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      The Client

      1994, Mystery & thriller, 2h 0m

      40 Reviews 50,000+ Ratings

      What to know

      Critics Consensus

      The Client may not reinvent the tenets of the legal drama, but Joel Schumacher's sturdy directorial hand and a high-caliber cast bring John Grisham's page-turner to life with engrossing suspense. Read critic reviews

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      The Client  Photos

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      Movie Info

      Fast-paced thriller, based on the John Grisham bestseller, about a boy whose life is endangered after he stumbles across vital information about a politician's murder. His lawyer is the only person offering protection from the unwanted attentions of the Mob and the FBI - but is she capable of saving his life?

      • Rating: PG-13

      • Genre: Mystery & thriller

      • Original Language: English

      • Director: Joel Schumacher

      • Producer: Arnon Milchan, Steven Reuther

      • Writer: John Grisham, Akiva Goldsman, Robert Getchell

      • Release Date (Theaters):  wide

      • Release Date (Streaming):

      • Box Office (Gross USA): $90.8M

      • Runtime:

      • Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures

      • Production Co: Warner Bros., Regency Enterprises, Alcor Films

      • Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo

      Cast & Crew

      Susan Sarandon
      Tommy Lee Jones
      Anthony LaPaglia
      Anthony Edwards
      Ossie Davis
      David Speck
      J.T. Walsh
      Will Patton
      Anthony Heald
      Kim Coates
      Akiva Goldsman
      Robert Getchell
      Howard Shore
      Tony Pierce-Roberts
      Robert Brown

      News & Interviews for The Client

      Critic Reviews for The Client

      Audience Reviews for The Client

      • May 11, 2019

        One of the best casts ever assembled for a movie. For that reason alone it's worth watching. Overall, not a bad crime drama.

        Super Reviewer
      • Jul 02, 2012

        I've been a fan of this ever since I was a kid, and back then, I was really in love with it, even though some of it went over my head, and I might have been a little too young to appreciate some of it. But, I've since read the book and watched it a few more times, and yeah, I think it holds up pretty nicely. The plot follows that of a troubled young kid named Mark who, just before witnessing the suicide of a mob lawyer, became privy to some vital information. His brother is comatose due to also witnessing the death, and not only that, but Mark now finds himself hunted by both the mob who want to kill him and a determined federal attorney who wants to make him talk, possibly by force if needed. To help himself out, he gets representation from a recovering alkie lawyer, and their teaming up leads to healing and help for both of them. Like I said, I saw this as a kid, so nostalgia plays a big role here for me. As a kid, I was initially not allowed to see this, becaue my parents thought it was a pretty hard PG-13, but eventually they lightened up, and it became a film we all would watch together once in a while. Since the source material is John Grisham, you know it's gonna be a pretty breezy and thrilling ride, but not without heart and some depth. The cast populating this thing is quite remarkable. Brad Renfro made his debut here as Mark, and it was a great start to an unfortunately short career. Being somewhat unprofessional allowed his natural charisma and confidence to shine through, and he embodies Mark's mix of street-wise toughness and vulnerability with confidence and ease. To back him up, we gets the likes of Tommy Lee Jones, Susan Sarandon, Mary-Louise Parker, Anthony LaPaglia, Anthony Edwards, Ossie Davis, J.T. Walsh. And, they all deliver some good work. This is one of the stronger efforts from Schumacher, and it came out before he began to get swept up in bloated super mainstream crap that, while sometimes entertaining, really doesn't matter.

        Super Reviewer
      • Apr 25, 2012

        Young Mark Sway has witnessed a suicide of a mafia lawyer, but knows more than he should when that man tells him about a hidden body. The boy hires an attorney for just a dollar, seriously. This attorney just so happens to be a woman, a woman named Regina who ends up having to protect him and herself. After all, he does need protection for the mob family who's after him. The film itself is not as satisfying as it could have been, but is still worth watching. Mark Sway is not the kind of boy who gets scared so easily, he's tough and acts as if he knows the world. Yes, he's in serious jeopardy of course, but doesn't always act like it. That is his character. Brad Renfro plays Mark Sway, and does a good job with staying as him. His lawyer Susan who is played by Susan Sarandon also does a good job with staying into character, she has children of her own but they were taken into their father's hands due to her abuse in acohol. However, she has been sober for quite a few years and hates the fact that her children do not live with her. That is why she treats Mark Sway as if he is her own child, she's the perfect lawyer and he knows it. Once again, The Client is not as great as it could have been, but it is still a worthy view.

        Super Reviewer
      • Feb 13, 2011

        First off let me begin by saying I've changed my job in these three days after long thinking and went to this movie today. aaaah the film got me smiling from that boy , the boy was hero outwits authorities and beats villains. "The Client "One day while Mark and his younger brother Ricky are having a cigarette in the woods, a fat sweaty man parks his car there and starts letting car exhaust flow into the car. When Mark tries to unhook it, the man shoves him into the car and reveals some dark secrets. After Mark manages to escape, the man shoots himself. Once the police investigation begins, Mark doesn't tell everything that happened, but the police are suspicious. Meanwhile, prosecutor Roy Foltrigg (Tommy Lee Jones) hopes to use Mark's hidden information to bring down a New Orleans mafioso (Anthony LaPaglia), while Mark is tired of getting questioned, and so he hires novice lawyer Reggie Love (Susan Sarandon), who has been having to deal with her own demons. This movie leaves you little time to be bored. Not overly dramatic, but causing just enough tension to see you through to the end.

        Super Reviewer

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