- Film Review
- Reviewed By Jason Caro
-
4 out of 5
Francis Ford Coppola's riveting courtroom drama is an exceptionally well-crafted adaptation of John Grisham's novel. Matt Damon is excellent as the inexperienced Memphis lawyer thrown into the lion's den when he takes on the case of a young man dying of leukaemia, whose insurance company refuses to honour his claim. There's also a marvellous supporting cast, including Jon Voight as the slimiest lawyer imaginable and Claire Danes as a battered wife sheltered by Damon. Grisham's scenarios often feel contrived and mechanical, but not this time. Forgoing the genre's usual serpentine plotting in favour of emotional depth and well-rounded characters, this is courtroom cinema at its very best.
Plot Summary
Courtroom drama starring Matt Damon and Claire Danes. Idealistic young attorney Rudy Baylor and his world-weary partner Deck Shifflet seem out of their depth when they come up against a corrupt insurance company. But the team of slick lawyers opposing them doesn't bargain for the tenacity and skill with which Rudy and Deck fight the case.
Cast and crew
Cast
- Rudy Baylor
- Matt Damon
- Kelly Riker
- Claire Danes
- Leo F Drummond
- Jon Voight
- Dot Black
- Mary Kay Place
- Bruiser Stone
- Mickey Rourke
- Deck Shifflet
- Danny DeVito
- Judge Harvey Hale
- Dean Stockwell
- Miss Birdie
- Teresa Wright
- Jackie Lemanczyk
- Virginia Madsen
- Cliff Riker
- Andrew Shue
- Buddy Black
- Red West
- Wilfred Keeley
- Roy Scheider
- Billy Porter
- Randy Travis
- Judge Tyrone Kippler
- Danny Glover
- Donny Ray Black
- Johnny Whitworth
- Delbert Birdsong
- Sonny Shroyer
Crew
- Director
- Francis Ford Coppola
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