The Client (1994)

Director:

Joel Schumacher

Writers (WGA):

John Grisham (novel)
Akiva Goldsman (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

20 July 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller | Mystery | Drama

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.

Plot Keywords:

Lawyer | Mafia | Suicide | Young Boy | District Attorney

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

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

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for a child in jeopardy and brief language.

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

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

Company:

Alcor Films

Trivia:

Joel Schumacher proposed "movie marriage" to Susan Sarandon in the middle of a crowded New York City restaurant during the summer of 1993 in order to convince her to do the movie. She agreed to make the film a few days later.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Mark and Reggie hug while his family is boarding the plane to Phoenix, there are flipped shots where Reggie's bracelet swaps from her "right" wrist in close-ups of Mark showing her "right" hand is on Mark's shoulder (at 1:53:54 and 01:53:57 on the DVD) to her left wrist in her close-up where her left hand is on the back of Mark's head (at 1:53:56 on the DVD). This was done intentionally because Mark's head was actually facing to his left in his close-up but was facing to his right in Reggie's close-up; the flip avoids Mark appearing to turn his head during the hug.

Quotes:

Mark: Thanks Rev. Roy, you've been a real pain in the ass.
Roy: Thank you, son. I can assure you, you have been an even larger pain in the ass.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Will & Grace: William, Tell (#1.6)" (1998)

Soundtrack:

Bourbon Street Parade

Dark and gripping

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.