Eleven-year-old Mark Sway and his little brother, Ricky, are smoking cigarettes in the woods near their home when they encounter mob lawyer W. Jerome Clifford. Clifford tells Mark that he is about to kill himself to avoid being murdered by Barry "The Blade" Muldano, the nephew of notorious mob kingpin Johnny Sulari. Ricky becomes catatonic after witnessing the suicide and is hospitalized at Saint Peter Charity Hospital. Authorities – and the mob – realize that Clifford may have told Mark where a Louisiana senator, murdered by Muldano, is buried. Mark meets Regina "Reggie" Love, a lawyer and recovering alcoholic, who agrees to represent him. They quickly run afoul of "Reverend" Roy Foltrigg, a celebrated and vain US Attorney who is using the case as a springboard for his political ambitions. In the meantime, it is revealed that Sulari never authorized Muldano to kill the senator and wants Muldano to uncover how much the boys know. Muldano is also ordered to move the body, but currently he is unable to because it is buried in Clifford's boathouse, and police are still on the property investigating his suicide. Foltrigg continues to use legal means to get Mark to reveal where the body is hidden, while Sulari orders Muldano to kill the children and Reggie. He also orders the body to be moved once the investigation at Clifford's home is concluded. Mark is threatened in a hospital elevator by Mafia member Paul Gronke, and is unable to talk to Foltrigg. Mark and Reggie go to New Orleans to confirm that the body is on Clifford's property. Reggie intends to use this information to broker a deal with Foltrigg to get Ricky specialized medical care and place the family in the witness protection program. Reggie and Mark arrive at Clifford's house the same night as Muldano and his accomplices. They are digging up the body, but a melee follows when Mark and Reggie are discovered. Muldano and the others flee after Reggie trips the neighbors' alarm. Foltrigg agrees to Reggie's demands in exchange for information about the body's location. Before the Sway family leaves to restart their lives under new identities, Mark and Reggie share a heartfelt goodbye. While Muldano gets angry at his fellow mob members for messing up, Sulari becomes fed up with Muldano and plans to deal with him. With the body recovered, Foltrigg is a lock-in for the media headlines he craves, and mentions that he intends to run for governor.
The film was a financial success, earning $92,115,211 at the North American domestic box office and an additional $25,500,000 internationally, for a worldwide total of $117,615,211.
Critical response
The film received generally positive reviews. Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a score of 78% from 36 reviews. Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "B+" on scale of A+ to F. Roger Ebert gave the film a score of 2.5 out of 4 and The New York Times called The Client a film "with a fast, no-nonsense pace and three winning performances...that most clearly echoes the simple, vigorous Grisham style;" while the non-profit group Common Sense Media warned "that threats of violence and death, often directed against an 11-year-old boy, are constant here."
The film spawned a TV series of the same name, starring JoBeth Williams and John Heard while Ossie Davis reprises his role of Judge Harry Roosevelt. The show lasted one season.
