The Client (1994)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 1994
	Director: Joel Schumacher (Flatliners, Batman Forever, A Time to Kill, 8mm)
	Actors: Susan Sarandon (Thelma & Louise, The Lovely Bones), Tommy Lee Jones (Men in Black 1-3), Brad Renfro, Kim Coates (Sons of Anarchy TV-series)
	Country: USA
	Genre: Thriller, Polar
	Conditions of visioning: 04.04.2017, VOD, 40" TV screen.
Synopsis: A young boy (Renfo) witnesses the suicide of a mob lawyer and his little brother go into shock. When the word gets out that he could have heard something threatening to the mob family, he starts to attract a lot of unwanted attention and hires himself a local lawyer (Sarandon).
Review: This is the second adaptation by Joel Schumacher of a novel by John Grisham after A Time to Kill, well in fact two years before. As often in the novels by the Master of train stations Thrillers (at least the ones I know), the story revolves around a court (the author was indeed an attorney before a writer) but with a strong emphasis on realistic characters. That story also takes place in or around Louisiana/Houston/The New Orleans, and this time places a kid at the center stage. It is very thrilling to watch those different characters interact: the famous and condescending District Attorney running for office (Jones), the kid from a poor family but with strong character, the weak mother, the gangsters, and the small-town lawyer with a somber past (Sarandon). I had never seen this 20-year old Thriller but as with A Time to Kill enjoyed watching it. The actors are very good and give even more credibility to well-written characters. What I appreciated most is that it was hard to predict what was going to happen, especially because of the main character, a poor kid put in an impossible situation and who tries to react like an adult. That mix makes his reactions quite unpredictable. The movie was thus refreshing to watch at a time when Thrillers are not really worth the name, often follow the same patterns and tend to revolve around a final twist. The Client is not like that at all, and may belong to the one category of movies to be remembered from the 90´s.
Rating: 7 /10