Best movies like The Rainmaker
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
When Rudy Baylor, a young attorney with no clients, goes to work for a seedy ambulance chaser, he wants to help the parents of a terminally ill boy in their suit against an insurance company. But to take on corporate America, Rudy and a scrappy paralegal must open their own law firm.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 82000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, Germany
Duration: 135 min
Plot tags: suspense, exciting, intense, tense, thought provoking, clever, serious, realistic, scary, inspirational
Best tv shows and movies like The Rainmaker (1997):
Similar in 84%
The Collini Case (2019)
Plot Summary:
A young lawyer stumbles upon a vast conspiracy while investigating a brutal murder case.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller, War
Country: Germany
Duration: 123 min
Plot tags: psychological, atmospheric, captivating, surprise ending, enigmatic, bleak, surreal, political, suspense, social
Similar in 90%
Reversible Errors (2004)
Plot Summary:
A corporate lawyer's interest in a decade-old murder case is piqued by a new confession that could clear the convicted killer, who sits on death row.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 803
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 173 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, bleak, serious, realistic, suspenseful, suspense, disturbing, intense
Similar in 83%
Music Box (1989)
Plot Summary:
A lawyer defends her father accused of war crimes, but there is more to the case than she suspects.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 124 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, tense, emotional, political, heartbreaking, talky, sincere, realistic, serious, suspense
Similar in 83%
Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017)
Plot Summary:
Hard-nosed liberal lawyer Roman J. Israel has been fighting the good fight forever while others take the credit. When his partner – the firm’s frontman – has a heart attack, Israel suddenly takes on that role. He soon discovers some unsettling truths about the firm – truths that conflict with his values of helping the poor and dispossessed – and finds himself in an existential crisis that leads to extreme actions.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 42000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Canada, United Arab Emirates, USA
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: suspense, inspirational, tense, captivating, suspenseful, serious, dramatic, cult classic, black cinema
Similar in 78%
High Crimes (2002)
Plot Summary:
A female attorney learns that her husband is really a marine officer awol for fifteen years and accused of murdering fifteen civilians in El Salvador. Believing her husband when he tells her that he's being framed as part of a U.S. Military cover-up, the attorney defends him in a military court.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 47000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: clever, suspenseful, suspense, twist ending, serious, surprise ending, tense, realistic, detective, psychological
Similar in 84%
The Chamber (1996)
Plot Summary:
Having survived the hatred and bigotry that was his Klansman grandfather's only legacy, young attorney Adam Hall seeks at the last minute to appeal the old man's death sentence for the murder of two small Jewish boys 30 years before. Only four weeks before Sam Cayhall is to be executed, Adam meets his grandfather for the first time in the Mississippi prison which has held him since the crime. The meeting is predictably tense when the educated, young Mr. "Hall" confronts his venom-spewing elder, Mr. "Cayhall," about the murders. The next day, headlines run proclaiming Adam the grandson who has come to the state to save his grandfather, the infamous Ku Klux Klan bomber. While the old man's life lies in the balance, Adam's motivation in fighting this battle becomes clear as the story unfolds. Not only does he fight for his grandfather, but perhaps for himself as well. He has come to heal the wounds of his own father's suicide.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: emotional, suspense, thought provoking, realistic, rough, serious, suspenseful, talky, anamorphic, contemplative
Similar in 89%
The Judge (2014)
Plot Summary:
A successful lawyer returns to his hometown for his mother's funeral only to discover that his estranged father, the town's judge, is suspected of murder.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 199000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 141 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, suspenseful, sentimental, semi serious, realistic, sad, motivational, inspirational, sincere
Similar in 79%
Cop Land (1997)
Plot Summary:
Freddy Heflin is the sheriff of a place everyone calls “Cop Land” — a small and seemingly peaceful town populated by the big city police officers he’s long admired. Yet something ugly is taking place behind the town’s peaceful facade. And when Freddy uncovers a massive, deadly conspiracy among these local residents, he is forced to take action and make a dangerous choice between protecting his idols and upholding the law.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 104000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, neo noir, talky, intense, realistic, serious, suspense, crime thriller, detective, sexy
Similar in 85%
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
Plot Summary:
Scout Finch, 6, and her older brother Jem live in sleepy Maycomb, Alabama, spending much of their time with their friend Dill and spying on their reclusive and mysterious neighbor, Boo Radley. When Atticus, their widowed father and a respected lawyer, defends a black man named Tom Robinson against fabricated rape charges, the trial and tangent events expose the children to evils of racism and stereotyping.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 329000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 129 min
Plot tags: touching, black and white, enigmatic, compassionate, sentimental, thought provoking, southern gothic, educational, inspirational, gothic
Similar in 90%
Dark Waters (2019)
Plot Summary:
A corporate defense attorney takes on an environmental lawsuit against the DuPont chemical company that exposes a lengthy history of pollution.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 98000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 126 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, factual, thought provoking, political, motivational, social, compassionate, sexy, feel good
Similar in 81%
The Firm (1993)
Plot Summary:
Mitch McDeere is a young man with a promising future in Law. About to sit his Bar exam, he is approached by 'The Firm' and made an offer he doesn't refuse. Seduced by the money and gifts showered on him, he is totally oblivious to the more sinister side of his company. Then, two Associates are murdered. The FBI contact him, asking him for information and suddenly his life is ruined. He has a choice - work with the FBI, or stay with the Firm. Either way he will lose his life as he knows it. Mitch figures the only way out is to follow his own plan.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 145000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 154 min
Plot tags: suspense, suspenseful, tense, surprise ending, clever, psychological, serious, realistic, stylized, entertaining
Similar in 80%
The Juror (1996)
Plot Summary:
With his gangster boss on trial for murder, a mob thug known as "the Teacher" tells Annie Laird she must talk her fellow jurors into a not-guilty verdict, implying that he'll kill her son Oliver if she fails. She manages to do this, but, when it becomes clear that the mobsters might want to silence her for good, she sends Oliver abroad and tries to gather evidence of the plot against her, setting up a final showdown.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 20000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, psychological, suspense, surprise ending, intense, realistic, serious, psychological thriller, educational, anamorphic
Similar in 81%
Night Falls on Manhattan (1996)
Plot Summary:
A newly elected District attorney finds himself in the middle of a police corruption investigation that may involve his father and his partner.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: suspense, talky, serious, realistic, neo noir, suspense thriller, tense, bleak, suspenseful, detective
Similar in 86%
Class Action (1991)
Plot Summary:
Liberal activist lawyer Jedediah alienated daughter Maggie years ago when she discovered his many affairs. Now a conservative corporate lawyer, Maggie agrees to go up against her father in court. To gain promotion, she must defend an auto manufacturer against charges that their explosion-prone station wagons are unsafe. As her mother begs for peace, Maggie takes on her dad in a trial that turns increasingly personal and nasty.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: suspense, thought provoking, touching, serious, realistic, talky, emotional, clever, contemplative, exciting
Similar in 81%
Pink (2016)
Plot Summary:
Deepak is a lawyer suffering from bipolar disorder who experiences frequent mood swings. One night, Rajveer and his friends get drunk and try to molest Miss Arora and her two roommates leading to an accident. The film revolves around how Deepak fights the girls' case against these influential boys.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 47000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: India
Duration: 136 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, bleak, serious, suspense, disturbing, talky, motivational, inspirational, thought provoking, mind blowing
Similar in 75%
The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)
Plot Summary:
A lawyer conducts business from the back of his Lincoln town car while representing a high-profile client in Beverly Hills.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 251000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: clever, serious, captivating, suspense, psychological, tense, suspenseful, enigmatic, twisted, entertaining
Similar in 77%
Red Corner (1997)
Plot Summary:
An American attorney on business in China, ends up wrongfully on trial for murder and his only key to innocence is a female defense lawyer from the country.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, suspense, political, intense, psychological, thought provoking, serious, disturbing, rough, talky
Similar in 89%
A Civil Action (1998)
Plot Summary:
Jan Schlickmann is a cynical lawyer who goes out to "get rid of" a case, only to find out it is potentially worth millions. The case becomes his obsession, to the extent that he is willing to give up everything - including his career and his clients' goals, in order to continue the case against all odds.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 31000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: suspense, suspenseful, thought provoking, serious, disturbing, sincere, realistic, inspirational, feel good, sad
Similar in 78%
Suspect (1987)
Plot Summary:
When a Supreme Court judge commits suicide and his secretary is found murdered, all fingers point to Carl Anderson (Liam Neeson), a homeless veteran who's deaf and mute. But when public defender Kathleen Riley (Cher) is assigned to his case, she begins to believe that Anderson may actually be innocent. Juror Eddie Sanger (Dennis Quaid), a Washington lobbyist, agrees, and together the pair begins their own investigation of events.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 121 min
Plot tags: suspense, suspenseful, tense, psychological, intense, talky, clever, exciting, enigmatic, surprise ending
Similar in 80%
The Pelican Brief (1993)
Plot Summary:
Two Supreme Court Justices have been assassinated. One lone law student has stumbled upon the truth. An investigative journalist wants her story. Everybody else wants her dead.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 94000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 141 min
Plot tags: tense, suspense, suspenseful, political thriller, political, clever, exciting, intense, realistic, serious
Similar in 79%
A Time to Kill (1996)
Plot Summary:
A young lawyer defends a black man accused of murdering two men who raped his 10-year-old daughter, sparking a rebirth of the KKK.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 177000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 149 min
Plot tags: thought provoking, sincere, suspense, serious, political, realistic, tense, brutal, intense, emotional
Similar in 77%
...and justice for all. (1979)
Plot Summary:
An ethical Baltimore defense lawyer disgusted with rampant legal corruption is asked to defend a judge he despises in a rape trial. But if he doesn't do it, the judge will have him disbarred.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 38000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: suspense, realistic, disturbing, clever, offbeat, humorous, witty, cynical, captivating, inspirational
Similar in 80%
Runaway Jury (2003)
Plot Summary:
A juror on the inside and a woman on the outside manipulate a court trial involving a major gun manufacturer.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 103000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 127 min
Plot tags: clever, suspense, tense, surprise ending, captivating, stylized, political, cynical, detective, twisted
Similar in 83%
Michael Clayton (2007)
Plot Summary:
A law firm brings in its 'fixer' to remedy the situation after a lawyer has a breakdown while representing a chemical company that he knows is guilty in a multi-billion dollar class action suit.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 172000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: suspense, serious, suspenseful, tense, political thriller, disturbing, clever, political, psychological, realistic
Similar in 88%
The Insider (1999)
Plot Summary:
Tells the true story of a 60 Minutes television series exposé of the tobacco industry, as seen through the eyes of a real tobacco executive, Jeffrey Wigand.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 178000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 157 min
Plot tags: political, suspense, cerebral, clever, intense, fast paced, tense, sincere, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 87%
Fracture (2007)
Plot Summary:
A husband is on trial for the attempted murder of his wife, in what is seemingly an open/shut case for the ambitious district attorney trying to put him away. However, there are surprises for both around every corner, and, as a suspenseful game of cat-and-mouse is played out, each must manipulate and outwit the other.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 215000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Germany, USA
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: suspense, psychological, intellectual, twist ending, psychological thriller, clever, serious, enigmatic, suspenseful, surprise ending
Similar in 90%
The Verdict (1982)
Plot Summary:
Frank Galvin is a down-on-his luck lawyer, reduced to drinking and ambulance chasing. Former associate Mickey Morrissey reminds him of his obligations in a medical malpractice suit that he himself served to Galvin on a silver platter: all parties willing to settle out of court. Blundering his way through the preliminaries, he suddenly realizes that perhaps after all the case should go to court; to punish the guilty, to get a decent settlement for his clients, and to restore his standing as a lawyer.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 45000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 129 min
Plot tags: suspense, tense, atmospheric, intense, sincere, thought provoking, touching, serious, suspenseful, clever
Similar in 88%
Primal Fear (1996)
Plot Summary:
An arrogant, high-powered attorney takes on the case of a poor altar boy found running away from the scene of the grisly murder of the bishop who has taken him in. The case gets a lot more complex when the accused reveals that there may or may not have been a 3rd person in the room. The intensity builds when a surprise twist alters everyone's perception of the crime.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 241000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 129 min
Plot tags: psychological, surprise ending, twist ending, neo noir, suspense, tense, psychological thriller, suspenseful, clever, atmospheric
Similar in 83%
Erin Brockovich (2000)
Plot Summary:
A twice-divorced mother of three who sees an injustice, takes on the bad guy and wins -- with a little help from her push-up bra. Erin goes to work for an attorney and comes across medical records describing illnesses clustered in one nearby town. She starts investigating and soon exposes a monumental cover-up.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 214000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 131 min
Plot tags: inspirational, factual, uplifting, touching, feel good, motivational, political, captivating, entertaining, social
Similar in 89%
A Few Good Men (1992)
Plot Summary:
When cocky military lawyer Lt. Daniel Kaffee and his co-counsel, Lt. Cmdr. JoAnne Galloway, are assigned to a murder case, they uncover a hazing ritual that could implicate high-ranking officials such as shady Col. Nathan Jessep.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 282000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 138 min
Plot tags: suspense, tense, serious, realistic, tricky, clever, suspenseful, feel good, entertaining, sincere