And thus, the desired impact gets distracted. If it had been better or should I say more crisper, this flick would've been a classic affair! Tony Pierce-Roberts's Cinematography is good. Editing is fine.
Performance-Wise: As told before, the lead casts pack in memorable performances. Susan Sarandon is excellent as the female lawyer. Brad Renfro does a sincere job. Tommy Lee Jones is superb as the calculative U.S. Attorney. Mary-Louise Parker is good. J. T. Walsh is effective.
On the whole, 'The Cilent' is A Good Film in all respects. Definitely worth a watch! -
Mickey-228 December 2004"The Client", made in 1994 features the type of story that can happen in the pace of today's society. A young boy and his even younger brother slip off from school to indulge in youthful frivolities, and end up as witnesses to a Mob lawyer's suicide. The legal authorities are able to place the youth at the scene of the death, and they suspect the lawyer may have revealed some evidence about a murder that has gone unsolved. The mobsters in the city suspect this too, and the boy is caught between a rock and a hard place, wondering where to go to get help, and to stay ahead of the criminal elements stalking him and his family.
Enter in the scene of total chaos two folks who are attempting to help the boy with his problem. Susan Sarandon has the role of a lawyer willing to risk her career for Ricky, the youth, and Tommy Lee Jones plays an ambitious federal prosecutor anxious to use Ricky's testimony to further his own career. Susan's character takes Ricky under her legal protective wing, as it were, and the two square off in an effort to make the young client, Ricky, turn evidence over to them. Ricky is determined to protect his family before doing anything to help the authorities.
It's a superb suspense thriller, based on the John Grisham novel of the same name, and both Jones and Sarandon turn in great performances. The movie also benefits from support cast members such as Ossie Davis, Anthony LaPaglia, and as "The Client", Brad Renfro. Renfro shows some talent, and one hopes that he hasn't wasted the chance to have a good career. I gave the film a rating of 8/10, and would encourage viewers to keep one eye on the screen at all times. -
tastyhotdogs11 November 2005This is one of those movies that I've just been to busy for the last 11 years to see (although I found time to see "White Chicks", so....). We all know Joel Grisham writes a great drama, but sometimes the movie adaptions just wear you down.
The story is a bout a kid who witnesses a suicide of a lawyer entangled in a huge mafia case. He becomes involved in the midst of the suicide and is given some vital information about the mafia's dealings. When questioned by the police, he denies ever speaking to the man. He finds himself a lawyer and from here his life goes bonkers. In Grisham style, soon there's plenty of people trying to kill him and threatening his life if he opens his mouth. Will he confess, will he run or will he lie? It keeps you interested, but does drag at times and that little kid starts to get on your nerves. A solid cast, with the best work done by Sarandon. Tommy Lee was OK, they basically seemed to steal the Deputy Gerrard character from "The Fujitive" and tone him down about 30%. -
BlueSkies76514 March 2020Probably a bit nostalgic when it comes to this movie. It's from my childhood so seeing this type of movie was a new experience and made an impression. It was one of my favorite movies from my childhood.
However taking the nostalgia goggles off there are things universal about the movie. The performances were amazing. Not only is this movie very well-written, every actor made their character memorable.
Obviously the star of the movie is Brad Renfro. His death is tragic. And reading new articles from 2018 and 2019 makes his life story even more tragic to know he always had a troubled life. He was a great talent. He delivered an amazing performance in this movie, probably one of the best performances ever by a child actor. What makes it even more impressive is that he had no acting experience prior to this movie! Brad steals the show.
All the other actors have memorable performances too. The mob guys are believable as clever meanies who are always close on the trail of Mark, to the witty prosecutor and his team to his smart lawyer who Mark connects with the most. They're all memorable characters with depth and keep you captivated the entire movie.
A great edge of your seat thriller of a smart kid who becomes the target of the mob and is in a continues battle to survive. Not a movie focused on a high body count, but is more focused on realism, something that could actually happen where every action could have serious consequences. With Mark being a street-smart kid who's in a cat and mouse game with the mob and the prosecutor for the survival of him and his family. As someone who works in the legal field, it's interesting to see a bit of legal drama in the movie. Glamorized but also recognizable.
The best part of the movie is the relationship between Mark and Reggie. The movie gives the characters plenty of depth. Everybody got a backstory. Like Mark is a poor kid, his mother can't afford to pay for the hospital bill. The family doesn't have anybody and Mark's lawyer, Reggie understands Mark the most and a great friendship starts. Even though Mark is a very smart kid he needs Reggie who protects him in certain situations.
Overall a movie with great memorable characters, great interactions and keeps you on the edge of your seat. One of my favorites. -
Atreyu_II30 January 2011The premise of the film attracts. On practice, this premise is half successful and half average. There are scenes when it is good and thrilling and also scenes which it leaves to be desired.
This was the film debut of a young and promising talent named Brad Renfro. And what a glorious start for his career! Not so much for the movie itself which isn't that great, but for his demanding role and especially for his absolutely impeccable performance. He was such a talented young actor, so lively, so energetic and so dedicated to his actings that it's difficult to believe and imagine that his life was destroyed by drug addiction and that, now, sadly he is no longer alive. He was 25 when he died. He was one of those "old school" young talents like you don't see in this generation, one of those really eternal.
Brad Renfro plays Mark Sway, a boy who (together with his younger brother Ricky) witnesses a drunk and out-of-his-mind fat, brute guy trying to commit suicide in the most unusual way: by putting one end of a garden hose in the exhaust pipe of the car and the other end into a rear passenger window, and rolls up the window, so that the carbon monoxide poisoning can kill him.
Mark attempts to prevent that unsuccessfully. But on the 2nd attempt, the insane brute sees what he is doing, grabs him and takes him into the car with him. The entire sequence inside the car is extremely intense. More than seeing, you can feel the tension and panic on Mark Sway: he's sweating, shivering and fearing what that crazy lunatic might DO to him. And his little brother is no less anxious with the stress of the situation. When the 2 brothers escape, the guy shoots himself in the mouth, a horrifying event witnessed by the 2 brothers. The younger brother goes into major shock.
Mark Sway lives a living hell since then. He is threatened by a mafia shark with a knife in case he tells anyone what he knows. The boy becomes so frightened that he is forced to lie and even speaks aggressively. Mark swears often, but even when he swears he's cool and cute.
After the beginning, another tense scene is when Mark is chased by a criminal but he manages to outsmart him. The story has a happy ending.
The best things about this film are the 2 most tense scenes I mentioned, the happy ending and the amazing acting by Brad Renfro and the kid who plays his cute younger brother. Brad Renfro's brilliant acting makes this movie better than it would have otherwise been without him. -
I don't mean to play the prig, but the kid was withholding evidence. Are we really meant to be on his side? Surely it's more rational to hope that the forces of law and order get the information out of that little pipsqueak in the end.
Of course, it's perfectly possible to sympathise with someone who's thwarting the police - under circumstances other than these. Were the police evil, or incompetent? No. Was the child at all likeable? No. Did the child have a rational reason for keeping silent? No. (By the way, his justification for all of his questionable beliefs about the wider world was, `I seen it on TV' - presumably we were meant to sigh and say, `How cute.') Did anything at all interesting or exciting happen at any point during the movie to distract us from the annoying premise? Not that I noticed.
After two hours' of static stand-off there is a contrived ending - the child and his lawyer don't say, `Well, I suppose we'd better do SOMETHING to resolve the plot, such as it is,' but what they do say is almost as lame. I don't think anyone was even trying.