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The Client
1994 119 min United States of America PG-13 12+
★7.3
Drama, Thriller, Crime, Mystery
Director: Joel Schumacher
🎭 Based on
«The Client»
byJohn Grisham
Trailers
EN
EN
Description
A street-wise kid, Mark Sway, sees the suicide of Jerome Clifford, a prominent Louisiana lawyer, whose current client is Barry 'The Blade' Muldano, a Mafia hit-man. Before Jerome shoots himself, he tells Mark where the body of a Senator is buried. Clifford shoots himself and Mark is found at the scene, and both the FBI and the Mafia quickly realize that Mark probably knows more than he says.
Budget:
$45M
US Gross:
$92.12M
Worldwide:
$117.62M
Starring
Susan Sarandon
Actor
Tommy Lee Jones
Actor
Brad Renfro
Actor
Awards
BAFTA 1995
— Best Actress
Screen Actors Guild Awards 1995
— Best Actress
Academy Awards 1995
— Best Actress
Key opinion
The Client is widely regarded as a successful adaptation of John Grisham's work, praised for its tight pacing and strong, character-driven performances. While some find the emotional impact to be standard for the genre, the chemistry between the lead actors and the taut direction make it a standout legal thriller of the 1990s.
| Acting | Brad Renfro and Susan Sarandon deliver powerful, authentic performances that ground the film's high-stakes narrative. | |
| Direction | Joel Schumacher directs with a confident, energetic hand that effectively transforms the source material into a taut, suspenseful thriller. | |
| Screenplay | The screenplay successfully balances legal procedural elements with human drama, maintaining consistent momentum throughout. | |
| Theme | The film strikes a balance between professional legal stakes and personal, empathetic bonds between characters. | |
| Emotion | Opinions on the film's lasting impact are divided: some view it as a 'pure' and gripping thriller, while others argue it functions primarily as a competent but conventional genre piece. | |
| Adaptation | Views on the adaptation are split: many praise the film for improving upon the source material's characters, while others find the blending of a child protagonist with mafia themes to be slightly mismatched. |