The Rainmaker 造雨人

   《造雨人》

   《造雨人》讲述的是鲁迪.贝勒（马特·戴蒙）是刚踏进律师这一行当的新手，他当然想尽早大展宏图，在这个早已心向往之的领域里有所建树。然而，他迎面碰上的却是污泥浊水，与当初设想的完全不同。好在鲁迪身上那股韧劲还在，凭着良知，他要为向保险公司索赔保险的母亲以及受虐的已婚少妇这样的普通人说话，做一个旱地送水的造雨人。照编导的解释，鲁迪这一人物属于现代骑士，单纯，理想化，想帮助所有陷入困境的人，然而他自己的处境却显得尴尬和富有讽刺意味。

    The Rainmaker (1997 film)

    The Rainmaker is a 1997 American film directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Matt Damon. It is based on the 1995 novel of the same name by John Grisham.

    Rudy Baylor是田纳西州一名法律系毕业生，他找到了一份律师工作。他在这个暗流涌动的行业艰难求生，始终没有放弃过自己的良心。他曾帮助过被丈夫虐待的妻子等陷于困境的弱势群体。当律师行老板因违法行为被调查并最终入狱后，他和同伴Deck成立了自己的小公司，他们接受的第一个案子是一宗涉及医疗保险的纠纷：Black太太，一个无助的母亲，她的儿子Donnie患了白血病，但保险公司以各种借口不为病人支付医药费，致使Donnie无法接受骨髓移植，病情危殆。面对对方高薪聘请的狡猾的辩护律师，Rudy展开了针锋相对的斗争……

   

    Rudy Baylor (Damon) is a graduate of the University of Memphis Law School. Unlike most of his fellow grads, he has no high-paying job lined up and is forced to apply for part-time positions while serving drinks at a Memphis bar. 
    Desperate for a job, he reluctantly is introduced to J. Lyman "Bruiser" Stone (Rourke), a ruthless but successful ambulance-chasing lawyer, who makes him an associate. To earn his fee, Rudy is required to hunt for potential clients at a local hospital. He meets Deck Shifflet (DeVito), a less-than-ethical former insurance assessor, now a paralegal who has failed the bar exam six times. However, Deck is resourceful in gathering information and practically an expert on insurance lawsuits.
    Rudy has just one case, one of insurance bad faith. It could be worth several million dollars in damages, but his personal life is falling to pieces and he is about to declare himself bankrupt. When his employer is raided by the police and the FBI, he and Deck set up a practice themselves. They file suit on behalf of a middle-aged couple, Dot and Buddy Black, whose 22-year-old son Donny Ray is dying of leukemia, but could have been saved with a bone marrow transplant, denied by their insurance carrier Great Benefit.
    Rudy passes the Tennessee bar exam but has never argued a case before a judge and jury. Now he finds himself up against a group of experienced and devious lawyers from a large firm, headed by Leo F. Drummond (Voight), a showman attorney who uses unscrupulous tactics to win his cases.   

     The original judge assigned the case, Harvey Hale, is set to dismiss it because he sees it as one of many so-called "lottery" cases that slow down the judicial process. But a far more sympathetic judge, Tyrone Kipler (Glover), takes over when Hale suffers a fatal heart attack in his swimming pool. Kipler, a former civil rights attorney, immediately denies the insurance company's petition for dismissal.
    While preparing his case, Rudy seeks new clients and meets pretty Kelly Riker (Danes), a battered wife whose husband Cliff's savage beatings have put her in the hospital. He persuades Kelly to file for divorce, but this leads to a confrontation with Rudy that results in the abusive husband's death. To keep Rudy from being implicated, Kelly tells the police she was alone and killed her husband in self-defense. The district attorney declines to prosecute her. 
    Donny Ray dies, but not before giving a video deposition in the front yard of his home. The case goes to trial, where Drummond preys on Rudy's inexperience. He gets the vital testimony of Rudy's key witness, Jackie Lemanczyk, stricken from the record. Nevertheless, thanks to Rudy's single-minded determination and skillful cross-examination of Great Benefit's unctuous (unctuous = insincere "earnestness") president, Wilfred Keeley, the jury finds for the plaintiff (plaintiff = the injured person or injured party) .
    It is a great triumph for Rudy and Deck, at least until the insurance company quickly declares itself bankrupt, thus allowing it to avoid paying fifty million dollars in punitive damages. There is no payout for the grieving parents and no fee for Rudy.
    Deciding that this triumph will create unrealistic expectations for future clients, Rudy decides to abandon his new practice after only one case to teach law with a focus on ethical behaviour instead. Furthermore, he leaves town with Kelly, out of a desire to remain low profile and protect Kelly from any possible retribution from Cliff's vengeful relatives.

    马特·达蒙的初次银幕表演是在《神秘的比萨饼》中饰演一个一闪而过的小角色。在随后的三年里，他没有接到任何剧本，直到1992年，他才在《高校风云》一片中获得了一个重要角色，有了展示自我的机会。但是，这部影片失败了，马特也未能引起注意，重又归于无名之辈。有感于数年的失败与成名的艰难，他联系了好友本·阿弗莱克，将一部他在大学时没有完成的剧本重新拾起。这部作为本·阿弗莱克英语课作业的剧本最终被改写成《心灵捕手》 。剧本完成后，两人又四处奔走寻找制片商。终于，米拉麦克斯公司看中了它，并交由加斯·范·桑特导演，并邀来罗宾·威廉姆斯主演。《心灵捕手》1997年出品并获得了巨大成功，不过达蒙在此之前已经引起了业界的注意。1996年，达蒙在《生死豪情》一片中饰演了一名吸毒的士兵艾拉里奥。许多评论家都赞赏他在片中的表现和他为角色所作的牺牲——为了参演本片，他减重四十磅，并不得不忍受由此带来的病痛。不过，与《心灵捕手》引起的一片叫好声相比，这些赞扬实在太保守了。

    马特在《心灵捕手》片中的出色表演与随之而来奥斯卡金像使他在好莱坞站稳了脚跟，并引来众多制片公司的片约。因此，他在次年便得以在两部大片中担任重要角色。第一部便是由约翰·道尔执导的《赌王之王》。他在片中饰演一个赌场高手，不顾老伙计的诱惑，一心改邪归正。尽管此片演员阵容强大，先期宣传也非常有力，但无论评论界还是观众都对本片较为失望。不过，达蒙同年主演的《拯救大兵瑞恩》却是一个巨大的成功。达蒙分享了来自各界对这部影片及 其全明星阵容的溢美之辞。1999年，达蒙又主演了引人注目的《天才雷普利》和《天条》。达蒙饰演的瑞普利先生是一个精神异常的双性恋杀人狂，与他配戏的则是三位大牌明星：凯特·布兰切特、格温妮斯·帕特洛、裘德·洛。而《天条》则使马特突破了一贯饰演的正面角色，与本·阿弗莱克饰演一对堕落天使。该片成为1999年最具争议性的影片之一。

    2002年马特·达蒙以惊险间谍片《谍影重重》成功转型动作片，并在续集中继续出演角色。马特虽然外型并不算出众，但是他独特的气质和横溢的才华都让他被众多影迷喜爱。2006年，马特·达蒙与莱昂纳多·迪卡普里奥合作，出演大导演马丁·斯科塞斯翻拍自香港影片《无间道》的影片《无间行者》 。
Rudy Baylor: Objection. Your honor, he's leading the witness.
鲁迪·贝勒：反对，法官大人，他在引导证人。
Judge Kipler: This is cross examination, leading is allowed. Overruled, as to leading.
基培勒法官：这是反对检查，引导是被允许的。驳回，关于引导。
Rudy Baylor: Sworn in by a fool and vouched for by a scoundrel. I'm a lawyer at last.
鲁迪·贝勒：向一个傻瓜宣誓并且由一个无赖作担保。至少，我还是一名律师。
Rudy Baylor: I knew exactly what was going on here. Just like when Daddy was in the bedroom crying and Mommy was sitting in the kitchen, face all bloody, saying that Daddy was sorry.
鲁迪·贝勒：我已经完全知道这儿曾经发生了什么，就好像当父亲在厨房大哭，妈妈站在厨房里，面对着血腥的情景，只会说爸爸真的很抱歉。
Rudy Baylor: My dad hated lawyers. You might think I became one just to piss him off, but you'd be wrong. Did piss him off so much though that when he heard he fell off a ladder and didn't know who to sue first.
鲁迪·贝勒：我的爸爸痛恨律师。你也许会觉得我应该会成为被他滚开的人，但是你错了爸爸是让自己滚蛋；可是当他从一把梯子上摔了下来第一次不知道应该起诉谁。
Rudy Baylor: What's the difference between a lawyer and a hooker? A hooker'll stop screwing you when you're dead.
鲁迪·贝勒：律师和妓女之间的不同之处是什么？当你死了的时候妓女是不会再敲诈你的。
Rudy Baylor: How do you know when a lawyer is lying? His lips are moving.
鲁迪·贝勒：你是怎么知道一个律师在撒谎（躺着的）？他的嘴唇一直在动啊。
[last lines]（最后的台词）
Rudy Baylor: I'm just another lawyer. Just another shark in the dirty water.
鲁迪·贝勒：我只是另一名律师。只是另一条在混水里的鲨鱼。