reviewed by: Charity Bishop

           

Where do you run -- where do you hide? -- when both the Mafia and the FBI want a piece of you? Young Mark Sway is about to find out. While treating his little brother to a cigarette in the back lot of their trailer park, they witness the gruesome suicide of a Mafia lawyer set up to defend Barry "The Knife" Muldano, the murderer of a US senator and a member of the Underworld. Ricky is admitted to a hospital following the event, having gone into a panicked state and both Mark and his mother are suddenly knee-deep in inquiries with a high-stakes politician, Roy Foltrigg, watching their every move.

His job is to put Barry the Knife in jail but there's just one problem... they can't find the body. No body, no case. No case, no conviction. No conviction, Muldano goes free. Mark swears he was nowhere near the car and yet his fingerprints are found inside, on the door, on the seat, even on the gun. Could the lawyer have told him something concerning the body? The odds are that he did and that's what they've got to find out before it's too late. Barry's become aware of this kid's involvement and is out for blood with "Uncle John" behind him all the way and a series of Mafia killers are unleashed to prevent Mark from talking. In the meantime, Mark finds himself a snappy female aid in Reggie Love, a criminal lawyer way out of her league, and begins to fight the proceedings of the FBI and Roy Foltrigg. But an obstruction of justice only buys him time... not hope and as time grows short, Mark must make the choice to tell all and die... or keep his mouth shut and live.

Foltrigg is determined to put Muldano away but can't without Mark's help. Muldano and the Mafia would do anything to keep him quiet, as they've proven by torching his home and threatening him with a knife. But when he's locked up in a juvenile correction facility "for his own good," Mark knows that he's going to have to tell all. But outside looms a devil in the darkness and the threat of death hangs in the air. An excellent thriller, compelling and realistic with vivid character development. As usual John Grisham turns out a high-stakes tale of deception, corruption, and truth. But also as usual, the excellent storyline is filled with unnecessary language, pushing the rating from PG to PG13 in one easy sweep. There's not a person in the film who doesn't have a foul mouth from Mark himself to the defense lawyers. 125 profanities mar what could otherwise have been a classic suspense film; otherwise the film is clean with little violence and no gore. God's name is taken in vain a dozen times -- three of "Jesus," four of "Jesus Christ," seven of "Lord," and nine each of "Oh, my God," and "God d*mn" makes up the worst of it.

Mark snitches a cigarette from his mother's purse and smokes on several occasions. There are a few tense and frightening scenes toward the end of the film as Mark tries to outwit and outrun the Mafia, dodging knives, bullets, and threats. Muldano threatens to slam a secretary's fingers in a file drawer. He also gives FBI cameras a suggestive thrust and "the finger." The film shows the consequences of drinking and drugs and truth reigns at the end but with corrupt government individuals in the meantime. A cop tries to scare Mark into telling all by spinning him a yarn of kids in prison. Foltrigg and his cronies don't mind lying if the need comes, something for which Reggie takes advantage of. And Mark keeps the adults in knots throughout the film with his little half-truths. As with so many other films of our age, The Client falls short. Rent it only if you can eliminate all the language with a TV control system. Here's hoping the next "thriller" will have more thrills and less language.