IMDb > The Client (1994)
The Client
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The Client (1994) More at IMDbPro »

Videos (see all 3)
The Client (1994) -- A young boy who witnessed the suicide of a mafia lawyer hires an attorney to protect him when the district attorney tries to use him to take down a mob family.
The Client (1994) -- AllTrailers.net - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
6.5/10   17,962 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 23% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Joel Schumacher
Writers (WGA):
John Grisham (novel)
Akiva Goldsman (screenplay) ...
more
Contact:
View company contact information for The Client on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
20 July 1994 (USA) more
Genre:
Thriller | Mystery | Drama more
Tagline:
A District Attorney Out For A Conviction. A New Lawyer Out Of Her League. A Young Boy Who Knew Too Much.
Plot:
A young boy who witnessed the suicide of a mafia lawyer hires an attorney to protect him when the district attorney tries to use him to take down a mob family. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 2 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(17 articles)
Tommy Lee Jones to Direct Matthew McConaughey in 'Lincoln Lawyer'
 (From MTV Movies Blog. 14 October 2009, 12:00 PM, PDT)
The Many Cameos Of J.J. Abrams’ ‘Star Trek’
 (From MTV Movies Blog. 11 May 2009, 12:00 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
Above Average Legal Tale. more (70 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Susan Sarandon ... Regina "Reggie" Love

Tommy Lee Jones ... 'Reverend' Roy Foltrigg

Mary-Louise Parker ... Dianne Sway

Anthony LaPaglia ... Barry 'The Blade' Muldano

J.T. Walsh ... Jason McThune

Anthony Edwards ... Clint Von Hooser

Brad Renfro ... Mark Sway
Will Patton ... Sergeant Hardy

Bradley Whitford ... Thomas Fink

Anthony Heald ... Larry Trumann

Kim Coates ... Paul Gronke

Kimberly Scott ... Doreen
David Speck ... Ricky Sway

William H. Macy ... Dr. Greenway

Ossie Davis ... Judge Harry Roosevelt
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for a child in jeopardy and brief language.
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
119 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby SR
Certification:
Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 | South Korea:12 (DVD rating) | Germany:12 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | Peru:14 | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario)
Filming Locations:
Clinton, Mississippi, USA more
Company:
Alcor Films more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The Elvis PEZ dispenser was designed specifically for this movie, by the props department, and has never been made by PEZ. more
Goofs:
Continuity: Positioning of the Sprite can when Sergeant Hardy hands it to Mark Sway. It is in Hardy's hand, with the label to the left of his thumb (at 18:47 on the DVD), then he says its a Sprite, and the can is turned around in the next shot with the label to the right of his thumb (at 18:51). more
Quotes:
Dianne Sway: Alls I ever wanted was a white house with a walk-in closet. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Will & Grace: William, Tell (#1.6)" (1998) more
Soundtrack:
Bourbon Street Parade more

FAQ

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
15 out of 21 people found the following comment useful.
Above Average Legal Tale., 20 October 2004
Author: Robert J. Maxwell (rmax304823@yahoo.com) from Deming, New Mexico

Wow, 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.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (70 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Client (1994)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Crappy movie!!! rohit_ms
Big plot hole at end rockxwl
maggots?? marlafox76
lol hes wearing a milli vanilli shirt. newwavepop
This is a brilliant movie!!!!!!!!!!!! LA-kid
Barry the Blade was better in the book purniacal
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