Saturday, February 07, 1998

John Grisham’s The Rainmaker

100592 / 12 / US / 1997 / Coppola, Francis Ford / drama / thriller
John Grisham’s The Rainmaker / John Grishamin Sateentekijä. © Mont Blanc Corporation; Bernina Films. A Paramount release. D+SC: Francis Ford Coppola - based on the novel by John Grisham. CAST: Matt Damon (Rudy Baylor), Claire Danes (Kelly Riker), Danny DeVito (Deck Schifflet), Jon Voight (Leo F. Drummond). 135’. Scope. MPAA 35679. PG-13. Finnish / Swedish subtitles by Jaana Wiik / Ditte Kronström. DIST: UIP Finland. Viewed in Helsinki, VET, Friday 6 February 1998. *** My favourite of the some five Grisham films I have seen. This one is the least frenetic and violent of them. It is a morality tale, told with humour and taking its time with the characters, interpreted by several first rate actors. Coppola’s flair of strong ensembles is in evidence here. It’s about the rookie lawyer defending a poor mother against a huge insurance company. The film is sober and wise and it confronts all the stereotypes about American lawyers. ”What’s wrong with ethics?” asks the young lawyer who keeps growing through the story by learning from his own mistakes. I like the film’s focus on nobility.

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