The Rainmaker

I've always been attracted to legal dramas, if only because of the work they have to put to appeal to the viewer, especially with long interrogations and conversations in a quiet courtroom. But Coppola had absolutely no problem with that, because he got his hands on some truly great material about an aspiring lawyer and a young boy whose insurance company refuses to pay for his leukaemia treatment. And he also got an excellent cast led by Damon, DeVito, Voight, and Mickey Rourke, who once again delights in a smaller role. Coppola is a first-class director and he plays out the extensive legal battle at first in a slow pace, then at the very end he hits the gas hard and with the help of all the wonderful performances finishes just short of the world record, which still undeniably belongs to Demme's Philadephia and Schumacher's Time to Kill, both of which left me with more lasting memories. (30/08/2012)

And old-school genre film that does not evoke as much emotion and enthusiasm due to the ageing syndrome – many of the things that were trendy back then are different today. I am referring primarily to the archetypal character style of the mafia lawyer Mickey Rourke. But the film’s most captivating aspect is the acting, where the main drive is Jon Voight playing a timeless and accurately portrayed lawyer of a big corporation. Matt Damon plays a typical seeker of oneself with potential, something he actually played twice that year and he does it quite well. It is certainly a film that reflects the interesting politics of big businesses and their legal tricks, as well as the courtrooms, the stands, and the lawyer arguments more tangibly than many other legal drama. Though Coppola, as usual, takes a crazy long time to get it going. (08/08/2015)

A dense American courtroom drama that, thanks to Matt Damon's appealingly idealistic character, sustains your hope for a happy ending until the finale. Coppola, thanks to his skill and the almost "pure" character of Rudy Baylor, manages to present the whole story in a palatable and humane way – considering the (im)palatable and inhuman practices taking place. The sideplot with Claire Danes is excellent and fully rounds out Rudy's character, which runs like a silken thread through the entire film. The final urgency and gradation of the trial is impressive, but "only" nips at the heels of the strongest genre representatives (A Time to Kill and Philadelphia). [85%] (18/04/2022)

From Coppola, I would expect a suffocating and dark courtroom drama, but instead I got a refreshing appetizer that manages to escape quickly despite its length. The pair of cool guys Damon-DeVito and the fantastic slimeball Jon Voight greatly contribute to this. I'm not afraid to say that it is his best performance. (16/09/2006)

Perhaps no subgenre is as perfectly cliché in American audiovisual culture as so-called legal or courtroom dramas. It could be said that nothing new can be invented anymore, and screenwriters are trying increasingly crazier situations, conflicts, and resolutions, all with the understanding that despite the complexity of the plot, this type of film usually has a standard and predictable ending. Various series had the most impact on this decline, as they squeezed the genre to death. Standing out from this flood is the cast, a certain sobriety, and a humanistic message. This is a sincere film that may not surprise you - it actually doesn't have much to surprise with, but it is a film that will stay in your memory, is professionally shot, and actually says quite a lot about the system it criticizes. I'm adding a fifth star for the central acting duo of Matt Damon and Danny DeVito. Overall impression: 90%. (02/11/2012)