A very good cast is squandered on this absurd story that finds a young boy (Mark) caught in the midst of legal skullduggery between the FBI and the mafia.
The mafia characters - some of the most clownish mob stereotypes I've yet seen on screen - assume that their suicidal lawyer blabbed details about a high-profile murder to Mark before shooting himself and so pursue him with the competency of Home Alone's wet bandits. On the opposing side, you have Tommy Lee Jones, putting in a solid and enjoyable performance as a charismatic but duplicitous DA, driven to make Mark testify. Mark's only ally is Susan Sarandon's Reggie Love, a small-time lawyer intent on protecting her client.
The best scenes focus on the cerebral chess between Sarandon and Jones' characters, negotiating, using and abusing the various legal tools at their disposal. Reggie and Mark's chemistry is also enjoyable and there is some fun, snappy dialogue between the two.
Sadly it all goes off the rails and into the realm of the implausible when Mark decides the only way to ensure his entry into the Witness Protection programme is by verifying the location of the murder victim's body himself, a scheme that Reggie goes along with, and soon the pair are poking around at night in Goonies-like fashion, digging up the maggot-riddled body in the boathouse and evading the bumbling bad guys! This film tries to take two bites of the cherry being a serious legal drama AND a boys' own adventure romp, but sadly the latter undermines the former and it's all too silly to be taken seriously.
Still, it was an easy to watch film and most viewers will get a kick out of the strong central characters and performances.
The mafia characters - some of the most clownish mob stereotypes I've yet seen on screen - assume that their suicidal lawyer blabbed details about a high-profile murder to Mark before shooting himself and so pursue him with the competency of Home Alone's wet bandits. On the opposing side, you have Tommy Lee Jones, putting in a solid and enjoyable performance as a charismatic but duplicitous DA, driven to make Mark testify. Mark's only ally is Susan Sarandon's Reggie Love, a small-time lawyer intent on protecting her client.
The best scenes focus on the cerebral chess between Sarandon and Jones' characters, negotiating, using and abusing the various legal tools at their disposal. Reggie and Mark's chemistry is also enjoyable and there is some fun, snappy dialogue between the two.
Sadly it all goes off the rails and into the realm of the implausible when Mark decides the only way to ensure his entry into the Witness Protection programme is by verifying the location of the murder victim's body himself, a scheme that Reggie goes along with, and soon the pair are poking around at night in Goonies-like fashion, digging up the maggot-riddled body in the boathouse and evading the bumbling bad guys! This film tries to take two bites of the cherry being a serious legal drama AND a boys' own adventure romp, but sadly the latter undermines the former and it's all too silly to be taken seriously.
Still, it was an easy to watch film and most viewers will get a kick out of the strong central characters and performances.