Of the three John Grisham adaptations that were released in 1993 / 1994, "The client" is in my opinion the worst.
"The firm" (1993, Sidney Pollack) has a credible opening followed by too much action.
"The Pelican brief" (1993, Alan J. Pakula) has an unlikely opening but is tense once the story is "on the road".
In "The client" (1994, Joel Schumacher) the storyline never becomes credible.
Central theme is a young boy who has seen too much and therefore becomes a target for the maffia. This theme is not unlike the theme of for example "Witness" (1985, Peter Weir). The problem with "The client" is that the storyline is a little bit overloaded.
The boy is not only a target for the maffia but also chased by the public prosecutor, for whom his political ambitions are more important than the safety of his witness.
The boy lives in a poor single parent family with a history of violence by an alcoholic father.
The boy is assisted by a female lawyer who also has a history of drinking problems.
Central to the film is the relationship between the boy (played by Brad Renfro) and his lawyer (played by Susan Sarandon). Althoug both play well, the relationship never becomes credible. The lawyer is drifting very far from her profession and the 11 years old boy acts like a little Trump firing his lawyer every time he gets irritated.
"The firm" (1993, Sidney Pollack) has a credible opening followed by too much action.
"The Pelican brief" (1993, Alan J. Pakula) has an unlikely opening but is tense once the story is "on the road".
In "The client" (1994, Joel Schumacher) the storyline never becomes credible.
Central theme is a young boy who has seen too much and therefore becomes a target for the maffia. This theme is not unlike the theme of for example "Witness" (1985, Peter Weir). The problem with "The client" is that the storyline is a little bit overloaded.
The boy is not only a target for the maffia but also chased by the public prosecutor, for whom his political ambitions are more important than the safety of his witness.
The boy lives in a poor single parent family with a history of violence by an alcoholic father.
The boy is assisted by a female lawyer who also has a history of drinking problems.
Central to the film is the relationship between the boy (played by Brad Renfro) and his lawyer (played by Susan Sarandon). Althoug both play well, the relationship never becomes credible. The lawyer is drifting very far from her profession and the 11 years old boy acts like a little Trump firing his lawyer every time he gets irritated.