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Title: The Rainmaker (1997)
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Matt Damon | ... | Rudy Baylor | |
| Danny DeVito | ... | Deck Shifflet | |
| Claire Danes | ... | Kelly Riker | |
| Jon Voight | ... | Leo F. Drummond | |
| Mary Kay Place | ... | Dot Black | |
| Dean Stockwell | ... | Judge Harvey Hale | |
| Teresa Wright | ... | Miss Birdie | |
| Virginia Madsen | ... | Jackie Lemancyzk | |
| Mickey Rourke | ... | Bruiser Stone | |
| Andrew Shue | ... | Cliff Riker | |
| Red West | ... | Buddy Black | |
| Johnny Whitworth | ... | Donny Ray Black | |
 |
Wayne Emmons | ... | Prince Thomas |
| Adrian Roberts | ... | Butch | |
| Roy Scheider | ... | Wilfred Keeley | |
Rudy Baylor is a young attorney out to make a difference in the justice system. He is also the only hope of an elderly couple after their corrupt insurance company refuses to pay out a claim that could save their child's life. In this judicial drama, Baylor rails against corporate lawyers, corrupt judges, and abusive husbands, all with the help of a fellow lawyer who hasn't even passed his bar exam. He is facing long odds in the courtroom - and this is only his first case. Written by Steve Richer <sricher@sympatico.ca>
Amiable yet smooth adaption of the John Grisham novel, that closely follows an inexperienced Memphis lawyer, Rudy Baylor (Matt Damon), who gets the unexpected feeling of being in the profession by taking three cases right away. The cases vary from an old woman who is unsure about what to do with some money, a savagely abused domestic victim, and a lawsuit involving a major health insurance company.
Writer-director Francis Ford Coppola and one of his writers from "Apocalypse Now", Michael Herr, handle the adaption fairly well in knowing what to keep from the story in and what to leave out. For someone who made himself a legend by adapting "The Godfather" and "Heart of Darkness", Coppola sure knows how to use a novel as the main source for creating a good tale here.
Plus, the movie has an excellent supporting cast (Danny DeVito, Jon Voight, Mary Kay Place, Claire Danes, Dean Stockwell, Virginia Madsen, Mickey Rourke, Roy Scheider, and Danny Glover) to be in the movie alongside Damon. Among the ones that come to mind, DeVito is great Deck, as a crafty (and humorous) para-lawyer who has trouble with the bar exam and helps Rudy in adjusting to the line of work, Voight's fine as the not-so-totally slimey lawyer that Rudy faces in the lawsuit, just looking at the Danes character for a second alone, is a really sad and Rourke is amusing as Brusier, the employer that Deck and Rudy desert when they find out that he's the target of a federal probe.
In conclusion, "The Rainmaker" may not be as highly memorable as "The Godfather" or "Apocalypse Now", however; it shows that Coppola still has the skills to be a great film-maker. It's nice to see someone who has been on hard times, bounce back with a good movie.