Review of The Client (1994) by Steven B — 23 Mar 2010
4/5 Stars-Based on the John Grisham novel, this film is excellent, mainly due to the source material, which is about as original of a crime/legal thriller that I can think of. I actually read the book as a 4th grader and loved it, and saw this on opening weekend with my parents. What a family outing!
Brad Renfro appears in his first film, and is excellent, as is Susan Sarandon, who received a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her performance. Tommy Lee Jones is essentially playing a lawyer version of his "Gerard" character from "The Fugitive", but is a good fit. The rest of the ensemble cast is a proverbial who's-who: Mary Louise-Parker, William H. Macy, Anthony LaPaglia, Bradley Whitford, even Ossie Davis as a judge. However, Renfro is the the true standout, and if you can avoid thinking of his troubled demise, you'll see a budding young star with potential.
The directing, pace, and performances are a bit hokey and B-Movie like, and many of the characters are stuck in the 90's fashion (especially LaPaglia's character) but it doesn't hurt the film that much. It's a riveting story, and I've seen the film at least 10 times now, and never get bored watching it. So if you are wondering why I am reviewing a 16 year old film, there you go.
This review of The Client (1994) was written by Steven B on 23 Mar 2010.
The Client has generally received positive reviews.
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