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poster of Presumed Innocent
Rating: 6.8/10 by 627 users

Presumed Innocent (1990)

Rusty Sabich is a deputy prosecutor engaged in an obsessive affair with a coworker who is murdered. Soon after, he's accused of the crime. And his fight to clear his name becomes a whirlpool of lies and hidden passions.

Directing:
  • Alan J. Pakula
  • Tony Adler
  • Karen Hale Wookey
  • Alex Hapsas
Writing:
  • Alan J. Pakula
  • Frank Pierson
  • Scott Turow
Stars:
Release Date: Fri, Jul 27, 1990

Rating: 6.8/10 by 627 users

Alternative Title:
Presunto innocente - IT
Acima de Qualquer Suspeita - BR
Måske uskyldig - DK
Presunto inocente - ES
推定無罪 - JP
推定无罪 - CN
Misstänkt för mord - SE
Se presume inocente - MX

Country:
United States of America
Language:
English
Runtime: 02 hour 07 minutes
Budget: $22,000,000
Revenue: $221,303,188

Plot Keyword: infidelity, based on novel or book, loss of loved one, lover (female), investigation, murder, lawyer, detroit, michigan, courtroom, courtroom drama, legal thriller
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Harrison Ford
Rusty Sabich
Brian Dennehy
Raymond Horgan
Raúl Juliá
Sandy Stern
Bonnie Bedelia
Barbara Sabich
Paul Winfield
Judge Larren Lyttle
Greta Scacchi
Carolyn Polhemus
John Spencer
Detective Dan Lipranzer
Joe Grifasi
Tommy Molto
Tom Mardirosian
Nico Della Guardia
Sab Shimono
'Painless' Kumagai
Christine Estabrook
Lydia 'Mac' MacDougall
Michael Tolan
Mr. Polhemus
Madison Arnold
Sergeant Lionel Kenneally
Ron Frazier
Stew Dubinsky
Joseph Mazzello
Wendell McGaffney
Tucker Smallwood
Detective Harold Greer
Leland Gantt
Leon Wells
David Wohl
Morrie Dickerman
Bo Rucker
Mike Duke
Peter Appel
Glendenning
Joseph Carberry
Mr. McGaffney
John Seitz
Louis Balestrieri
John C. Vennema
Judge Mumphrey
Michael Genet
Court Clerk
Richard L. Newcomb
Undercover Cop
Ed Wheeler
Arresting Detective Jim
Miles Watson
Arresting Detective #2
Thom Cagle
Camp Counselor
Allison Field
Reporter #1
Janis Corsair
Reporter #2
Bill Corsair
Reporter #3
Carla Barnett
Reporter #4
Rick De Furia
Prosecuting Attorney
Victor Truro
Prosecuting Attorney
Elizabeth Williams
Prosecuting Attorney
Jeffrey Wright
Prosecuting Attorney
Ted Neustadt
Prosecuting Attorney
Kimberleigh Aarn
Prosecuting Attorney
David Hummel
Police Officer (uncredited)
Anibal O. Lleras
Arrested Convict (uncredited)
Nick Pernice
Reporter (uncredited)
John Reidy
Police Officer (uncredited)
Sheri Mann Stewart
Reporter (uncredited)
Billy Marshall Thompson
Courtroom Spectator (uncredited)

John Chard

Love - it's a killer. Presumed Innocent is directed by Alan J. Pakula, who also co-adapts for the screen with Frank Pierson from the Scott Turow novel. It stars Harrison Ford, Brian Dennehy, Bonnie Bedelia, Raúl Juliá, Paul Winfield, John Spencer and Greta Scacchi. Music is scored by John Williams and Richard Wolf, and cinematography is by Gordon Willis. Prosecuting attorney Rusty Sabich (Ford) suddenly finds himself a murder suspect after his one time lover, Carolyn Polhemus (Scacchi), is found raped and murdered in her home. As the evidence piles up against him, and his marriage comes under further strain, Rusty hires top lawyer Sandy Stern (Juliá) to represent him when the case goes to trial. Battling the system that he knows inside out, Rusty finds that there's a big can of worms about to be opened. A tip top court room mystery drama that we could do with seeing more of these days. Expertly strung together by the director of All the Presidents Men and Sophie's Choice, Presumed Innocent isn't just a by the numbers legal who done it? The makers get in deep with the political machinations of a district attorney's office, the intricate steps of a police investigation, and of course the legal eagle operations of a court room. In to the mix is an horrendous crime, of which a lawyer himself is charged with committing, he may or may not be guilty of the crime, but wonderfully we are never sure until the astonishing finale plays out. The air of mystery hangs heavy throughout, nagging away like an itch you can't scratch, with Pakula neatly unfolding the drama in a collage of flashbacks, side-plots and present time intricacies. Mood is heightened by the photography of Gordon Willis, who along with Pakula's looming camera work, manages to convey a claustrophobic feel in keeping with an unstable marriage and a court room itself. A great cast is assembled for the picture. Ford expertly plays it low key, brooding intently, he makes us unsure as to his guilt or innocence, and that's a testament to how good his performance is. Bedelia is excellent as the stoic wife, holding it together as the marital cracks begin to appear, and Juliá dominates the second half of the picture as we shift to the court room. Dennehy does a nice line in morally compromised smarm, and Scacchi wonderfully exudes a femme fatale sexuality. Winfield is a mighty presence as the judge presiding over such a tricky case, and Spencer is as reliable as ever. Only disappointments come with the performances of Joe Grifasi and Tom Mardirosian, who as the prosecutors come across as wimpy and hardly brick tight lawyers trying a high profile murder case. An intense and intellectual adult drama, Presumed Innocent is one of the best of its type from the modern era. 8.5/10

JPV852

Pretty good mystery-legal-drama features fine performances, especially from Ford and Raul Julia, though does rely a lot on coincidences (lucky draw to get that judge) but still finely directed and liked John Williams's score. **3.75/5**


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