The Client

The Client is a good film with moments of extreme greatness especially for a courtroom thriller such as this. But there are also scenes where they should have been added into the editing room. The film was excellent in the beginning, slows to a crawl in the middle, and picks up in the end. If it stayed like the beginning, this film would have been flawless. After a 11-year-old kid and his brother witnessed a suicide, the kid hires an attorney to help protect him and his family from threatening mafia members and a stubborn Federal District attorney. The acting is very good in this film. Susan Sarandon seemed like she was born to play this role. She was just perfect! For a kid who never acted before, Brad Renfro was brilliant as the snobby 11-year-old. Overall, this is a slightly above-average crime thriller. Sarandon steals the show as her role of the attorney. Joel Schumacher directed a masterpiece compared to the Batman films he would take over after this film. I rate this film 8/10.

first off I want to say even for all the plot holes in this movie it is still an OK movie to watch. But I just could not find it as enjoyable as I could when the kid you have to root for is a snot nosed little brat you want to smack the crap out of yourself. Saying that though even for when this movie was made the outstanding mistakes made by the legal part of this movie is beyond me. First off you have a cop intimidating a child witness which makes no sense, second when Mark was first brought in to talk to the lawyers they never would have anyway interviewed him without his mother because any defense lawyer would then tear apart the kids statement as soon as he took the stand and have all evidence thrown out of court, thirdly this is all based on what the lawyer might have told the kid which considering there is no proof they could ever possibly know what was actually talked about in the car all, all mark had to say was the guy just talked about wanting to die and the FBI could never prove otherwise and everything would once again be thrown out, fourth and finally even if Mark admitted that the lawyer told him something the FBI couldn't do anything with it because it is hearsay and also it broke client confidentiality as soon as the lawyer told Mark so it in no way could have been used as evidence and any evidence gotten from it would become invalid and not usable in a court of law. Also at one point in the movie the FBI hears on a wire tap the guy they want pretty much admitting to the crime and to wanting to whack the kid which is more than enough evidence they need to arrest him. OK movie but just full of to many plot holes to make any real sense.

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

Somehow the plot holes didn't seem so glaring in Grisham's novel. Anyway, this is one of Susan Sarandon's many excellent performances. And Tommy Lee Jones gleefully chews the scenery here. You might think he is overacting, but he is really playing a character that comes across that way. Brad Renfro was an excellent find for this part. I haven't seen him in anything else, though. I imagine his Southern accent will hurt in getting other roles. Current TV stars Bradley Whitford and Anthony Edwards were non-entities in this film. It's a good film, not great. Grade B-

This is an unfortunate film. If described on paper in a few sentences the story seems of interest. The film is packed with good actors. The problems are: The kid they chose is wrong for the role. They keep saying he is 11 when he looks at least 14. The dialogue is a disaster. The scriptwriters should be shot (figuatively--not literally). They have the kid talk and act like he is an adult. What were they thinking? Scenes are too long and drawn out when they have already made their point. Tommy Lee Jones' accent is overdone and obnoxious at the start. Later he tones it down. The scenes with the bad policeman harassing the kid are so poorly done and drawn out that it becomes cartoonish. Some of the females are nice. The kid's mother is cute, and the nurse is more than cute. As it turns out, this movie was a total miscalculation on the part of its makers. And that is a pity----with so much good material (actors) to work with.

"The Client", another marginal film from the master of the marginal film, is a B flick trying to look like an A flick. Schumacher manages to wrest some second rate performances from an excellent cast and Renfro's debut is no exception. The sweaty Southern noir atmospherics don't work any better than the music which seems always off target in this clumsy film which only squeaks by on the sheer charisma and talent of heavyweights Sarandon and Jones. Barely watchable, eminently forgettable, and for needy couch potatoes only. (C)

I had a really good time watching this good Grisham's thriller; there are a few thing that putted together make of this movie a good one!: (1) A good script; with Grisham sign on it, is captivating, tense and thrilling. (2) A good cast, with an outstanding acting of Susan Sarandon and a good acting performance of Tommy Lee Jones. (3) Great cinematography (4) Good directing of Joel Schumacher that combine all of the previous. The only thing that i didn't liked much was the acting of the boy Brad Renfo, it was obvious that he is a rookie actor; he doesn't show any emotion during the film, even in the most tense situations, but i respect this, Grisham wanted to look this way; i simply didn't liked it. ABOUT THE MOVIE: Brad Renfo plays the role of Mark Sway, a boy who don't live in the best economical conditions, who liked to sneak outside his house, one day, with his brother Ricky (David Speck) they saw a man that wanted to commit suicide, an attorney, who before killing himself told Mark that he knew where Barry "The Blade" Muldano (Anthony LaPaglia) hide the corpse of a killed senator; later, he and his brother witnessed the suicide. The story of Mark here became tense as the Police and the news describe him as witness, and the mafia of "The Blade" try to find him, thinking that he knows something; Mark don't wan't to declare what he knows to the police, leaded by Reverend Roy Foltrigg (Tommy Lee Jones) and he finds an attorney, Reggie Love (Susan Sarandon) who protect him. The cat - mouse play begin in a tense and good story; Mark mom Diane (Mary-Louis Parker) plays a good role. 7/10! another good film of Grisham! and Schumacher!

Over the summer, I saw this movie for the first time. It was automatically one of favorites. And, actually, this is not my usual "type" of movie, either. I usually go for more light-hearted, romantic comedies. But this movie was definitely worth watching. After seeing it once, I ordered it on DVD and have watched it countless times since then. The acting in this movie is awesome, and it always keeps you interested. I would recommend this movie to anyone. It's not a kids movie, though. Susan Sarandon has always been one of my favorite actresses, and she excels in this movie. This part was perfect for her. Overall, I gave this movie a 10/10. If you haven't seen it, trust me..it deserves it!!! Thanks, USA_original

Wow, what a cast! And they all deliver the goods too. Susan Sarandon is an exceptional actress. Watch the scene in "Dead Man Walking" when she visits the family of one of the victims. She doesn't just sit quietly. She actively "listens" to them. And Tommy Lee Jones uncovers the comic side of his dashing political lawyer. Even the eleven-year-old kid gives a spot on performance, anything but cute, which is a relief. The smaller roles are equally well done although there is less to be done well. J. T. Walsh is always good. Mary-Louise Parker never makes a wrong move as the stressed-out mother. Ossie Davis is a monumental presence as the judge. Bill Macy is given only a few lines. The script isn't bad either, especially in the first half of the film, in which the characters are being established. There are, alas, three clichés. The bad guys LOOK like move bad guys usually look. They dress in black, have long greasy hair, are engraved with threatening jailhouse tattoos of barbed wire and things, and they never seem to enjoy themselves. There are also two stereotypical scenes which really should have been avoided. In the first, the boy, Renfro, is trying to sneak out of a hospital. He pokes his face through a door into the reception room, where he sees his mother and two cops walking around. In the shadows he also spots the man he knows is trying to murder him. So what does he do? Does he run to his Mom and the police for protection? Certainly not. He does what aay potential murder victim would do. He dashes away from safety, down several flights of an empty stairway, followed closely by the squinter with a knife. The scene that follows is lifted straight out of "Coma," with the killer being locked in a refrigerator. The other stereotyped situation is towards the end, when (just by the most improbable of coincidences) Sarandon and Renfro reach an empty boat house at the same time as three of the heavies. The two innocents try to avoid being discovered. There is a lot of tiptoeing around on creaky boards, a foot chase through some bushes, one of those scenes in which one person holds a gun on a second, and the second smiles and says, "You don't have the guts to pull the trigger," and walks up closer to the muzzle. I've pointed out these weaknesses not because this is a bad movie. It's really pretty good. But the cast is so outstanding that any weakness in the story is the more highly illuminated. See it, if only to see the range of facial expressions into which Jones is able to fashion his face.

'The Client' is perhaps one of the many films that won't be enjoyed as much after one has read the book. I, having not read John Grisham's novel, quite enjoyed it. Sure the movie has its flaws in the form of plot holes, caricatures, obvious clichés etc, but it essentially manages to keep the viewer engaged. 'The Client' is further backed up by strong performances. Susan Sarandon makes full use of her powerful screen presence and easily stands out. No wonder she's an exceptional actress. Reggie Love is one of her most memorable performances (among the so many she's already given). The late Brad Renfro, as the young Sway, is very competent and does impress in several scenes. Tommy Lee Jones is funny (both intentionally and unintentionally). From the supporting cast, Mary-Louise Parker leaves a mark. William H. Macy barely has more than a few lines but has a dignified presence. The villains both look and act like caricatures. In a nutshell, it's an interesting film with a flawed but gripping plot and marvelous performances.