THE CLIENT
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1994 James Berardinelli
Rating (0 to 10): 6.6
Date Released: 7/20/94 Running Length: 2:01 Rated: PG-13 (Language, violence, mature themes)
Starring: Susan Sarandon, Brad Renfro, Tommy Lee Jones, Mary-Louise Parker, Anthony LaPaglia, J. T. Walsh, Anthony Edwards, Ossie Davis Director: Joel Schumacher Producers: Arnon Milchan and Steven Reuther Screenplay: Akiva Goldsman and Robert Getchell based on the novel by John Grisham Cinematography: Tony Pierce-Roberts Music: Howard Shore Released by Warner Brothers
This time around, I thought I'd do things a little differently. For both THE FIRM and THE PELICAN BRIEF, I made my way through the written version before approaching the cinematic one. Neither book dazzled me, and the impressions given by the movies were less memorable. So, for THE CLIENT, I decided to eschew Grisham's novel altogether and see if, divorced from its source material, Joel Schumacher's film could provide a couple hours of light entertainment. Besides, a friend of mine was only able to get through a third of book, and her opinion of Grisham is certainly higher than mine.
It's not difficult to understand why THE FIRM, THE PELICAN BRIEF, and THE CLIENT have all been bestsellers. They're tightly-written, don't require a lot of concentration, have very simple storylines, and can be read in a sitting or two. In essence, they're what someone I know calls "good trash." Grisham is prolific--and now, very wealthy.
Unfortunately, his writing makes for a perfect Hollywood screenplay--lots of action and not much originality. THE CLIENT's greatest disadvantage is its flat plot, which includes few (if any) surprises and revolves on a premise that we've seen before--in THE FIRM and THE PELICAN BRIEF, among others. Grisham apparently has a thing about a group of law officers going after some innocent victim of circumstances.
THE CLIENT's premise is tenuous in its believability. The movie starts out with young Mark Sway (Brad Renfro) out in the woods, watching a mob lawyer try to kill himself. In attempting to foil the suicide, Mark gets caught, and has to listen to a rambling confession before the lawyer blows his brains out. After that, hotshot prosecutor Roy Foltrigg (Tommy Lee Jones) wants Mark on the witness stand, thinking--correctly--that the boy learned the location of the missing corpse of a dead senator. Realizing that he's in over his head, Mark seeks out an attorney, and finds one in the person of Reggie Love (Susan Sarandon), who takes his case for a fee of one dollar. But a killer (Anthony LaPaglia) who believes Mark knows too much, is after the boy and anyone to whom he might tell his secret.
In the beginning, Mark won't reveal anything about his conversation with the dead mob lawyer. Why? Later, after his life has been threatened, the reason is obvious, but why hide things at the start? I guess we're supposed to believe that the kid is scared and confused, but he does enough clear-headed things to limit the plausibility of this explanation.
Despite plot holes and contrivances, THE CLIENT is a well-made motion picture. Everything about it (except the screenplay) is top-notch. Director Joel Schumacher (whose last film was FALLING DOWN) has spun a web of intrigue by getting the most out of his cast and crew. With expert jobs done by the editor and cinematographer, THE CLIENT moves while having its share of dark, brooding moments as well as tautly suspenseful ones.
The cast is impeccable. Newcomer Brad Renfro portrays Mark with a palpable mix of anger and fear. Susan Sarandon gives her usual solid performance, and Tommy Lee Jones oozes equal parts charisma and false charm. Mary-Louise Parker, one of the better representatives of today's crop of twentysomething actors, is underused as Mark's mother Dianne, but she makes the most of every scene she's in.
THE CLIENT is an example of what happens when a production team does the best they can possibly do with a routine script. Schumacher has succeeded where two other accomplished directors (Sydney Pollack, who did THE FIRM, and Alan Pakula, of THE PELICAN BRIEF) have failed: bringing a Grisham novel to the screen in a manner that's more entertaining than trying. This isn't a masterpiece of suspense, but it has its moments and is capable of providing some light summer entertainment.
I think from now on, I'll skip reading Grisham's books and wait for the movies. If nothing else, it will save me some time.
- James Berardinelli (blake7@cc.bellcore.com)
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