A young boy who witnessed the suicide of a mafia lawyer hires an attorney to protect him when the District Attorney tries to use him to take down a mob family.A young boy who witnessed the suicide of a mafia lawyer hires an attorney to protect him when the District Attorney tries to use him to take down a mob family.A young boy who witnessed the suicide of a mafia lawyer hires an attorney to protect him when the District Attorney tries to use him to take down a mob family.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 3 wins & 4 nominations total
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAt the time of filming, author John Grisham had casting approval over all film adaptations of his work, and specified that "no professional child actors in Hollywood" be cast as Mark Sway. He felt that the film wouldn't work with a well-known child actor (sporting a phony accent) in the role and that by casting an unknown in the part (preferably from the Memphis area, where the story is set) the film's credibility wouldn't be compromised. Brad Renfro, a native of Knoxville, Tennessee beat out thousands of actors for the role, including Macaulay Culkin.
- GoofsSome have suggested that Mark could not be charged with obstruction of justice simply for lying or refusing to cooperate with the FBI, because of the 5th Amendment. This is not true. Lying to the FBI/prosecutor/police officer can result in a charge of obstruction. Refusing to answer questions will quickly result in a formal subpoena; if one then continues to refuse to testify, he could be charged with contempt. The right not to speak to police or prosecutors (the 5th Amendment) only consists of the right not to incriminate oneself of a crime. However, at the court hearing, Reggie tries to argue around this limitation by pointing out that the prosecutors vaguely implied that Mark could've been involved in killing the lawyer. But the judge doesn't buy it (and the prosecutors could easily get around the problem by giving Mark a guarantee of immunity). If he refused to testify, Mark could be charged with contempt of court. If he lied, he could be charged with obstruction of justice, lying to a federal agent, and/or perjury.
- Quotes
Roy: Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, so sayeth the Psalms!
Judge Harry Roosevelt: That's Proverbs 12:22.
- SoundtracksHeartbreak Hotel
Written by Mae Boren Axton (as Mae Anton), Tommy Durden and Elvis Presley
Produced and Performed by Steve Tyrell
Featured review
Mark Sway is a real hero here, although he is not only a mere child, but a disadvantaged child in the middle of adult power structures breathtaking in their deviousness and casual cruelty. The theme of youngsters forced by circumstances into adult roles and responsibilities, particularly in being more level-headed and mature than their parent(s) has become as strikingly common in contemporary literature as it was strikingly uncommon until about a generation ago. But there are ample parallels to real life in pre-Romantic history. It is really our modern assumptions of prolonged childhood and adolescence which are abnormal in the fuller perspective of human experience. Aren't we on the verge of these concepts' retreating from the apogees to which western culture pushed them in the 19th and early 20th centuries?
If so, this film is on the cusp of the trend. Yet it might never have worked but for the director's good fortune in locating Brad Renfro for the lead role. What a find! His earthy, protean spunk and obliviousness to any cute brown-nosing towards his elders, simply because they are elders, make him entirely convincing in the part. He is, I hope, on his way to being a great actor, but perhaps it will continue to be this film which shows his freshness most clearly.
Not that it isn't very taut cinema in other regards. The build up of drama in the opening scenes is superb, with acting, cinematography, and the score all combining to provide a seamless experience. As one critic put it, it starts like a house afire, and the fire never goes out. This is a film one can see again and again, noticing additional fine touches each time.
If so, this film is on the cusp of the trend. Yet it might never have worked but for the director's good fortune in locating Brad Renfro for the lead role. What a find! His earthy, protean spunk and obliviousness to any cute brown-nosing towards his elders, simply because they are elders, make him entirely convincing in the part. He is, I hope, on his way to being a great actor, but perhaps it will continue to be this film which shows his freshness most clearly.
Not that it isn't very taut cinema in other regards. The build up of drama in the opening scenes is superb, with acting, cinematography, and the score all combining to provide a seamless experience. As one critic put it, it starts like a house afire, and the fire never goes out. This is a film one can see again and again, noticing additional fine touches each time.
- Cantoris-2
- Dec 19, 1998
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Details
Box office
- Budget
- $45,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $92,115,211
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $17,174,262
- Jul 24, 1994
- Gross worldwide
- $117,615,211
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