--- title: "The Client: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-client/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-client" critics_score: 66 critics_reviews: 8 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Client (1994): what the critics said Critics' score 66 from 8 reviews: 3 positive, 4 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics find The Client a brisk, competent thriller and a smaller-scale, more human John Grisham adaptation. The praise clusters on Susan Sarandon’s lawyer, which several reviews single out as the film’s centre, with Tommy Lee Jones’s scenes opposite her also noted. Joel Schumacher is credited with keeping a large cast in order and the plot moving. One later review reserves its warmest words for Brad Renfro as the boy, who is said to hold his own against the veterans. The reservations are about the script rather than the acting. Several critics call the set-ups predictable and the characterisation broad, which keeps the film involving rather than gripping. Variety is the dissenter, finding it formulaic, short on suspense and only adequately performed, with the opening sequence its strongest stretch. Otherwise the spread is narrow, from mildly enthusiastic to mildly let down, though three of the eight reviews could not be read in full, so the picture is less firm than the numbers suggest. ## Radio Times — John Ferguson Rating 4/5. The critic presents the film as a more human-scale John Grisham adaptation. Susan Sarandon’s lawyer and the smaller-scale approach are singled out positively. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-y6i9ue/the-client/) ## Empire — Angie Errigo Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. Errigo calls it a taut, recommended suspense thriller with strong characterisation. She especially praises Susan Sarandon’s performance, while noting that Schumacher efficiently handles the many characters. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/client-review/) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 20 July 1994. Turan finds the film an involving, fast-moving thriller, though its broad strokes and predictable setups keep it from being nuanced. He singles out Susan Sarandon and Tommy Lee Jones, whose performances and scenes together provide the film’s strongest moments. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-07-20-ca-17610-story.html) ## RogerEbert.com Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The page could not be accessed, so the critic’s verdict is unavailable. No praise or complaint from the review could be verified. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-client-1994) ## The New York Times — Janet Maslin Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 20 July 1994. The page text is inaccessible, so the critic’s verdict cannot be verified. No specific praise or complaint can be reliably identified. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1994/07/20/movies/film-review-one-part-grisham-three-parts-telling-detail.html) ## Time Out — GA Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The page identifies itself as a review, but the critic’s verdict is unavailable. The article text also provides no detail about what the critic praises or criticises. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-client) ## Variety — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 8 June 1994. McCarthy finds the film a satisfactory but formulaic commercial thriller, with little suspense and merely adequate performances. He praises the opening sequence as the picture’s strongest moment, while criticizing its predictable peril and lack of thrills. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1994/film/reviews/the-client-1200437668/) ## Den of Geek — Carley Tauchert Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 7 April 2010. Tauchert finds Schumacher’s adaptation successful, praising its ability to capture the spirit of Grisham’s novel. She especially singles out Brad Renfro’s performance as Mark, calling it astounding and noting how well he holds his own alongside the experienced cast. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/revisiting-joel-schumachers-the-client/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-client.md