Presumed Innocent (1990)

When the woman deputy prosecutor R.K. Sabich had an affair with is murdered the prosecutor asks him to lead the investigation. When Sabich digs too deeply he finds himself framed for the murder.

Director:

Alan J. Pakula

Writers:

Scott Turow (novel), Frank Pierson (screenplay),

Stars:

Harrison Ford, Brian Dennehy, Raul Julia

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Harrison Ford	...	Rozat 'Rusty' Sabich
Brian Dennehy	...	Raymond Horgan
Raul Julia	...	Alejandro 'Sandy' Stern
Bonnie Bedelia	...	Barbara Sabich
Paul Winfield	...	Judge Larren Lyttle
Greta Scacchi	...	Carolyn Polhemus
John Spencer	...	Det. Lipranzer
Joe Grifasi	...	Tommy Molto
Tom Mardirosian	...	Nico Della Guardia
Anna Maria Horsford	...	Eugenia
Sab Shimono	...	'Painless' Kumagai
Bradley Whitford	...	Jamie Kemp
Christine Estabrook	...	Lydia 'Mac' MacDougall
Michael Tolan	...	Mr. Polhemus
Madison Arnold	...	Sgt. Lionel Kenneally

Storyline

After his former girlfriend is killed and he becomes the prime suspect, D.A. Rusty Sabich goes on a search to find the real killer and finds out he/she may be closer to him than he thinks.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | prosecutor | suspect | lawyer | courtroom | 

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Taglines:

Attraction. Desire. Deception. Murder. No one is ever completely innocent.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

The Joseph Mazzello Fan Page, Presumed Innocent

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 July 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Aus Mangel an Beweisen

Filming Locations:

Allendale, New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$86,303,188 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Mirage

Technical Specs

Runtime:

127 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

First cinema feature of Jeffrey Wright(I).

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Goofs

When Rusty is dining with his wife and son in the restaurant he asks his son, who is holding a glass of milk, a question. His son answers immediately holding his knife and fork. It also happens the other way round when the son speaks to his father.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Rusty Sabich: [voiceover] I'm a prosecutor. I'm part of the business of accusing, judging and punishing. I explore the evidence of a crime and determine who is charged, who is brought to this room to be tried before his peers. I present my evidence to the jury and they deliberate upon it. They must determine what really happened. If they cannot, we will not know whether the accused deserves to be freed or should be punished. If they cannot find the truth, what is our hope of justice?

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Connections

Referenced in Thumb Wars: The Phantom Cuticle (1999)

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Soundtracks

"MacNamara's Band"
Music by Shamus O'Connor
Original Lyrics by John J. Stamford
American Version Lyrics by Red Latham, Walter Carlson (as Wamp Carlson) and Guy Bonham

User Reviews

Gripping but thorough moral thriller

This is cracking matinée fare. The cast is a big pool of Hollywood stalwarts as a fine supporting ensemble giving a thoughtful, adult vehicle to a typically thoughtful, adult lead from Harrison Ford. The drama is quite quiet and internal: don't be put off, as the cast handle it in a way decided non-European, investing characters with credible melodramatics and keeping everything entirely engaging. Some of the best courtroom set pieces I can remember.

The plot is a detailed psychological thriller that one finds hard to keep absolutely on top of, yet Pakula keeps his eye on the top layer. The story unfolds steadily and inexorably. I watched it for a second time on DVD this morning and even knowing the ending and the twists that bring it about I couldn't see them flagged up at any point in Ford's performance.

It's a film about the strengths and weaknesses of law - of civilisation

• of the pitfalls of trying to be moral (referred to as 'ideal'

throughout). Above all it tries to address humanity and love which it does patiently, accurately and really very entertainingly 8/10