If you spent any time near a movie theater or a Blockbuster in the mid-90s, you couldn't escape the John Grisham fever. It was everywhere. But while everyone remembers Tom Cruise running through Memphis in The Firm, there is a specific kind of grit and soul in The Client, the definitive tommy lee jones susan sarandon movie that basically set the template for the modern legal thriller.
Released in 1994, this wasn't just another studio paycheck. It was a collision of three massive forces: a legendary director in Joel Schumacher, a bestselling novelist at the peak of his powers, and two actors who were, quite frankly, over-qualified for a "popcorn" flick.
The Setup That Actually Works
The plot is honestly pretty wild when you step back and look at it. An 11-year-old kid named Mark Sway—played by the late, incredibly talented Brad Renfro in his debut—witnesses the messy suicide of a mob lawyer. Before the guy pulls the trigger, he spills the location of a Senator’s body. Suddenly, this kid from a trailer park is the most dangerous person in America.
Enter Susan Sarandon as Reggie Love. She’s not your typical cinematic "super lawyer." She’s a recovering alcoholic who charges Mark exactly one dollar to represent him. Then you have Tommy Lee Jones as "Reverend" Roy Foltrigg. He is a media-hungry U.S. Attorney who uses the Bible to justify his ambition.
It’s a classic David vs. Goliath story, but with way more cigarettes and Southern humidity.
What People Get Wrong About The Client
Most people remember this as a "courtroom drama." It’s really not. There isn't that much time spent behind a mahogany bench. Instead, the tommy lee jones susan sarandon movie is more of a chase film wrapped in a character study.
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Folks often forget how dark this movie gets. We’re talking about a kid who has to watch his younger brother fall into a catatonic state from the trauma of the opening scene. This isn't a "fun" adventure. It’s heavy.
Schumacher, who sometimes got flak for being "too much" (looking at you, Batman & Robin), shows a surprising amount of restraint here. He lets the camera linger on Sarandon’s face as she tries to navigate her own trauma while protecting a kid who has zero reasons to trust adults.
The Dynamic That Saved the Movie
The chemistry between Sarandon and Jones is what keeps this from being a generic TV-movie-of-the-week.
Jones is doing his "Tommy Lee Jones" thing—that crinkly-eyed, fast-talking, slightly arrogant brilliance—but he plays Foltrigg with a vanity that makes you want to see him lose. He’s not a "villain" in the sense that he wants the kid dead, but he’s a villain because he doesn’t care if the kid dies as long as he gets his conviction.
On the flip side, Sarandon is the heart. She earned an Oscar nomination for this role, and you can see why. There is a scene where she talks about losing custody of her own kids that feels so raw it almost belongs in a different, much smaller indie film.
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That’s the magic of the tommy lee jones susan sarandon movie. It scales. It goes from a massive FBI manhunt to two people talking in a dimly lit office about their failures.
A Legacy of Forgotten Grit
If you watch The Client today, the first thing you’ll notice is how "real" it feels compared to modern CGI-heavy thrillers. They actually filmed in Memphis and Clinton, Mississippi. You can practically feel the sweat on the actors' necks.
It’s also a time capsule for a specific era of Hollywood where "The Supporting Cast" meant you got:
- Mary-Louise Parker as the struggling mother.
- Anthony LaPaglia as a terrifying mob hitman.
- J.T. Walsh (the king of 90s character actors) as an FBI agent.
- A very young Anthony Edwards.
It’s an embarrassment of riches.
Why We Don't See Movies Like This Anymore
Honestly, the mid-budget adult thriller is a dying breed. Nowadays, a story like The Client would probably be an eight-episode limited series on a streaming platform. It would be stretched thin.
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But at 121 minutes, this movie moves. It understands that the stakes aren't just about a dead Senator; the stakes are about whether a kid who has been "burned by the system" can find one person who won't sell him out.
While Jones and Sarandon reunited years later for the heavy military drama In the Valley of Elah (2007), The Client remains their most iconic pairing. It’s the one where they actually get to go head-to-head in a battle of wits.
The Reality Check
We have to talk about Brad Renfro for a second. His performance is the anchor. Most child actors at the time were "Disney-fied," but Renfro felt like a kid who had actually seen some things. His real-life story ended tragically, which adds a layer of sadness to re-watching the film now. You see this massive potential on screen—a kid who could hold his own against Tommy Lee Jones—and you realize what was lost.
Actionable Takeaways for Your Next Rewatch
If you’re planning to dive back into this 90s classic, keep these things in mind to get the most out of the experience:
- Watch the background: Schumacher uses a lot of "Southern Gothic" imagery that most people miss on the first watch. The way the shadows fall in the hospital and the jail cells is very intentional.
- Listen to the dialogue: Akiva Goldsman (who later won an Oscar for A Beautiful Mind) wrote the screenplay. The banter between Reggie and Roy is essentially a tennis match.
- Pay attention to the dollar: The "one dollar" retainer isn't just a plot point; it’s a symbol of Reggie’s character. She’s the only person in the movie not trying to profit off the tragedy.
The best way to enjoy the tommy lee jones susan sarandon movie is to view it as a masterclass in tension. It doesn't rely on explosions. It relies on a kid in a phone booth and a lawyer with a past.
Check your local streaming listings or look for the 30th-anniversary editions often found on platforms like Tubi or Max. It holds up surprisingly well because human desperation and the search for justice never really go out of style.