Presumed Innocent

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Presumed Innocent

R

1990

2h 7m

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

86%

Tomatometer

57 Reviews

67%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Prosecuting attorney Raymond Horgan (Brian Dennehy) assigns his chief deputy, the taciturn Rusty Sabitch (Harrison Ford), to investigate the rape and murder of colleague Carolyn Polhemus (Greta Scacchi), unaware of their torrid affair. When evidence implicates Rusty, Horgan's political enemies demand his arrest, devastating Rusty's wife, Barbara (Bonnie Bedelia). In desperation, Rusty turns to crafty defense attorney Sandy Stein (Raul Julia), only to be stunned by his trial's revelations.

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Critics Consensus

Thanks to an outstanding script, focused direction by Alan Pakula, and a riveting performance from Harrison Ford, Presumed Innocent is the kind of effective courtroom thriller most others aspire to be.

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Joel Siegel

Chicago Reader

Presumed Innocent plays the audience for chumps in order to spring its closing-reel Big Whammy.

Rated: 1/4

May 12, 2022

Full Review

John Pym

Sight & Sound

Where Presumed Innocent really takes off, though, and begins to catch an authentic flavour of the book is in the courtroom performances.

Jan 11, 2020

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Dolores Barclay

Associated Press

The movie is plump with twists, turns and blind alleys. Who can be trusted? Who is innocent? Who is guilty?

Jun 12, 2018

Full Review

Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

Pakula is an excellent actors director, and has this well in hand. [Full review in Spanish]

Nov 24, 2022

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...a refreshingly adult drama that certainly captures the spirit of Turow's padded-out book.

Rated: 2.5/4

Aug 17, 2019

Full Review

Hilary Mantel

The Spectator

It is intelligent and absorbing, but it is an entertainment.

Apr 9, 2019

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Per S

One of those TV movies where even good actors obviously don't feel comfortable finding their right mode.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

08/21/25

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Oren C

Had to binge this show. Fascinating. Well done. Great actors. Full of twists and suspense. A must watch!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/19/25

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Barbara D

Love the movie more than the series. The series ended dismally, but we were all about to go into lockdown (remember Covid?) and Kelly needed to end the series if it were to air when it did. A subplot with the wife in the series didn't work for me eitiher. The ending of the movie is different from the book, which is among my most favorite novels ever, but i like them both.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/18/25

Full Review

Yash B

After watching the new version of "Presumed Innocent" I decided to check out the original movie adaptation. I don't know if that made me biased, but I preferred the series over this movie. I think the story is still interesting but this version is very focused on the legal side of the story and feels very talky at times. I still think Harrison Ford is great in this and I liked how the two versions have slightly different conclusions which makes them both feel unique. Overall, this is an okay movie, but I feel if you had to choose one to watch for the first time the Apple TV series surpasses this one in every way.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/16/25

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Brad S. R

A first-rate thriller.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/23/25

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Jerod S

Harrison is a really unfaithful lawyer that's caught up in a bad trial when his mistress is brutally murdered. It's a classic 90s whodunnit that likes to lead you astray.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/25/25

Full Review

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Alan J. Pakula

Director

Harrison Ford

Rozat `'Rusty'` Sabich

Brian Dennehy

Raymond Horgan

Raul Julia

Alejandro `'Sandy'` Stern

Bonnie Bedelia

Barbara Sabich

Paul Winfield

Judge Larren Lyttle

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Synopsis

Prosecuting attorney Raymond Horgan (Brian Dennehy) assigns his chief deputy, the taciturn Rusty Sabitch (Harrison Ford), to investigate the rape and murder of colleague Carolyn Polhemus (Greta Scacchi), unaware of their torrid affair. When evidence implicates Rusty, Horgan's political enemies demand his arrest, devastating Rusty's wife, Barbara (Bonnie Bedelia). In desperation, Rusty turns to crafty defense attorney Sandy Stein (Raul Julia), only to be stunned by his trial's revelations.

Director: Alan J. Pakula
Producer: Sydney Pollack, Mark Rosenberg
Screenwriter: Frank Pierson, Alan J. Pakula
Production Co: Warner Bros., Mirage Enterprises
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 15, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $85.7M
Runtime: 2h 7m
Sound Mix: Surround
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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