Eleven-year-old Mark Sway and his little brother, Ricky, are smoking cigarettes in the woods near their Memphis home when they encounter mob lawyer W. Jerome Clifford.

He tells the boy that he is about to kill himself to avoid being murdered by Barry "The Blade" Muldano, the nephew of notorious mob kingpin Johnny Sulari.

Authorities – and the mob – realize that Clifford probably told Mark where Louisiana Senator Boyd Boyette, murdered by Muldano, is buried.

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.

Foltrigg continues to use legal means to pressure Mark to reveal where the body is hidden, while Sulari orders Muldano to kill the children and Reggie.

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.

[3] The Client 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.

The site's consensus states: "The Client may not reinvent the tenets of the legal drama, but Joel Schumacher's sturdy directorial hand and a high-caliber cast bring John Grisham's page-turner to life with engrossing suspense.

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.