The Rainmaker (1997)

People don't bash lawyers like they used to do. One of the most memorable experiences in my life was getting called for jury duty for a criminal case a long time ago. We had to answer a lengthy questionnaire, and after some were eliminated from jury selection, I was among a group who were called up to answer questions from the attorneys and judge.

I expressed concerns about the justice system in the questionnaire. I explained to the judge that justice is sometimes not fully served because of plea bargaining. He retorted by saying both sides of counsel have to agree to the plea bargain. Touché.

I didn't get selected, but the jury selection experience left me with quite an impression, and while I still have reservations, I began to respect the law profession and the court system. I came to realize that the resentment people have towards lawyers is more primarily against the defense attorneys who seem to have no moral compass and look for loopholes and technicalities to get their clients off the hook, like murderous criminals and greedy corporations.

With Matt Damon and Danny DeVito, The Rainmaker is a courtroom drama based on John Grisham's novel of the same title, and, like Tucker: The Man and His Dream, is one of Francis Ford Coppola's underrated movies with an exceptional cast. Michael Douglas was not in the film but served as one of the film's Producers. Matt Damon plays a lawyer fresh out of law school and goes up against a major health insurance company. The Rainmaker is fiction and has a few characters that are a little cartoonish, but it's yet another excellent and entertaining courtroom thriller in the style of John Grisham.

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