The Client (1994 film)
| The Client | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Joel Schumacher |
| Produced by |
Arnon Milchan Steven Reuther |
| Screenplay by |
Akiva Goldsman Robert Getchell |
| Based on |
The Client by John Grisham |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Howard Shore |
| Cinematography | Tony Pierce-Roberts |
| Edited by | Robert Brown |
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Production
company |
Regency Enterprises
Alcor Films |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
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Release date
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Running time
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119 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $45 million |
| Box office | $117,615,211 |
The Client is a 1994 American legal thriller film directed by Joel Schumacher, and starring Susan Sarandon, Tommy Lee Jones, and Brad Renfro. It is based on the novel of the same name by John Grisham. The film was released in the United States on July 20, 1994.
Eleven-year-old Mark Sway and his little brother, Ricky, are smoking cigarettes in the woods near their home when they encounter Mob lawyer Jerome Clifford. Clifford tells Mark that he is about to kill himself to avoid being murdered by Barry "The Blade" Muldano, the nephew of notorious mob kingpin Johnny Sulari. Ricky becomes catatonic after witnessing the suicide and is hospitalized. Authorities — and the Mob — realize that Clifford may have told Mark where a Louisiana senator who was murdered by Muldano is buried.
Mark meets Regina "Reggie" Love, a lawyer and recovering alcoholic, who agrees to represent him. They quickly run afoul of "Reverend" Roy Foltrigg, a celebrated and vain United States Attorney who is using the case as a springboard for his political ambitions. In the meantime, it is revealed that Sulari never authorized Muldano to kill the senator and wants Muldano to uncover how much the boys know. Muldano is also ordered to move the body, but currently he is unable to because it is buried in Clifford's boathouse, and police are still on the property investigating his suicide.
Foltrigg continues to use legal means to get Mark to reveal where the body is hidden, while Sulari orders Muldano to kill the children and Reggie. He also orders the body to be moved once the investigation at Clifford's home is concluded. Mark is threatened in a hospital elevator by a member of the Mafia, and is unable to talk to Foltrigg.
Mark and Reggie go to New Orleans to confirm that the body is on Clifford's property. Reggie intends to use this information to broker a deal with Foltrigg to get Ricky specialized medical care and place the family in the witness protection program. Reggie and Mark arrive at Clifford's house the same night as Muldano and his accomplices. They are digging up the body, but a melee follows when Mark and Reggie are discovered. Muldano and the others flee after Reggie trips the neighbors' alarm.
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