The Client spoilers explained

What is the main twist in The Client?

Mark Sway (Brad Renfro) learns from attorney Jerome Clifford that the missing body of U.S. Senator Boyd Boyette is hidden inside a custom-built compartment in Clifford's yacht, named "The Girl." Clifford, who killed himself after revealing this, had been working for mob boss Barry "The Blade" Muldanno, the actual murderer. The twist is that Mark holds the key to the body's location, which the FBI and the mob both desperately want, and he must use this knowledge to protect himself and his family.

What happens in The Client?

Eleven-year-old Mark Sway and his younger brother Ricky are playing in the woods near Memphis when they witness the suicide of attorney Jerome Clifford. Clifford, distraught and drunk, had just met with mob boss Barry "The Blade" Muldanno. Before shooting himself, Clifford tells Mark that he knows where the body of Senator Boyd Boyette is hidden. The senator was murdered by Muldanno, and Clifford helped dispose of the corpse. Mark and Ricky flee, but Ricky falls unconscious from shock and is hospitalized.

FBI agent Roy Foltrigg learns of the suicide and realizes that Clifford was Muldanno's lawyer. He suspects that the boy knows something about the missing senator. Foltrigg and his team pressure Mark to reveal what he knows, but Mark refuses, fearing for his family's safety. Meanwhile, Muldanno's men also learn of Mark's presence at the suicide and begin stalking him.

Mark's mother, Dianne, hires attorney Reggie Love, a recovering alcoholic who specializes in juvenile cases. Reggie takes Mark's case pro bono. Mark eventually tells Reggie the entire story: Clifford confessed that he cut the senator's body into pieces and hid them in a secret compartment inside his yacht, "The Girl," which is docked at a marina in Memphis. The compartment is accessible only by a specific key and a hidden latch.

The mob, led by Muldanno's enforcer, "Big" Paulie, kidnaps Mark and Reggie, demanding to know the location of the body. Mark manages to escape and leads Reggie to the marina. They board the yacht and find the hidden compartment, which contains the senator's remains. At that moment, Muldanno's men arrive, followed by the FBI. A standoff ensues, and Mark and Reggie are rescued.

In the aftermath, Mark agrees to testify against Muldanno in exchange for his family's entry into the witness protection program. Reggie secures a deal that allows her to maintain contact with Mark. Muldanno is indicted for murder, and the case is closed. Mark's brother Ricky recovers from his trauma, and the family starts a new life under assumed identities.

Quick, non-spoiler context

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.