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Viewed atManchester Showcase Cinemas.
Telephone 0161 220 8765 for programme information
- Cert: 12
- Running time: 135 minutes
- Year: 1997
- Released: 24th April 1998
- Widescreen Ratio : 2.35:1 (Panavision)
- Rating: 8/10
Director:
- Francis Ford Coppola
(Apocalypse Now, The Godfather Trilogy, The Conversation)
Producers:
- Georgia Kacandes, Gary Marcus and Steven Reuther
Screenplay:
- Francis Ford Coppola (based on the novel by John Grisham)
Original Score :
- Elmer Bernstein
Cast :
- Rudy Baylor: Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting)
Kelly Riker: Claire Danes (Romeo and Juliet, U-Turn, Home For The Holidays, Little Women, To Gillian On Her 37th Birthday)
Leo F. Drummond: Jon Voight (Midnight Cowboy, Anaconda, Heat U-Turn, The Champ, Deliverance, Mission: Impossible)
Dot Black: Mary Kay Place (Private Benjamin, Indecent Seduction, Love In Another Town)
Judge Harvey Hale: Dean Stockwell (Blue Velvet, Air Force One, Dune, The Shadow Men, “Quantum Leap” (TV))
Miss Birdie: Teresa Wright (Mrs. Miniver, Shadow Of A Doubt)
Jackie Lemancyzk: Virginia Madsen (Candyman, Highlander 2)
Bruiser Stone: Mickey Rourke (9 ½ Weeks, Another 9 ½ Weeks, F.T.W., Wild Orchid, Desperate Hours, Diner, Rumble Fish)
Deck Shiffler: Danny DeVito (L.A. Confidential, Mars Attacks!, Batman Returns, Get Shorty, War Of The Roses, Twins, “Taxi” (TV))
Cliff Riker: Andrew Shue (“Melrose Place” (TV))
Buddy Black: Red West (Jury Of One)
Donny Ray Black: Johnny Whitworth
Wilfred Keeley: Roy Scheider (Jaws, Jaws 2, 2010, French Connection, Marathon Man, Naked Lunch, Romeo Is Bleeding, “Seaquest DSV” (TV))
Everett Lufkin: Michael Girardin
Judge Tyrone Kipler: Danny Glover (Lethal Weapon Trilogy, Grand Canyon, Flight Of The Intruder, Predator 2, Witness, “Roots”, “Queen – The Roots Saga Continues” (TV))
The Rainmaker is the latest in the series of film adaptations of thenovels by critically-acclaimed author John Grisham, which include TheFirm, The Pelican Brief, The Client and 1996’s A Time To Kill.
In similar fashion to some of Grisham’s works, The Rainmaker is a storyof a young up-and-coming lawyer, Rudy Baylor, played by Matt Damon one ofthe new stars of Hollywood who won an Oscar for co-writing Good WillHunting with Ben Affleck. Rudy secures a job with a law firm ownedby J. Lyman “Bruiser” Stone (an aging Mickey Rourke) and is promisedhighly lucrative cases in return for hard work and dedication to the company.
He already has two cases on his books: one is a possible insurance scandalbetween a young man, Donnie Ray Black (Johnny Whitworth) suffering fromleukemia and the insurance company, Great Benefit; and the other is an old lady,Miss Birdie (Teresa Wright) who wants to cut her children out of her willand give all the money to a television evangelist, believing it to be the rightthing to do.
As corruption centres around the practices of “Bruiser” Stone, Rudy and fellowcolleague Deck Shiffler (Danny DeVito), neither of whom have passed theirBar exams yet – Rudy is studying for the first time round while Deck has failedthem for the past six years, break away to form their own partnership workingon a “no-win no-fee” basis and taking a third of any revenue from successfulcases.
Rudy’s problems increase when he takes on another case of a beaten wife, KellyRiker (Claire Danes), and gets more involved than he originally intended.As that case and Miss Birdie’s begin to intertwine, the condition of Donny RayBlack worsens and all the odds are stacked against Rudy to fight one of thebiggest cases he’ll ever face with one of the best lawyers around, Leo F.Drummond (Jon Voight), working for the opposition.
This film is packed with top-notch performances from all concerned, fromthe younger members of the cast in Matt Damon and Claire Danes to establishedactors with sizeable parts such as Jon Voight, Danny DeVito and DannyGlover as Judge Tyrone Kipler.
To top if off there are a host of cameo roles from Dean Stockwell asJudge Harvey Hale who also has a hand in the case, Virginia Madsen as anex-employee of Great Benefit who is called to the witness stand, Mickey Rourke,Roy Scheider as the C.E.O. of Great Benefit, and Andrew Shue(Kelly’s husband Cliff) who I didn’t recognise in his guise here, and who isbetter-known in his role of Billy Campbell in Melrose Place.
Overall, if I had a couple of reservations about this film, it would be thatmost book-to-film transitions lose some plot along the way so certain elements,such as “Bruiser” Stone’s corrupt business dealings, appear to be glossed overto a degree; and the more Grisham books that are turned into films, the morewe know how things are going to turn out in the end. However, this filmcertainly comes well-recommended for anyone who enjoys a complex thriller, andexcels from having a fine cast and director (Francis Ford Coppola).
Also, check out Jeremy’sPAL Laserdisc review andthe official Rainmaker site at :www.therainmaker.com
Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 1998.
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.