Rainmaker, The (UK)

6 / 10
2 votes cast
Rate this item

They were totally unqualified to try the case of a lifetime... but every underdog has his day
Certificate: 15
Running Time: 130 mins
Retail Price: £19.99
Release Date:
Content Type: Movie

Synopsis:
Francis Ford Coppola directs and scripts an exciting, star-packed adaptation of John Grisham`s novel about an idealistic young attorney who takes on the case of a lifetime.

Matt Damon (`Good Will Hunting`) plays Rudy Baylor, a rookie lawyer in over his head on a high-profile case. Opposing him, an army of seasoned legal sharks (led by Jon Voight). On Rudy`s side, Deck Shifflet (Danny DeVito), a feisty `paralawyer` who specialises in flunking the bar exam. Rudy`s chances are slim to none, until he uncovers a trail of corruption that might lead to the one thing that could win his case: the truth.

Special Features:
Interactive Menus
Scene Access

Video Tracks:
Widescreen Anamorphic 2.35:1

Audio Tracks:
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Dolby Digital 5.1 French
Dolby Digital 5.1 Spanish

Subtitle Tracks:
French
Swedish
English
Spanish
CC: English
Portuguese
Danish
Norwegian

Directed By:
Francis Ford Coppola

Written By:
Michael Herr
Francis Ford Coppola
John Grisham

Starring:
Dean Stockwell
Mary Kay Place
Claire Danes
Virginia Madsen
Jon Voight
Danny DeVito
Matt Damon

Casting By:
Linda Phillips-Palo
Davia Nelson

Soundtrack By:
Elmer Bernstein

Director of Photography:
John Toll

Editor:
Barry Malkin
Melissa Kent

Costume Designer:
Aggie Guerard Rodgers

Production Designer:
Howard Cummings

Producer:
Steven Reuther
Gary Marcus
Georgia Kacandes

Executive Producer:
Fred Fuchs
Michael Douglas

Distributor:
Paramount Pictures

Your Opinions and Comments

6 / 10

The Rainmaker is one of my favourite John Grisham novels, but at the same time, it is not an easy choice to adapt to film. The amount of detail that is contained in the book simply cannot be translated into a few hours of film. Having said that, this is a solid effort, and certainly worth a watch for fans of either the genre or the book.

An all-star cast raise the film a great deal - a young Matt Damon is particularly impressive. The rest of the cast, including, Danny DeVito, Jon Voight, Claire Danes, Mickey Rourke and Danny Glover are all excellent.

Picture and audio quality are ok… but nothing to write home about. At least the picture is better than the R1 disc. Unfortunately this is another barebones disc from Paramount. Not even a trailer! This is a crying shame, as a few extras would make this disc a much more attractive purchase.

Overall, I felt this was a decent adaptation; if a little slow at times. Well worth a rent, but probably not one to buy.

posted by Rich Davies on 27/6/2003 19:15