The Client

Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Susan Sarandon, Brad Renfro, William H. Macy, Will Patton, J.T. Walsh, Mary-Louise Parker
Directed by: Joel Schumacher
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Crime, Thriller
1994

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A young boy (Brad Renfro) witnesses the suicide of a mob lawyer, and learns some vital information before the man dies. This puts his life in grave jeopardy. A lawyer (Susan Sarandon) befriends the boy and decides to represent him, especially against a powerful U.S. Attorney (Tommy Lee Jones).

Review:

Tim: John Grisham can really write moving and powerful stories. The movies based on his novels are almost always as spectacular.

This film rests on the performance of Brad Renfro. His performance would make or break this movie. Fortunately, he is excellent and allows the movie to be believable and enjoyable. You really need to see him act, because he is great.

I am not a big fan of Susan Sarandon. However, she is pretty amazing in this role. It is perhaps my favorite performance of hers. She was nominated for an Academy Award for this role. She and Renfro interact brilliantly and have good chemistry together.

Tommy Lee Jones is pretty good as a "bad" guy. I'd like to see him in more roles like this one. The rest of the cast is all pretty impressive, giving good supporting roles. However, it should be noted that the cast here pales in comparison to other Grishman novel/movies, such as A Time to Kill. Regardless, Grisham's movies always have excellent all around casts.

The Client is intense and interesting. It makes the legal side to the film every bit as fascinating as the dramatic and thrilling side. It is an all around good movie. It is not the best Grisham movie, but it is truly worth seeing- it will keep you entertained.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Firm, A Time to Kill, The Devil's Advocate, Witness