The Rainmaker

UK Release Date. 3 April 1998

Certification. 15
Running Time. 2 hours 15 mins
Director. Francis Ford Coppola
Cast. Matt Damon, Claire Danes, Danny DeVito, Danny Glover, Virginia Madsen, Mary Kay Place, Mickey Rourke, Roy Scheider, Jon Voight.
Rating. 58%

Review.

The ultimate problem with The Rainmaker was that the film was the sixth adaptation of a John Grisham novel in just five years (The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Client, A Time To Kill and The Chamber). This over-exposure resulted in audience fatigue with the author's congruous and monotonous storylines. 

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, The Rainmaker boasts an impressive cast - a young, up-and-coming Matt Damon is cast alongside Claire Danes, Danny DeVito, Virginia Madsen, Mickey Rourke, Roy Scheider, Jon Voight, as well as an uncredited appearance by Danny Glover.

Damon plays Rudy Baylor, a recent Memphis Law School graduate about to embark on his inaugural case - the pursuit of a large insurance company, Great Benefit, accused of delaying health claim settlement payments from policies marketed to the poor. The actor impresses in the role, and through clear-eyed, innocence and natural charisma delivers the correct amount of determination, courage and empathy. 

Having apparently read the novel cover-to-cover on a flight, the director Francis Ford Coppola adapted the screenplay himself within a year of The Rainmaker's publication. There's undoubtedly too much material crammed into the 2 hours 15 minutes run time. Characters and storylines are undeveloped. The screenplay feels rushed.

The burgeoning relationship between Baylor and a woefully underwritten Kelly Riker (Claire Danes) is at best a distraction. This storyline hints at the limitations of the law and, in truth, belongs in another film. The only reason this divergence is tolerated is because of the terrific performance by Claire Danes, who is able to convey strength and vulnerability at the same time.

The Rainmaker is not as thrilling as The Firm or as explosive as A Time To Kill, but despite its flaws, the film is the most accessible of the John Grisham adaptations. Best of all, there is no conventional happy ending. No neat, or implausible resolution where all the pieces come together.