In 1996, Francis Ford Coppola needed the money.
He was coming off a run of films that included The Godfather Part III, Bram Stoker's Dracula, and Jack. His critical and box office results were at a career nadir.
So he agreed to direct an adaptation of the John Grisham bestseller 'The Rainmaker' for Paramount. He wouldn't direct another film for 10 years. And he'd make only four more, including the epic disaster 'Megalopolis'.
Curious then that 'The Rainmaker' is a superlative example of a courtroom thriller, a big-business-versus-the-little-guy movie that features fantastic performances from a large cast of total pros; a film that deserves to be considered among Coppola's best, and maybe a film whose constraints brought out the best in a filmmaker not know for personal or professional restraint.
283. 'Dog Day Afternoon' (1975) Part 2: The Real Story
In the second of my two-parter on Dog Day Afternoon, we get out of the fictional
282. 'Dog Day Afternoon' (1975) Part 1: The Film
Sidney Lumet's 1975 masterpiece of naturalistic filmmaking is many things: a ban
281. [Indistinct Chatter] 5/8
[the week's collected thoughts] Climbing Docs I recommend: The Dark Wizard (HBO)
280. Sacred Cows: The Star Wars Films
In the second of my infrequently recurring series, Sacred Cows, I'm taking a loo
Full Cast And Crew
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