Review of Rainmaker, The

Introduction

Some people say that John Grisham`s novels are always written with one eye on a movie adaptation. However, this could not really be said about The Rainmaker - in my opinion, Grisham`s finest so far. The twisting plot told in the first person is interesting and engrossing, but hardly the prime candidate for a big movie. Indeed, the release of the film was handled in a low-key manner, and was never really brought to the attention of the main stream market. However, with Francis Ford Coppola at the helm, and a cast including Matt Damon, Danny DeVito, Jon Voight, Claire Danes and Dean Stockwell, it is obvious that this movie is worth a close look.

Video

Although this picture is anamorphic, it is pale and washed out. Colours are muted, and the picture carries a flat, lifeless quality. Sure the level of detail is okay, and the image is clear enough, but it is soft and the colours are not at all lifelike for the majority of the film.

Generally, the DVD transfer is okay (and so it should be, with so much space on the disc to play with). However, the full resolution of DVD is not plumbed, and there is the odd compression artifact.

For once though, we might have one over on the almighty Region 1. The US version of The Rainmaker carries a non-anamorphic image which has been slated in some reviews for excessive pixellation and aliasing problems.

Audio

The audio on this disc is acceptable, without ever being outstanding. Music is sympathetically dealt with, but the nature of the film (set mainly in a courtroom) means that the film tends to vocals. This is fine, although the deep Southern accents can take a little getting used to, and I found myself straining to catch every word said. This is a combination of the accents, and a vocal soundtrack which could be lourder and have more projection. There are no real sound effects during the film except for incidentals, but the audio excelled itself at one particular point when someone burst through a door and we jumped out of our chairs !

Features

Thanks for nothing Paramount. This disc carries a number of different language audio and subtitle tracks, and so is useful in that respect. However, there is no background material, no cut scenes, no commentaries, not even a trailer ! Something of a lost opportunity.

Conclusion

Okay, so as a film The Rainmaker has been overshadowed by the more recent, and quite similar, Erin Brockovich. However, it is an interesting and touching tale - albeit one that has lost a significant amount of the detail of the novel in the translation to the big screen.

As a DVD package, this is pretty uninspiring fare from Paramount. A lacklustre anamorphic picture only gives a cursory nod to any kind of quality, the audio is uninspiring, and there are no true extra materials. Hardly worthy of a premium price. One for fans of the film then, which is recommended if your are a Grisham fan, or love courtroom dramas. If you think of Erin Brockovich meets Philadelphia meets The Client, and you`ll be about there.