Andrew Shue

The Rainmaker
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Great courtroom drama putting the insurance industry on trial will be available in anamorphic
  • I love Grisham movies...
  • Read the book first
  • Heartwarming, Inspiring
  • Too true to Life
The Rainmaker
Starring: Matt Damon , Danny DeVito , Claire Danes , Jon Voight , and Mary Kay Place
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:
  1. The Firm
  2. The Client
  3. The Pelican Brief
  4. The Chamber
  5. A Time to Kill

ASIN: 6305181810
Release Date: 1998-11-17

Amazon.com essential video

When viewed from a cranky perspective, this by-the-book David vs. Goliath story doesn't offer any surprises, and it's a bit sad to watch director Francis Coppola (who also adapted John Grisham's bestseller) squandering his once-glorious talent on such conventional Hollywood fare. In a more charitable light, however, there's great pleasure to be found in Coppola's intelligent, no-nonsense handling of a plot that's every bit as involving as it is formulaic. Coppola also knows how to bring out the best in a stellar cast, and this is the movie (released in November 1997, just a few weeks before Good Will Hunting) that signaled Matt Damon's arrival as a major-league star. Damon plays Rudy Baylor, a young rookie lawyer in Memphis (location of many Grisham stories) who takes on a powerful insurance company (led by a sharklike lawyer played by Jon Voight) by representing the family of a boy who was denied potentially life-saving treatment for leukemia. Rudy also comes to the rescue of an abused wife (Claire Danes) and learns the tricks of the legal trade from a seasoned paralegal (Danny DeVito), who sees Rudy as his ticket out of the sleazeball practice run by a shady lawyer (Mickey Rourke). There's no mystery about where this plot is going, but Coppola takes us there in high style with a sharp script, and Damon strikes just the right note of naivete and strategic intelligence. When Goliath inevitably falls, this courtroom David wins fair and square. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Great courtroom drama putting the insurance industry on trial will be available in anamorphic.......2007-04-10

I will not dwell on the details of this John Grisham story that puts the insurance industry on trial. The purpose of my comments are to let Amazon viewers know that Paramount has set July 24, 2007 for release of this wonderful movie as an anamorphic Special Collectors Edition. For those of you contemplating buying this DVD, wait until July for a nicer version without those black bars. I hope this is of help to my fellow Amazon viewers.

5 out of 5 stars I love Grisham movies..........2007-03-13

and this is one of my favorites. Matt Damon does an excellent job. Devito couldn't have done a better job. I love it when he plays a serious/funny situation. He made this movie ease up when the tension got high. If you are looking for a movie that gives justice in the end, this one is for you.

3 out of 5 stars Read the book first.......2007-03-09

Would have enjoyed movie more if I hadn't read the book first. Book was terrific, movie left out a lot of important details.

5 out of 5 stars Heartwarming, Inspiring.......2007-01-07

Matt Damon stars as a freshly minted lawyer fighting a large insurance company that simply collects insurance without paying benefits - in this case they denied payment for life-saving treatment to a dying young man. The insurance company's side is taken by highly-experienced attorneys billing at up to a thousand dollars/hour. Aided by intelligent but six-time bar exam flunker Danny DeVito and his contacts, Damon wins the suit along with a monumental punitive award. Unfortunately, the insurance company is but a shell, having been looted by its CEO (Roy Scheider), and no damages are paid.

We are left with two memorable images: 1)Damon pondering his future in law - should he continue (and undoubtedly end up using the law to fight justice - as did his opponent, Jon Voight), or take his love of the law and go into teaching? 2)DeVito heading out the door in pursuit of another attempt at passing the bar.

2 out of 5 stars Too true to Life.......2006-09-21

I read the book when it was first published and then a friend had a son diagnosed with leukemia and went through the same thing as the Mom in the book. Fortunately he had a lot of advocates that pushed him to ignore the insurance company and his son finally found a donor match but it was too late. So I feared that this movie would not be up to the book. My fears were unfounded, the casting was brilliant and I loved this movie, even though it is tough to watch, I still catch it in reruns on the satellite occasionally and "must watch". That is how good it is.
Leo
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • NOTEWORTHY SLEEPER
  • Sterling Performances
  • A Stunning Southern Sleeper
  • James Joyce's Ulysses as a Southern Gothic Tale
Leo
Starring: Joseph Fiennes , Elisabeth Shue , Justin Chambers , Sam Shepard , and Dennis Hopper
Director: Mehdi Norowzian
Manufacturer: First Look Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0001I2BVM
Release Date: 2004-05-18

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars NOTEWORTHY SLEEPER.......2005-04-16

Director Mehdi Norowzian artfully guides LEO into the realms of cinematic genius. Often using windows and rectangular images to frame his actors, he brings us a quiet, penetrating, and artful tale of a young boy and the renaissance of a young man. Presented with a dual storyline concerning a little boy and a man just released from prison, Norowzian weaves the two storylines flawlessly, and patient viewers will be rewarded with how the storylines relate. Joseph Fiennes is marvelous as (...), the murderer who has been corresponding with an 11 year old boy named Leo (played beautifully by newcomer Davis Sweatt). Upon his release he takes a job at Vic's Diner, wherein he meets the born again owner (a superb Sam Shepard), a waitress we don't know much about but come to identify with (Deborah Kara Unger), and the nasty co-owner and customer, the fiendishly wrought Dennis Hopper. Meanwhile, Fiennes is writing a novel centering on the correspondence he has shared with Leo. The parallel storyline features Elisabeth Shue in a dramatically different role---the wife of a college professor who has surrendered her own goals to raise their daughter. Shue is brilliant as she goes from a seemingly sweet mother to an alcoholic, emotionally abusive one. She is told her professor husband (the marvelous Jake Weber) is having an affair, so she retaliates with a dalliance with the hunky painter (a smarmy but effective Justin Chambers). She reconciles with Weber, but a fateful errand for cold cream brings tragic results and the now pregnant Shue blames herself for their tragic end, resulting in her emotional detachment from her newborn baby boy whom she regards as punishment for her infidelity.
LEO is sometimes frustrating in its complexity, but as the movie unfolds, we are given both a poignant and disturbing look at maternal love, filial devotion, and the sad case of how society can dictate how one reacts. It is a very original movie, well done and worth your time.

4 out of 5 stars Sterling Performances.......2005-03-23

"Leo" is intense & highly dramatic. Mehdi Norowzian has his feature directorial debut with this small low-budget picture. However, low budget does not mean low on artistry. Norowzian had been nominated for an Oscar in 1999 for his live action short film "Killing Joe" and has had an extensive career in commercials as the DVD extra interview attests. He does an excellent job of weaving the two story lines together as the audience increasingly becomes aware of how they interrelate. 1998 was Joseph Fiennes' banner year with both "Elizabeth" and "Shakespeare In Love" being critical and box-office successes. His portrayal of Martin Luther in 2003's "Luther" was also intense and excellent. As Stephen who is released from prison for murder, we come to know the man who was emotionally abused by his mother and yet who is highly intelligent and has his own sense of morality. We come to see him as both victim and hero, a quite ranging performance. Elizabeth Shue takes on some amazingly complex roles such as the prostitute in "Leaving Las Vegas" that earned her best actress Oscar nomination in 1995. She has also appeared with Kevin Bacon in "The Hollow Man" in 2000 and with Robert DeNiro & Dakota Fanning in this year's "Hide & Seek." As Leo's mother Mary Bloom, we see her as an attractive although emotionally damaged woman who cannot control her own grief without taking it out on her son. As young Leopold, Davis Sweat does a nice job in his film debut. Playwright Sam Shepard does an excellent job as the restaurant owner Vic with his own private demons. His candid interview in the DVD tells us how all of these actors took these roles at scale & were in it for the artistry, not the bucks. He swings a mean baseball bat! Although his appearance is brief, Jake Webber who currently stars in the NBC series "Medium" does a good job as Leopold's father, the college professor Ben. Webber's face is increasingly becoming recognizable although he's previously been in "U571," "The Cell," & "Meet Joe Black." While Mary Bloom believes that her husband has been unfaithful, she takes up with a handyman/painter played by Justin Chambers ("The Wedding Planner") who is as sleazy as he is uncontrolled & dangerous. Dennis Hopper's lone Oscar nomination for acting -- not counting the screenplay of "Easy Rider" -- was in "Hoosiers" in 1986. He dons the role of crazed villain as Horace in this picture. Horace is as unredeemable as Hopper's performance is well executed. Deborah Unger as the waitress Caroline has sass & plays great fear in her backroom confrontation scene with Horace. She has played opposite Denzel Washington in "The Hurricane" and Mel Gibson in "Payback." As Mary Bloom's sister, Mary Stewart Masterson ("Some Kind of Wonderful," "Bed of Roses," "Benny & Joon") does an excellent cameo performance. I found the psychological weaving of the two story lines to be intriguing, well intertwined by Norowzian. Fiennes' performance is the peg around which this story swirls; and his performance is solid sterling. The cinematography is also excellent with some breathtaking shots that frame the story. This is one low-budget flick that is well worth the view. Enjoy!

5 out of 5 stars A Stunning Southern Sleeper.......2005-03-11

Leo is, quite simply, a masterpiece of filmmaking by a first time director. Mehdi Norowzian does a remarkable job, surrounded by technical artists of the highest order and further aided by a cast that could not possibly be bettered.

Norowzian takes elements of what could be a classic, campy southern gothic tale, and gives it a fine "Euro-treatment" - a more noticeable and welcome change over the last decade or so in American independents. (American director, Tag Purvis achieves a similar evocation of a mysterious South in "Red Dirt")

Norowzian takes this screenplay loosely populated with characters from Joyce's "Ulysses" and bends them into a story seamlessly reaching back and forth through decades - racing, hurtling towards its inevitable and beautiful collisionary conclusion.

As Stephen, Joseph Fiennes turns in a performance that can be called nothing less than amazing. Even when silent (which is much of the film) Fiennes' presence is masterful, and cuts to the soul as a man released from a wrongful prison sentence.

Elizabeth Shue is harrowing and wears Mary's vulnerability like a badge of shame as she sinks into hopeless alcoholism and abusive neglect of her son, Leo.

As Leo, watch out for David Sweat, a young actor who inhabits the title role with an intensity and though fiercely intelligent, devoid entirely of preciousness or precosciousness.

Strong performances come also from Sam Shepherd, Dennis Hopper, and Deborah Unger who gives an master class in acting through facial expressions and body language providing myriad insights into what on the surface appears to be a minor role, but whose character inhabits all the qualities of the central characters and who's ultimate crisis serves as the catalyst for the story's denouement. She is, to use an overused word, brilliant.

The entire look and feel of this tale is overwhelming gentle belying its deep intensity. A really wonderful film on many levels.

4 out of 5 stars James Joyce's Ulysses as a Southern Gothic Tale.......2004-08-30

Director Mehdi Norowzian and screenwriters Amir and Massy Tajedin have constructed a tale based loosely on characters from James Joyce's ULYSSES and the result is this rather strange but beguiling film, LEO. Set in the dank and humid South the film runs seemingly parallel stories: Mary Bloom (Elizabeth Shue) is a frustrated academician housewife who has moved to the South with professor husband Ben (Jake Weber) and daughter. When the nosey ladies of the town suggest that Ben has had an affair with a student, Mary is incredulous, but in her altered state of mind has a sexual encounter with a young man who is painting her house. Ben forces Mary to understand that he is innocent, Mary discovers she is pregnant, and Ben and her daughter drive off on a simple errand and are both killed in an auto accident. Flash forward a couple of times and we find Mary drowning her 'guilt' in liquor, having given birth to a son (Leopold - or Leo as he becomes when played by actor Davis Sweat) who she ignores as the misbegotten lovechild from her indiscretion. She has maintained an unhealthy relationship with the house painter, and together they emotionally and physically abuse the child Leo. This `family unit' will have is consequences.

Parallel to this story is the life of a convicted felon Stephen (Joseph Fiennes) who is in a nearby prison and to whom young Leo has written a letter, fulfilling a school assignment. Stephen is released from prison and spends his time - when not employed by the local café where behind the counter misdeeds occur daily between waitress Caroline (Deborah Unger) and rascal Horace (Dennis Hopper) - writing letters to Leo. The relationship between Stephen and Leo takes a surprising twist when, via flashbacks and flash-forwards, the true nature of their identities is clarified. To reveal more would remove the de Maupassant flavor of the ending.

The various ways in which the Joycean tale is twisted and morphed using the names of Leopold and Mary Bloom and Stephen Daedalus is fascinating. The acting is varied: Shue, Fiennes, Sweat, Unger and cameos by Mary Stuart Masterson and Sam Shepard are generally fine. One wonders why Fiennes was cast as a southern drawling emotionally paralytic man until he proves his mettle in the film's conclusion. Other characters including that of Dennis Hopper are one dimensional and cheapen the film. The cinematography of Zubin Mistry captures the Southern ilk, but the overall color is so washed out that the subtleties disappear at times. In all an interesting mood piece that says a lot about individual acceptance of responsibility of personal deeds. There is light in the growth of the characters and that fact keeps this story from being just another depressing Southern Gothic tale.
Rainmaker
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Great courtroom drama putting the insurance industry on trial will be available in anamorphic
  • I love Grisham movies...
  • Read the book first
  • Heartwarming, Inspiring
  • Too true to Life
Rainmaker
Starring: Matt Damon , Danny DeVito , Claire Danes , Jon Voight , and Mary Kay Place
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: Video
Binding: VHS Tape

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Similar Items:
  1. The Firm
  2. The Client
  3. The Pelican Brief
  4. The Chamber
  5. A Time to Kill

ASIN: 6304925131
Release Date: 2000-06-06

Amazon.com essential video

When viewed from a cranky perspective, this by-the-book David versus Goliath story doesn't offer any surprises, and it's a bit sad to watch director Francis Coppola (who also adapted John Grisham's bestseller) squandering his once-glorious talent on such conventional Hollywood fare. In a more charitable light, however, there's great pleasure to be found in Coppola's intelligent, no-nonsense handling of a plot that's every bit as involving as it is formulaic. Coppola also knows how to bring out the best in a stellar cast, and this is the movie (released in November 1997, just a few weeks before <I>Good Will Hunting</I>) that signaled Matt Damon's arrival as a major-league star. Damon plays Rudy Baylor, a young rookie lawyer in Memphis (location of many Grisham stories) who takes on a powerful insurance company (led by shark-like lawyer Jon Voight) by representing the family of a boy who was denied potentially life-saving treatment for leukemia. Rudy also comes to the rescue of an abused wife (Claire Danes) and learns the tricks of the legal trade from a seasoned paralegal (Danny DeVito) who sees Rudy as his ticket out of the sleaze-ball practice run by a shady lawyer (Mickey Rourke). There's no mystery about where this plot is going, but Coppola takes us there in high style with a sharp script, and Damon strikes just the right note of naivete and strategic intelligence. When Goliath inevitably falls, this courtroom David wins fair and square. <I>--Jeff Shannon</I>

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Great courtroom drama putting the insurance industry on trial will be available in anamorphic.......2007-04-10

I will not dwell on the details of this John Grisham story that puts the insurance industry on trial. The purpose of my comments are to let Amazon viewers know that Paramount has set July 24, 2007 for release of this wonderful movie as an anamorphic Special Collectors Edition. For those of you contemplating buying this DVD, wait until July for a nicer version without those black bars. I hope this is of help to my fellow Amazon viewers.

5 out of 5 stars I love Grisham movies..........2007-03-13

and this is one of my favorites. Matt Damon does an excellent job. Devito couldn't have done a better job. I love it when he plays a serious/funny situation. He made this movie ease up when the tension got high. If you are looking for a movie that gives justice in the end, this one is for you.

3 out of 5 stars Read the book first.......2007-03-09

Would have enjoyed movie more if I hadn't read the book first. Book was terrific, movie left out a lot of important details.

5 out of 5 stars Heartwarming, Inspiring.......2007-01-07

Matt Damon stars as a freshly minted lawyer fighting a large insurance company that simply collects insurance without paying benefits - in this case they denied payment for life-saving treatment to a dying young man. The insurance company's side is taken by highly-experienced attorneys billing at up to a thousand dollars/hour. Aided by intelligent but six-time bar exam flunker Danny DeVito and his contacts, Damon wins the suit along with a monumental punitive award. Unfortunately, the insurance company is but a shell, having been looted by its CEO (Roy Scheider), and no damages are paid.

We are left with two memorable images: 1)Damon pondering his future in law - should he continue (and undoubtedly end up using the law to fight justice - as did his opponent, Jon Voight), or take his love of the law and go into teaching? 2)DeVito heading out the door in pursuit of another attempt at passing the bar.

2 out of 5 stars Too true to Life.......2006-09-21

I read the book when it was first published and then a friend had a son diagnosed with leukemia and went through the same thing as the Mom in the book. Fortunately he had a lot of advocates that pushed him to ignore the insurance company and his son finally found a donor match but it was too late. So I feared that this movie would not be up to the book. My fears were unfounded, the casting was brilliant and I loved this movie, even though it is tough to watch, I still catch it in reruns on the satellite occasionally and "must watch". That is how good it is.
American Shaolin:King of Kickboxers 2
Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • Great Film
  • INSPRIRATION FOR ALL OF THE SHAOLIN LOVERS
American Shaolin:King of Kickboxers 2
Starring: Reese Madigan , Trent Bushey , Daniel Dae Kim , Billy Chang , and Cliff Lenderman
Director: Lucas Lowe
Manufacturer: Academy Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: Video
Binding: VHS Tape

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ASIN: 630264660X
Release Date: 1993-02-10

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Great Film.......2006-11-25

This is sort of karate kid meets shaolin temple. Good fight scenes great humor & a good story. Comedy is mostly about east meets west cultures clashing. Theres a tiny bit of language But it teaches great lessons in humility, descipline, forgiveness & acceptance. Greatest line is when the instructor stops the other students picking on the main character for being different, it goes something like: "all of you are no longer white, chinese or mongal - you all are now shaolin!". Many lessons learned

3 out of 5 stars INSPRIRATION FOR ALL OF THE SHAOLIN LOVERS.......2003-05-27

Not the best piece of art however, it is a hilarious and
action packed THRILLER. I recommend this film to all die hard shaolin lovers.If you are not a big shaolin fan you will probaly not enjoy this movie.
American Shaolin: King of Kickboxers 2
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • mark twain sam australia WA Perth
American Shaolin: King of Kickboxers 2
Starring: Reese Madigan , Trent Bushey , Daniel Dae Kim , Billy Chang , and Cliff Lenderman
Director: Lucas Lowe
Manufacturer: Platinum Disc
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00008G8NL
Release Date: 2002-04-30

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars mark twain sam australia WA Perth.......2005-11-16

This film is pretty average. However, I am a fan of Ng See Yuen and Corey Yuen's fight chereography action films which is why I have rated this DVD number 4. Anyway, this film is about Drew Carson a normal teenager who is a martial arts competitor but is humiliated in front of a National Audience by his opponent. After losing miserably to his rival, Trevor in that particular martial arts tournament he decides to carry on his sensei's dream to become a Shaolin Monk and to seek further assistance from the monestary. When Drew arrived to the temple he was refused entry and thrown of the premises but refused to leave. Eventually, the monks agreed to take him on and Drew has become the first American Shaolin.
Leo (2002)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • NOTEWORTHY SLEEPER
  • Sterling Performances
  • A Stunning Southern Sleeper
  • James Joyce's Ulysses as a Southern Gothic Tale
Leo (2002)
Starring: Joseph Fiennes , Elisabeth Shue , Justin Chambers , Sam Shepard , and Dennis Hopper
Director: Mehdi Norowzian
Manufacturer: First Look Pictures
ProductGroup: Video
Binding: VHS Tape

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ASIN: B0001WTUY4
Release Date: 2004-05-18

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars NOTEWORTHY SLEEPER.......2005-04-16

Director Mehdi Norowzian artfully guides LEO into the realms of cinematic genius. Often using windows and rectangular images to frame his actors, he brings us a quiet, penetrating, and artful tale of a young boy and the renaissance of a young man. Presented with a dual storyline concerning a little boy and a man just released from prison, Norowzian weaves the two storylines flawlessly, and patient viewers will be rewarded with how the storylines relate. Joseph Fiennes is marvelous as (...), the murderer who has been corresponding with an 11 year old boy named Leo (played beautifully by newcomer Davis Sweatt). Upon his release he takes a job at Vic's Diner, wherein he meets the born again owner (a superb Sam Shepard), a waitress we don't know much about but come to identify with (Deborah Kara Unger), and the nasty co-owner and customer, the fiendishly wrought Dennis Hopper. Meanwhile, Fiennes is writing a novel centering on the correspondence he has shared with Leo. The parallel storyline features Elisabeth Shue in a dramatically different role---the wife of a college professor who has surrendered her own goals to raise their daughter. Shue is brilliant as she goes from a seemingly sweet mother to an alcoholic, emotionally abusive one. She is told her professor husband (the marvelous Jake Weber) is having an affair, so she retaliates with a dalliance with the hunky painter (a smarmy but effective Justin Chambers). She reconciles with Weber, but a fateful errand for cold cream brings tragic results and the now pregnant Shue blames herself for their tragic end, resulting in her emotional detachment from her newborn baby boy whom she regards as punishment for her infidelity.
LEO is sometimes frustrating in its complexity, but as the movie unfolds, we are given both a poignant and disturbing look at maternal love, filial devotion, and the sad case of how society can dictate how one reacts. It is a very original movie, well done and worth your time.

4 out of 5 stars Sterling Performances.......2005-03-23

"Leo" is intense & highly dramatic. Mehdi Norowzian has his feature directorial debut with this small low-budget picture. However, low budget does not mean low on artistry. Norowzian had been nominated for an Oscar in 1999 for his live action short film "Killing Joe" and has had an extensive career in commercials as the DVD extra interview attests. He does an excellent job of weaving the two story lines together as the audience increasingly becomes aware of how they interrelate. 1998 was Joseph Fiennes' banner year with both "Elizabeth" and "Shakespeare In Love" being critical and box-office successes. His portrayal of Martin Luther in 2003's "Luther" was also intense and excellent. As Stephen who is released from prison for murder, we come to know the man who was emotionally abused by his mother and yet who is highly intelligent and has his own sense of morality. We come to see him as both victim and hero, a quite ranging performance. Elizabeth Shue takes on some amazingly complex roles such as the prostitute in "Leaving Las Vegas" that earned her best actress Oscar nomination in 1995. She has also appeared with Kevin Bacon in "The Hollow Man" in 2000 and with Robert DeNiro & Dakota Fanning in this year's "Hide & Seek." As Leo's mother Mary Bloom, we see her as an attractive although emotionally damaged woman who cannot control her own grief without taking it out on her son. As young Leopold, Davis Sweat does a nice job in his film debut. Playwright Sam Shepard does an excellent job as the restaurant owner Vic with his own private demons. His candid interview in the DVD tells us how all of these actors took these roles at scale & were in it for the artistry, not the bucks. He swings a mean baseball bat! Although his appearance is brief, Jake Webber who currently stars in the NBC series "Medium" does a good job as Leopold's father, the college professor Ben. Webber's face is increasingly becoming recognizable although he's previously been in "U571," "The Cell," & "Meet Joe Black." While Mary Bloom believes that her husband has been unfaithful, she takes up with a handyman/painter played by Justin Chambers ("The Wedding Planner") who is as sleazy as he is uncontrolled & dangerous. Dennis Hopper's lone Oscar nomination for acting -- not counting the screenplay of "Easy Rider" -- was in "Hoosiers" in 1986. He dons the role of crazed villain as Horace in this picture. Horace is as unredeemable as Hopper's performance is well executed. Deborah Unger as the waitress Caroline has sass & plays great fear in her backroom confrontation scene with Horace. She has played opposite Denzel Washington in "The Hurricane" and Mel Gibson in "Payback." As Mary Bloom's sister, Mary Stewart Masterson ("Some Kind of Wonderful," "Bed of Roses," "Benny & Joon") does an excellent cameo performance. I found the psychological weaving of the two story lines to be intriguing, well intertwined by Norowzian. Fiennes' performance is the peg around which this story swirls; and his performance is solid sterling. The cinematography is also excellent with some breathtaking shots that frame the story. This is one low-budget flick that is well worth the view. Enjoy!

5 out of 5 stars A Stunning Southern Sleeper.......2005-03-11

Leo is, quite simply, a masterpiece of filmmaking by a first time director. Mehdi Norowzian does a remarkable job, surrounded by technical artists of the highest order and further aided by a cast that could not possibly be bettered.

Norowzian takes elements of what could be a classic, campy southern gothic tale, and gives it a fine "Euro-treatment" - a more noticeable and welcome change over the last decade or so in American independents. (American director, Tag Purvis achieves a similar evocation of a mysterious South in "Red Dirt")

Norowzian takes this screenplay loosely populated with characters from Joyce's "Ulysses" and bends them into a story seamlessly reaching back and forth through decades - racing, hurtling towards its inevitable and beautiful collisionary conclusion.

As Stephen, Joseph Fiennes turns in a performance that can be called nothing less than amazing. Even when silent (which is much of the film) Fiennes' presence is masterful, and cuts to the soul as a man released from a wrongful prison sentence.

Elizabeth Shue is harrowing and wears Mary's vulnerability like a badge of shame as she sinks into hopeless alcoholism and abusive neglect of her son, Leo.

As Leo, watch out for David Sweat, a young actor who inhabits the title role with an intensity and though fiercely intelligent, devoid entirely of preciousness or precosciousness.

Strong performances come also from Sam Shepherd, Dennis Hopper, and Deborah Unger who gives an master class in acting through facial expressions and body language providing myriad insights into what on the surface appears to be a minor role, but whose character inhabits all the qualities of the central characters and who's ultimate crisis serves as the catalyst for the story's denouement. She is, to use an overused word, brilliant.

The entire look and feel of this tale is overwhelming gentle belying its deep intensity. A really wonderful film on many levels.

4 out of 5 stars James Joyce's Ulysses as a Southern Gothic Tale.......2004-08-30

Director Mehdi Norowzian and screenwriters Amir and Massy Tajedin have constructed a tale based loosely on characters from James Joyce's ULYSSES and the result is this rather strange but beguiling film, LEO. Set in the dank and humid South the film runs seemingly parallel stories: Mary Bloom (Elizabeth Shue) is a frustrated academician housewife who has moved to the South with professor husband Ben (Jake Weber) and daughter. When the nosey ladies of the town suggest that Ben has had an affair with a student, Mary is incredulous, but in her altered state of mind has a sexual encounter with a young man who is painting her house. Ben forces Mary to understand that he is innocent, Mary discovers she is pregnant, and Ben and her daughter drive off on a simple errand and are both killed in an auto accident. Flash forward a couple of times and we find Mary drowning her 'guilt' in liquor, having given birth to a son (Leopold - or Leo as he becomes when played by actor Davis Sweat) who she ignores as the misbegotten lovechild from her indiscretion. She has maintained an unhealthy relationship with the house painter, and together they emotionally and physically abuse the child Leo. This `family unit' will have is consequences.

Parallel to this story is the life of a convicted felon Stephen (Joseph Fiennes) who is in a nearby prison and to whom young Leo has written a letter, fulfilling a school assignment. Stephen is released from prison and spends his time - when not employed by the local café where behind the counter misdeeds occur daily between waitress Caroline (Deborah Unger) and rascal Horace (Dennis Hopper) - writing letters to Leo. The relationship between Stephen and Leo takes a surprising twist when, via flashbacks and flash-forwards, the true nature of their identities is clarified. To reveal more would remove the de Maupassant flavor of the ending.

The various ways in which the Joycean tale is twisted and morphed using the names of Leopold and Mary Bloom and Stephen Daedalus is fascinating. The acting is varied: Shue, Fiennes, Sweat, Unger and cameos by Mary Stuart Masterson and Sam Shepard are generally fine. One wonders why Fiennes was cast as a southern drawling emotionally paralytic man until he proves his mettle in the film's conclusion. Other characters including that of Dennis Hopper are one dimensional and cheapen the film. The cinematography of Zubin Mistry captures the Southern ilk, but the overall color is so washed out that the subtleties disappear at times. In all an interesting mood piece that says a lot about individual acceptance of responsibility of personal deeds. There is light in the growth of the characters and that fact keeps this story from being just another depressing Southern Gothic tale.
The Rainmaker [Region 2]
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Great courtroom drama putting the insurance industry on trial will be available in anamorphic
  • I love Grisham movies...
  • Read the book first
  • Heartwarming, Inspiring
  • Too true to Life
The Rainmaker [Region 2]
Starring: Matt Damon , Danny DeVito , Claire Danes , Jon Voight , and Mary Kay Place
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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  5. A Time to Kill

ASIN: B00004RYDT

Amazon.com essential video

When viewed from a cranky perspective, this by-the-book David vs. Goliath story doesn't offer any surprises, and it's a bit sad to watch director Francis Coppola (who also adapted John Grisham's bestseller) squandering his once-glorious talent on such conventional Hollywood fare. In a more charitable light, however, there's great pleasure to be found in Coppola's intelligent, no-nonsense handling of a plot that's every bit as involving as it is formulaic. Coppola also knows how to bring out the best in a stellar cast, and this is the movie (released in November 1997, just a few weeks before Good Will Hunting) that signaled Matt Damon's arrival as a major-league star. Damon plays Rudy Baylor, a young rookie lawyer in Memphis (location of many Grisham stories) who takes on a powerful insurance company (led by a sharklike lawyer played by Jon Voight) by representing the family of a boy who was denied potentially life-saving treatment for leukemia. Rudy also comes to the rescue of an abused wife (Claire Danes) and learns the tricks of the legal trade from a seasoned paralegal (Danny DeVito), who sees Rudy as his ticket out of the sleazeball practice run by a shady lawyer (Mickey Rourke). There's no mystery about where this plot is going, but Coppola takes us there in high style with a sharp script, and Damon strikes just the right note of naivete and strategic intelligence. When Goliath inevitably falls, this courtroom David wins fair and square. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Great courtroom drama putting the insurance industry on trial will be available in anamorphic.......2007-04-10

I will not dwell on the details of this John Grisham story that puts the insurance industry on trial. The purpose of my comments are to let Amazon viewers know that Paramount has set July 24, 2007 for release of this wonderful movie as an anamorphic Special Collectors Edition. For those of you contemplating buying this DVD, wait until July for a nicer version without those black bars. I hope this is of help to my fellow Amazon viewers.

5 out of 5 stars I love Grisham movies..........2007-03-13

and this is one of my favorites. Matt Damon does an excellent job. Devito couldn't have done a better job. I love it when he plays a serious/funny situation. He made this movie ease up when the tension got high. If you are looking for a movie that gives justice in the end, this one is for you.

3 out of 5 stars Read the book first.......2007-03-09

Would have enjoyed movie more if I hadn't read the book first. Book was terrific, movie left out a lot of important details.

5 out of 5 stars Heartwarming, Inspiring.......2007-01-07

Matt Damon stars as a freshly minted lawyer fighting a large insurance company that simply collects insurance without paying benefits - in this case they denied payment for life-saving treatment to a dying young man. The insurance company's side is taken by highly-experienced attorneys billing at up to a thousand dollars/hour. Aided by intelligent but six-time bar exam flunker Danny DeVito and his contacts, Damon wins the suit along with a monumental punitive award. Unfortunately, the insurance company is but a shell, having been looted by its CEO (Roy Scheider), and no damages are paid.

We are left with two memorable images: 1)Damon pondering his future in law - should he continue (and undoubtedly end up using the law to fight justice - as did his opponent, Jon Voight), or take his love of the law and go into teaching? 2)DeVito heading out the door in pursuit of another attempt at passing the bar.

2 out of 5 stars Too true to Life.......2006-09-21

I read the book when it was first published and then a friend had a son diagnosed with leukemia and went through the same thing as the Mom in the book. Fortunately he had a lot of advocates that pushed him to ignore the insurance company and his son finally found a donor match but it was too late. So I feared that this movie would not be up to the book. My fears were unfounded, the casting was brilliant and I loved this movie, even though it is tough to watch, I still catch it in reruns on the satellite occasionally and "must watch". That is how good it is.
The Rainmaker [Region 2]
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Great courtroom drama putting the insurance industry on trial will be available in anamorphic
  • I love Grisham movies...
  • Read the book first
  • Heartwarming, Inspiring
  • Too true to Life
The Rainmaker [Region 2]
Starring: Matt Damon , Danny DeVito , Claire Danes , Jon Voight , and Mary Kay Place
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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  1. The Firm
  2. The Client
  3. The Pelican Brief
  4. The Chamber
  5. A Time to Kill

ASIN: B000058E3N

Amazon.com essential video

When viewed from a cranky perspective, this by-the-book David vs. Goliath story doesn't offer any surprises, and it's a bit sad to watch director Francis Coppola (who also adapted John Grisham's bestseller) squandering his once-glorious talent on such conventional Hollywood fare. In a more charitable light, however, there's great pleasure to be found in Coppola's intelligent, no-nonsense handling of a plot that's every bit as involving as it is formulaic. Coppola also knows how to bring out the best in a stellar cast, and this is the movie (released in November 1997, just a few weeks before Good Will Hunting) that signaled Matt Damon's arrival as a major-league star. Damon plays Rudy Baylor, a young rookie lawyer in Memphis (location of many Grisham stories) who takes on a powerful insurance company (led by a sharklike lawyer played by Jon Voight) by representing the family of a boy who was denied potentially life-saving treatment for leukemia. Rudy also comes to the rescue of an abused wife (Claire Danes) and learns the tricks of the legal trade from a seasoned paralegal (Danny DeVito), who sees Rudy as his ticket out of the sleazeball practice run by a shady lawyer (Mickey Rourke). There's no mystery about where this plot is going, but Coppola takes us there in high style with a sharp script, and Damon strikes just the right note of naivete and strategic intelligence. When Goliath inevitably falls, this courtroom David wins fair and square. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Great courtroom drama putting the insurance industry on trial will be available in anamorphic.......2007-04-10

I will not dwell on the details of this John Grisham story that puts the insurance industry on trial. The purpose of my comments are to let Amazon viewers know that Paramount has set July 24, 2007 for release of this wonderful movie as an anamorphic Special Collectors Edition. For those of you contemplating buying this DVD, wait until July for a nicer version without those black bars. I hope this is of help to my fellow Amazon viewers.

5 out of 5 stars I love Grisham movies..........2007-03-13

and this is one of my favorites. Matt Damon does an excellent job. Devito couldn't have done a better job. I love it when he plays a serious/funny situation. He made this movie ease up when the tension got high. If you are looking for a movie that gives justice in the end, this one is for you.

3 out of 5 stars Read the book first.......2007-03-09

Would have enjoyed movie more if I hadn't read the book first. Book was terrific, movie left out a lot of important details.

5 out of 5 stars Heartwarming, Inspiring.......2007-01-07

Matt Damon stars as a freshly minted lawyer fighting a large insurance company that simply collects insurance without paying benefits - in this case they denied payment for life-saving treatment to a dying young man. The insurance company's side is taken by highly-experienced attorneys billing at up to a thousand dollars/hour. Aided by intelligent but six-time bar exam flunker Danny DeVito and his contacts, Damon wins the suit along with a monumental punitive award. Unfortunately, the insurance company is but a shell, having been looted by its CEO (Roy Scheider), and no damages are paid.

We are left with two memorable images: 1)Damon pondering his future in law - should he continue (and undoubtedly end up using the law to fight justice - as did his opponent, Jon Voight), or take his love of the law and go into teaching? 2)DeVito heading out the door in pursuit of another attempt at passing the bar.

2 out of 5 stars Too true to Life.......2006-09-21

I read the book when it was first published and then a friend had a son diagnosed with leukemia and went through the same thing as the Mom in the book. Fortunately he had a lot of advocates that pushed him to ignore the insurance company and his son finally found a donor match but it was too late. So I feared that this movie would not be up to the book. My fears were unfounded, the casting was brilliant and I loved this movie, even though it is tough to watch, I still catch it in reruns on the satellite occasionally and "must watch". That is how good it is.
Rainmaker (Spanish) (Sub)
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Great courtroom drama putting the insurance industry on trial will be available in anamorphic
  • I love Grisham movies...
  • Read the book first
  • Heartwarming, Inspiring
  • Too true to Life
Rainmaker (Spanish) (Sub)
Starring: Matt Damon , Danny DeVito , Claire Danes , Jon Voight , and Mary Kay Place
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: Video
Binding: VHS Tape

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Similar Items:
  1. The Firm
  2. The Client
  3. The Pelican Brief
  4. The Chamber
  5. A Time to Kill

ASIN: 630492514X
Release Date: 2001-05-29

Amazon.com essential video

When viewed from a cranky perspective, this by-the-book David vs. Goliath story doesn't offer any surprises, and it's a bit sad to watch director Francis Coppola (who also adapted John Grisham's bestseller) squandering his once-glorious talent on such conventional Hollywood fare. In a more charitable light, however, there's great pleasure to be found in Coppola's intelligent, no-nonsense handling of a plot that's every bit as involving as it is formulaic. Coppola also knows how to bring out the best in a stellar cast, and this is the movie (released in November 1997, just a few weeks before Good Will Hunting) that signaled Matt Damon's arrival as a major-league star. Damon plays Rudy Baylor, a young rookie lawyer in Memphis (location of many Grisham stories) who takes on a powerful insurance company (led by a sharklike lawyer played by Jon Voight) by representing the family of a boy who was denied potentially life-saving treatment for leukemia. Rudy also comes to the rescue of an abused wife (Claire Danes) and learns the tricks of the legal trade from a seasoned paralegal (Danny DeVito), who sees Rudy as his ticket out of the sleazeball practice run by a shady lawyer (Mickey Rourke). There's no mystery about where this plot is going, but Coppola takes us there in high style with a sharp script, and Damon strikes just the right note of naivete and strategic intelligence. When Goliath inevitably falls, this courtroom David wins fair and square. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Great courtroom drama putting the insurance industry on trial will be available in anamorphic.......2007-04-10

I will not dwell on the details of this John Grisham story that puts the insurance industry on trial. The purpose of my comments are to let Amazon viewers know that Paramount has set July 24, 2007 for release of this wonderful movie as an anamorphic Special Collectors Edition. For those of you contemplating buying this DVD, wait until July for a nicer version without those black bars. I hope this is of help to my fellow Amazon viewers.

5 out of 5 stars I love Grisham movies..........2007-03-13

and this is one of my favorites. Matt Damon does an excellent job. Devito couldn't have done a better job. I love it when he plays a serious/funny situation. He made this movie ease up when the tension got high. If you are looking for a movie that gives justice in the end, this one is for you.

3 out of 5 stars Read the book first.......2007-03-09

Would have enjoyed movie more if I hadn't read the book first. Book was terrific, movie left out a lot of important details.

5 out of 5 stars Heartwarming, Inspiring.......2007-01-07

Matt Damon stars as a freshly minted lawyer fighting a large insurance company that simply collects insurance without paying benefits - in this case they denied payment for life-saving treatment to a dying young man. The insurance company's side is taken by highly-experienced attorneys billing at up to a thousand dollars/hour. Aided by intelligent but six-time bar exam flunker Danny DeVito and his contacts, Damon wins the suit along with a monumental punitive award. Unfortunately, the insurance company is but a shell, having been looted by its CEO (Roy Scheider), and no damages are paid.

We are left with two memorable images: 1)Damon pondering his future in law - should he continue (and undoubtedly end up using the law to fight justice - as did his opponent, Jon Voight), or take his love of the law and go into teaching? 2)DeVito heading out the door in pursuit of another attempt at passing the bar.

2 out of 5 stars Too true to Life.......2006-09-21

I read the book when it was first published and then a friend had a son diagnosed with leukemia and went through the same thing as the Mom in the book. Fortunately he had a lot of advocates that pushed him to ignore the insurance company and his son finally found a donor match but it was too late. So I feared that this movie would not be up to the book. My fears were unfounded, the casting was brilliant and I loved this movie, even though it is tough to watch, I still catch it in reruns on the satellite occasionally and "must watch". That is how good it is.
King of the Kickboxers II
Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • Great Film
  • INSPRIRATION FOR ALL OF THE SHAOLIN LOVERS
King of the Kickboxers II
Starring: Reese Madigan , Trent Bushey , Daniel Dae Kim , Billy Chang , and Cliff Lenderman
Director: Lucas Lowe
ProductGroup: Video
Binding: VHS Tape

GeneralGeneral | Action & Adventure | Genres | VHS | Video
Chan, KimChan, Kim | ( C ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video
Shue, AndrewShue, Andrew | ( S ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video
Similar Items:
  1. King of the Kickboxers

ASIN: B00004CNEK

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Great Film.......2006-11-25

This is sort of karate kid meets shaolin temple. Good fight scenes great humor & a good story. Comedy is mostly about east meets west cultures clashing. Theres a tiny bit of language But it teaches great lessons in humility, descipline, forgiveness & acceptance. Greatest line is when the instructor stops the other students picking on the main character for being different, it goes something like: "all of you are no longer white, chinese or mongal - you all are now shaolin!". Many lessons learned

3 out of 5 stars INSPRIRATION FOR ALL OF THE SHAOLIN LOVERS.......2003-05-27

Not the best piece of art however, it is a hilarious and
action packed THRILLER. I recommend this film to all die hard shaolin lovers.If you are not a big shaolin fan you will probaly not enjoy this movie.

Actor:

  1. Andy Garcia Image Gallery
  2. Andy Gibb
  3. Andy Griffith
  4. Anthony Edwards
  5. Anthony Hopkins Image Gallery
  6. Anthony Michael Hall
  7. Anthony Perkins
  8. Anthony Quinn
  9. Antonio Banderas
  10. Antonio Fargas

Actor

Actor