Synopsis

Fresh out of law school and struggling to establish himself, Rudy Baylor takes on a case against a powerful insurance company that has denied a dying boy's medical claim. Working with an unconventional legal assistant, Rudy faces an aggressive corporate law firm while also helping a battered woman escape her abusive marriage. His fight for justice forces him to confront the compromises and corruption of the legal profession.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film adapts John Grisham's 1995 novel, which was published only two years before the movie's release.

• The screenplay combines the insurance lawsuit with the domestic-abuse storyline, preserving two of the novel's major legal and moral conflicts.

• Principal photography took place from October 7, 1996, through February 6, 1997.

• Although the story is set in Memphis, filming also used locations in California and Cleveland, Ohio. Memphis locations included the Peabody Hotel and downtown courthouse areas.

• The movie was released in the United States on November 21, 1997, under the longer promotional title "John Grisham's The Rainmaker."

• With a reported production budget of about $40 million, the film earned approximately $45.9 million domestically. Despite exceeding its budget in the United States, it was viewed as a commercial disappointment compared with earlier Grisham adaptations such as "The Firm."