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. .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 lawyer told Mark where the body is which is why he wants to speak to him. Mark goes to meet Roy and when he threatens him, Mark steps out then Reggie comes in with a recording of his conversation with Mark telling him that made several violations. In the meantime, the mobster is told by the head of the family to take care of Mark. So he...

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Plot Keywords:

boy | district attorney | reference to led zeppelin | lawyer client relationship | female lawyer | 

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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 | Thriller

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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:

The Client

Filming Locations:

USA

Box Office

Budget:

$45,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$17,174,262, 24 July 1994

Gross USA:

$92,115,211

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$117,615,211

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

At the time of filming, author John Grisham had casting approval over all film adaptations of his work, and specified that "no professional child actors in Hollywood" be cast as Mark Sway. He felt that the film wouldn't work with a well-known child actor (sporting a phony accent) in the role and that by casting an unknown in the part (preferably from the Memphis area, where the story is set) the film's credibility wouldn't be compromised. Brad Renfro, a native of Knoxville, Tennessee beat out thousands of actors for the role, including Macaulay Culkin.

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Goofs

As Mark crawls up to Romey's car from the right hand side, Romy sees him out of the right wing mirror viewed from inside the car from 06:38 to 06:40 on the DVD. In the mirror, Mark is crawling straight toward the mirror, while in previous and subsequent shots he is crawling to the back of the car from the side.

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Quotes

Reggie: [upon seeing Mark's Led Zeppelin t-shirt] You like Led Zeppelin?
Mark: Yeah. Do YOU like Led Zeppelin?
Reggie: Oh, sure. They were a great band.
Mark: I bet you've never even heard of Led Zeppelin. I bet you're just one of them grown ups who just pretends to like really cool bands just to get close to little punks like me.
Reggie: Well, I think we've covered just about everything...
Mark: Ok, what's you're favorite Led Zeppelin song?
Reggie: um... Moby Dick, live version. Bitchin' drum solo.

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Connections

Referenced in Black Hawk Down (2001)

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Soundtracks

St. Louis Blues
Written by W.C. Handy (as William C. Handy)
Performed by Preservation Hall Jazz Band of New Orleans, LA
Courtesy of Sony Classical
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

User Reviews

Enjoyable Thriller

Mark 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.

7/10