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Presumed Innocent Details

1990 Certificate 18
  • Rated:
  • 60
  • from 2000 members

PRESUMED INNOCENT, like most of director Alan J. Pakula's films is also a complex character study. Based on a best-selling novel by Scott Turrow, the courtroom murder mystery tells the story of prosecutor Rusty Sabich (Harrison Ford) who is accused of murdering his former mistress, the beautiful and ambitious Carolyn Polhemus (.. Read more

Starring Harrison Ford, Greta Scacchi, Raul Julia, Bonnie Bedelia
Director Alan J. Pakula
Genres Thriller

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Presumed Innocent

PRESUMED INNOCENT, like most of director Alan J. Pakula's films is also a complex character study. Based on a best-selling novel by Scott Turrow, the courtroom murder mystery tells the story of prosecutor Rusty Sabich (Harrison Ford) who is accused of murdering his former mistress, the beautiful and ambitious Carolyn Polhemus (Greta Scacchi). All the physical evidence points to him, and Sabich's "golden child" character is in deep trouble. His marriage, too, is in jeopardy as new twists of events leave his wife Barbara doubting Ford's innocence, and Sabich's boss Raymond Horgan, who is running for reelection, simply wants the killer caught before his campaign suffers. Ford's performance (somewhat against type based on previous roles) is excellent as the beleaguered attorney who seeks an end to his nightmare, calling acerbic defense lawyer and rival (Raul Julia) to his rescue. Cinematographer Gordon Willis (THE GODFATHER) and Pakula, who collaborated previously on KLUTE, have created a film of shadow and darkness in which great performances keep the audience riveted right up to the unnerving ending.

Starring Harrison Ford, Greta Scacchi, Raul Julia, Bonnie Bedelia, David Wohl, Paul Winfield, Brian Dennehy
Director Alan J. Pakula
Studio WARNER HOME VIDEO
Run time DVD: 2 hrs 1 min
Certificate Certificate 18
Genres Thriller
Language DVD: English
Hearing-impaired English
Subtitles DVD: Arabic, English
Released DVD: 26 Jul 1999
Production year: 1990
Format DVD

  • Critics' reviews (6) of Presumed Innocent

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  • 4 stars out of 5

    Harrison Ford was at the peak of his popularity when he starred in this glossy, highly polished blockbuster, playing a lawyer assigned to untangle the murder of his former mistress. Ford was born to portray taciturn but bright professional men, and Alan J Pakula was a consummate director of taut thrillers, with Klute and The Parallax View among his credits. Based on the multi-million-selling novel by Scott Turow, this could have been a great movie, but, despite being a darn good yarn well told, the essential magic is somehow missing. Quite what turns a very good movie into a classic remains the great Hollywood conundrum — the elements are here, but they're too tightly threaded for this to attain true classic status.

    • Radio Times
    • Posted 29 Jan 2006

  • Pakula and Frank Pierson faced a difficult task in adapting Scott Turow's novel. The dense, first-person narrative -... read more on Time Out

    • Time Out
    • Posted 04 Nov 2008

  • Most helpful member's review of Presumed Innocent

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  • 1 out of 1 person found this review helpful

    Rated - 4 stars

    More twisty than a twisty turny thing. Fab film that really has you guessing, nulike so many which seem to let the cat out the bag way too early.

      • A customer from CARLTON
      • Posted 26 Jun 2004 21:51

  • Most recent members' review of Presumed Innocent

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  • 1 out of 1 person found this review helpful

    Rated - 3 stars

    Presumed Innocent - Average Viewing.

    I have seen Harrison Ford in better films (Air Force One, Clear and Present Danger) This film was average. Presumed Innocent kept me watching and it did have twisting elements. Worth a look.

      • Cornetto from Lancaster
      • Posted 17 Aug 2007 09:17

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Rating breakdown

2,000 Member ratings
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89
  • 90
127
  • 80
310
  • 70
400
  • 60
513
  • 50
266
  • 40
147
  • 30
82
  • 20
44
  • 10
22

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      • PRESUMED INNOCENT, like most of director Alan J. Pakula's films is also a complex character study. Based on a best-selling novel by Scott Turrow, the courtroom murder mystery tells the story of ...