The Rainmaker (1997)

The Rainmaker (1997) – A small-time lawyer and his ethics bending paralegal take on an insurance company that denied a claim for a young man with leukemia.  Fresh out of law school and with no courtroom experience, how can they win?

Directed by Francis Ford Coppolla                        Starring – Matt Damon, Danny DeVito, Clare Danes

Why I Liked It – Good script, cast and expert directing make this a solid legal thriller.

A John Grisham courthouse thriller with Matt Damon in the lead.  It’s was a quiet Saturday, and this felt like the perfect movie for the moment.  My expectations were low.

My reward was a movie that outstripped everything I thought I was getting.

First, the cast.  It seemed like every other minute another quality actor was showing up in roles large or small.  In addition to the names above add the following: Jon Voight, Mary Kay Place, Dean Stockwell, Virginia Madsen, Teresa Wright, Mickey Rourke, Andrew Shue, and Roy Scheider (!!!).

All these talented folk get to play in one of John Grisham’s signature stories.  I’m a Grisham fan, and this is his favorite of all the movies made from his books.  It’s easy to see why.  The small details of a small-time lawyer playing in a game way out of his weight class are classic Grisham.  Characters like DeVito’s Deck Shifflet or Rourke’s sleazeball in a suit Bruiser Stone are one of my favorite parts of his stories.

It wasn’t until I looked at the information on the movie that it dawned on me that it was directed by Coppola (must have glanced away at the crucial moment in the credits).  Coppola knows how to tell a story, and his work here is beautifully understated.

This is also the movie that Damon made between “Good Will Hunting” and “Saving Private Ryan”.  DeVito is incredible here.  The role is a careful, understated performance that most people would not expect.  I’ve always thought he was an actor of greater depth than his reputation might imply.  Deck is the glue that connects all the pieces of the story for me.

The longer I watched, the more I loved this movie.  So I didn’t have to settle for a Saturday filler movie.  I got a surprise and something special. 

Rating – ****