(Credits: Warner Bros.)

There are certain actors who never really leave the cultural conversation, no matter how much time passes. Susan Sarandon is one of them. From Thelma & Louise to Dead Man Walking, she has built a career on characters who are sharp and unforgettable. She is the kind of performer whose presence alone can make an older film feel alive again. And right now, she’s proving it on Netflix.

Because sitting on Netflix’s Global Top 10 Movies chart this week, at number nine, is The Client (1994). A legal thriller that has suddenly found a brand-new audience three decades after its release. For a film that came out long before streaming even existed, this resurgence feels surprising.

Back in the ’90s, The Client was a classic John Grisham adaptation. It was a part of the wave of courtroom dramas that kept audiences hooked with high-stakes lawyering. And of course, moral dilemmas. The film is directed by Joel Schumacher and pairs Susan Sarandon with a young Brad Renfro. There is also a formidable Tommy Lee Jones circling in the background. The story is about an 11-year-old boy who becomes entangled in a dangerous legal battle after witnessing a crime.

Sarandon plays Reggie Love, a lawyer with a messy personal history who takes on the boy’s case when no one else will. It is one of her most layered performances, mixing toughness with warmth, and it earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Watching it today, it seems quite easy to see why. She grounds the film in empathy but doesn’t miss the sharp edge of a thriller.

So why is The Client suddenly climbing back into Netflix charts in 2025? Most of it comes down to timing. Legal thrillers have always had a way of pulling viewers in. Also, there is a comfort in their structure. Who doesn’t love courtroom battles and unravelling secrets? And then there are moral choices made under pressure.

You pair that with Susan Sarandon’s star power, and you have a film that feels timeless. The nostalgia factor is strong, too. For audiences who grew up on ’90s thrillers, seeing The Client pop up on Netflix is a chance to revisit it. For younger viewers, it is a fresh discovery of a genre that doesn’t always dominate streaming lineups anymore.

There is also something rewarding about watching a film that takes its time. Unlike today’s thrillers that often lean on jump scares or hyper-stylised twists, The Client builds its suspense slowly. It focuses on character relationships as much as the case itself. It is exactly the kind of film you can sink into on a weeknight and remember why ’90s thrillers had such a grip on audiences.

That’s the beauty of Netflix’s charts. Sometimes the latest releases dominate, and sometimes a film from 30 years ago sneaks back in. Right now, The Client is proof that great performances and gripping storytelling never really age out.