The Client
3.5/4
Starring: Susan Sarandon, Tommy Lee Jones, Brad Renfro, Anthony LaPaglia, Mary-Louise Parker
Rated PG-13 for A Child in Jeopardy and Brief Language
During the 90's, there was no author bigger than John Grisham, and due to the cinematic and suspenseful nature of his novels, the rights to his books were snapped up by Hollywood as fast as he could write them. "The Firm" was the first, and it was followed by "The Pelican Brief." "The Client" was the third, but by no means the last.
Mark Sway (Renfro) is sharing a forbidden cigarette with his brother Ricky (David Speck), when they spot something disturbing. A drunken man connects a hose from his car's tailpipe to his window. Realizing that this man is trying to commit suicide, Mark tries to save him. But the man catches him and amid his drunken ramblings, he reveals the location of a dead body. That dead body is a missing senator, and he's been offed by a mob killer known as Barry "The Blade" Muldano (LaPaglia). It doesn't take long for the mob and an attention-loving US Attorney (Jones) to realize that Mark knows where the body is. Fearing for his life and the lives of his mother (Parker) and brother, Mark turns to the first nice lawyer he comes across. Her name is Reggie Love (Sarandon), and she agrees to help him for the price of a dollar.
The story isn't what's really engaging. It's a little thin, and not particularly interesting. It's also, essentially, irrelevant. This is really about three people trying to achieve the same aim. They all have different motivations, and that's what makes it so interesting and so compelling. Attorney Roy Fotrigg wants a conviction to jump start his political career, and he's willing to do anything, including some blatantly unethical (not to mention illegal, as Reggie points out) methods to get Mark to talk. Reggie wants Mark to talk too, but protecting him is more important. At the center of it is Mark himself, who has seen something no one should see, and is terrified that the mob is going to kill him and his family.
The increasing pressure on all three of these characters and how they react to it is where the real drama lies (the stuff with the mobsters isn't very interesting because the acting, save for Anthony LaPaglia, is flat), and Schumacher handles it with utmost skill. We know and like Reggie and Mark, and we understand what drives Roy. In the latter's case, Schumacher resists the temptation to turn Roy into a sleazy lawyer who is just as nasty as the mob. Roy may not be likable, but he's not evil. He just has a large ego and thinks (wrongly) that he can push people around.
The performances are terrific. Tommy Lee Jones shows that he is capable of playing more than versions of Sam Gerard from "The Fugitive" and "US Marshals." Fotrigg believes his own press, but his ultimate goal is getting Mark to talk, and if that means backing down (at least momentarily), then he'll do that. Brad Renfro, a talented actor who died of a drug overdose a week before Heath Ledger, makes his film debut here. He's quite good, although there are moments where he's a little rough (mostly because of clunky dialogue). He's tough, but scared. The way he plays the character is refreshing. The best performance is given by Susan Sarandon. Reggie forms a motherly bond with her young client, and it's due to the strength of her performance that this rings true.
It is a stroke of genuine wisdom that Schumaker makes this movie the interactions of the three characters rather than the plot. Lest I make this movie seem like an arthouse drama, I assure you, it is not. There is real suspense in the increasing pressure all of the characters are under, and wondering what they will do next. The only real flaw is that the ending descends into action scenes that aren't particularly credible. Still, they are at least well crafted.
Of all the films based on John Grisham's books, this is easily the best I've seen.
Starring: Susan Sarandon, Tommy Lee Jones, Brad Renfro, Anthony LaPaglia, Mary-Louise Parker
Rated PG-13 for A Child in Jeopardy and Brief Language
During the 90's, there was no author bigger than John Grisham, and due to the cinematic and suspenseful nature of his novels, the rights to his books were snapped up by Hollywood as fast as he could write them. "The Firm" was the first, and it was followed by "The Pelican Brief." "The Client" was the third, but by no means the last.
Mark Sway (Renfro) is sharing a forbidden cigarette with his brother Ricky (David Speck), when they spot something disturbing. A drunken man connects a hose from his car's tailpipe to his window. Realizing that this man is trying to commit suicide, Mark tries to save him. But the man catches him and amid his drunken ramblings, he reveals the location of a dead body. That dead body is a missing senator, and he's been offed by a mob killer known as Barry "The Blade" Muldano (LaPaglia). It doesn't take long for the mob and an attention-loving US Attorney (Jones) to realize that Mark knows where the body is. Fearing for his life and the lives of his mother (Parker) and brother, Mark turns to the first nice lawyer he comes across. Her name is Reggie Love (Sarandon), and she agrees to help him for the price of a dollar.
The story isn't what's really engaging. It's a little thin, and not particularly interesting. It's also, essentially, irrelevant. This is really about three people trying to achieve the same aim. They all have different motivations, and that's what makes it so interesting and so compelling. Attorney Roy Fotrigg wants a conviction to jump start his political career, and he's willing to do anything, including some blatantly unethical (not to mention illegal, as Reggie points out) methods to get Mark to talk. Reggie wants Mark to talk too, but protecting him is more important. At the center of it is Mark himself, who has seen something no one should see, and is terrified that the mob is going to kill him and his family.
The increasing pressure on all three of these characters and how they react to it is where the real drama lies (the stuff with the mobsters isn't very interesting because the acting, save for Anthony LaPaglia, is flat), and Schumacher handles it with utmost skill. We know and like Reggie and Mark, and we understand what drives Roy. In the latter's case, Schumacher resists the temptation to turn Roy into a sleazy lawyer who is just as nasty as the mob. Roy may not be likable, but he's not evil. He just has a large ego and thinks (wrongly) that he can push people around.
The performances are terrific. Tommy Lee Jones shows that he is capable of playing more than versions of Sam Gerard from "The Fugitive" and "US Marshals." Fotrigg believes his own press, but his ultimate goal is getting Mark to talk, and if that means backing down (at least momentarily), then he'll do that. Brad Renfro, a talented actor who died of a drug overdose a week before Heath Ledger, makes his film debut here. He's quite good, although there are moments where he's a little rough (mostly because of clunky dialogue). He's tough, but scared. The way he plays the character is refreshing. The best performance is given by Susan Sarandon. Reggie forms a motherly bond with her young client, and it's due to the strength of her performance that this rings true.
It is a stroke of genuine wisdom that Schumaker makes this movie the interactions of the three characters rather than the plot. Lest I make this movie seem like an arthouse drama, I assure you, it is not. There is real suspense in the increasing pressure all of the characters are under, and wondering what they will do next. The only real flaw is that the ending descends into action scenes that aren't particularly credible. Still, they are at least well crafted.
Of all the films based on John Grisham's books, this is easily the best I've seen.
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