The Rainmaker (DVD)

The Rainmaker is a 1997 courtroom thriller directed by the great Francis Ford Coppola. This is one of those films in the old Hollywood tradition with heroes you can cheer for (even if they are lawyers) and villains you can boo and hiss at. It is just as entertaining as it is manipulative and corny. This is a real triumph for writer-director Francis Ford Coppola, who hadn't had a big hit since "The Godfather III" back in 1990 (and that was the weakest of the trilogy in my opinion). This movie ought to cure that problem. It should also be a big hit for author John Grisham, who co-wrote the screenplay, adapted, of course, from his book. I ...  Read the complete review

Perhaps the oddest of the Grisham adaptations, a small-scale medical insurance thriller directed by the once great Francis Coppola. While inevitably a disappointment compared to the scale of his Godfather movies, it is a surprising return to form for Coppola. Much less self-important than the portentous Grisham flicks made by Sydney Pollack and Joel Schumacher, it's a sprightly little movie. Despite its quite serious plots involving a dying kid whose insurance company refuses to pay up, and the hero's involvement with a battered wife, it's quite funny. Matt Damon and Claire Danes are excellent in the leads, while Danny de Vito is on triumphant form ...  Read the complete review