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.

Director:

Joel Schumacher

Writers:

John Grisham (novel), Akiva Goldsman (screenplay)

Stars:

Susan Sarandon, Tommy Lee Jones, Brad Renfro

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Susan Sarandon	...	Reggie Love
Tommy Lee Jones	...	Roy Foltrigg
Mary-Louise Parker	...	Dianne Sway
Anthony LaPaglia	...	Barry Muldano
J.T. Walsh	...	McThune
Anthony Edwards	...	Clint Von Hooser
Brad Renfro	...	Mark Sway
Will Patton	...	Sgt. Hardy
Bradley Whitford	...	Thomas Fink
Anthony Heald	...	Trumann
Kim Coates	...	Paul Gronke
Kimberly Scott	...	Doreen
David Speck	...	Ricky Sway
William H. Macy	...	Dr. Greenway
Ossie Davis	...	Harry Roosevelt

Storyline

Mark Sway is an 11 year old boy who lives with his mother and brother in a trailer. One day he and his brother are hanging out when a car pulls over beside them. The driver then sticks a hose in his exhaust and puts the other end into the car. Mark pulls it out. But the man sees him and grabs him and takes inside the car. The man talks to Mark then later shoots himself. The shock sends Mark's brother into a catatonic state. The police question him and slips out some stuff that makes them think he's saying more than he knows. Roy Foltrigg, a prosecutor with political ambitions tells Mark he wants to talk to him tomorrow. Mark feeling that he needs a lawyer, sees Reggie Love. Mark tells her about the man who killed himself. Reggie tells him he's a mob lawyer. And one of his clients is a member of a mob family who is suspected of killing a Senator who was trying to take down his family. But because the Senator's body is missing, they can't prosecute him. Reggie thinks Foltrigg thinks the...

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Plot Keywords:

boy | reference to led zeppelin | elvis presley character | lawyer | mafia | 

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Taglines:

A District Attorney Out For A Conviction. A New Lawyer Out Of Her League. A Young Boy Who Knew Too Much.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 July 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

El cliente

Filming Locations:

Clinton, Mississippi, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$45,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$92,115,211

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$117,600,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Regency Enterprises, Alcor Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was Brad Renfro's film debut.

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Goofs

As Reggie and Mark approach the boat house, Mark shines a flashlight from his car. The shot inside the car shows that the flashlight is emitting a bluish halogen light. From the outside, the beam is a yellowish incandescent color.

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Quotes

Reggie: You've been lyin' to me. You got three to tell me the truth, 1... 2... 3...
Mark: YOU'RE THE LIAR! KEEP THE DOLLAR! YOU'RE FIRED!

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Connections

Referenced in Jeopardy!: Episode #22.217 (2006)

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Soundtracks

Bourbon Street Parade
Written by Paul Barbarin
Performed by Jimmy Maxwell and his Orchestra
Courtesy of Her Records

User Reviews

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.