A street-wise kid, Mark Sway, sees the suicide of Jerome Clifford, a prominent Louisiana lawyer, whose current client is Barry 'The Blade' Muldano, a Mafia hit-man. Before Jerome shoots himself, he tells Mark where the body of a Senator is buried. Clifford shoots himself and Mark is found at the scene, and both the FBI and the Mafia quickly realize that Mark probably knows more than he says.
Acting
Susan Sarandon elevates every scene she's in; Tommy Lee Jones chews scenery perfectly.
Direction
Schumacher keeps kid-in-danger stakes grounded without exploitation.
Writing
Grisham adaptation that actually trims the fat and keeps the paranoia.
Director
Joel Schumacher
Brad Renfro
Mark Sway
Susan Sarandon
Reggie Love
Tommy Lee Jones
Roy Foltrigg
Mary-Louise Parker
Dianne Sway
Anthony LaPaglia
Barry Muldano
Bradley Whitford
Thomas Fink
Will Patton
Sergeant Hardy
Anthony Edwards
Clint Von Hooser
J.T. Walsh
Jason McThune
Anthony Heald
Larry Trumann
Kim Coates
Paul Gronke
Kimberly Scott
Doreen
Ossie Davis
Harry Roosevelt
William H. Macy
Dr. Greenway
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Brad Renfro was discovered by a casting director in a Tennessee airport waiting room; this was his first acting role ever.
This film helped cement the 'kid lawyer' subgenre that Grisham would milk dry by the decade's end.
US
