the rainmaker

Director: francis ford coppola

Actor: matt damon,danny devito,claire danes,jon voight

Data Published: Fri Nov 21 1997

Genres: Crime,Drama,Thriller

Key Words: lawyer,insurance company,courtroom,courtroom drama,underdog

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119978/

WIKI: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rainmaker_(1997_film)

Description: The Rainmaker is a movie starring Matt Damon, Danny DeVito, and Claire Danes. An underdog lawyer takes on a fraudulent insurance company.

Plot: Rudy Baylor is a graduate of the University of Memphis Law School. Unlike most of his fellow grads, he has no high-paying job lined up and is forced to apply for part-time positions while serving drinks at a Memphis bar. Desperate for a job, he is introduced to J. Lyman "Bruiser" Stone, a ruthless but successful ambulance-chasing lawyer, who makes him an associate. To earn his fee, Rudy is required to hunt for potential clients at a local hospital. He meets Deck Shifflet, a less-than-ethical former insurance assessor-turned-paralegal who has failed the bar exam six times. However, Deck is resourceful in gathering information and an expert on insurance lawsuits. Rudy has a case of insurance bad faith which could be worth several million dollars in damages. When Stone is raided by the FBI, Rudy and Deck set up a practice themselves. They file suit on behalf of a middle-aged couple, Dot and Buddy Black, whose 22-year-old son, Donny Ray, is dying of leukemia, but could have been saved with a bone marrow transplant, denied by their insurance carrier Great Benefit. Rudy passes the Tennessee bar exam but has never argued a case before a judge and jury. Now he finds himself up against a group of experienced lawyers from a large firm, headed by Leo F. Drummond, an attorney who uses unscrupulous tactics to win his cases. The original judge, Harvey Hale, is set to dismiss because he sees it as a so-called "lottery" case that slows down the judicial process. But a more sympathetic judge, Tyrone Kipler, takes over when Hale suffers a fatal heart attack. Kipler, a former civil rights attorney, immediately denies the insurance company's petition for dismissal. While seeking new clients, Rudy meets Kelly Riker, a battered wife whose husband Cliff's beatings have put her in the hospital. Rudy persuades Kelly to file for divorce, which leads to a confrontation with Cliff that results in the abusive husband's death. To keep Rudy from being implicated, Kelly tells the police she killed her husband in self-defense. The district attorney declines to prosecute. Donny Ray dies, but not before giving a video deposition at his home. The case goes to trial, where Drummond gets the vital testimony of Rudy's key witness, Jackie Lemanczyk, stricken from the record. Nevertheless, thanks to Rudy's determination and skillful cross-examination of Great Benefit's president, Wilfred Keeley, the jury finds for the plaintiff. It is a great triumph for Rudy and Deck, until the insurance company declares bankruptcy, allowing it to avoid paying punitive damages. There is no payout for the grieving parents and no fee for Rudy. Deciding that this success will create unrealistic expectations for future clients, Rudy decides to abandon his new practice and teach law. He and Kelly leave town together.