Presumed Innocent

R

1990

2 hr. 8 min.

Mystery & Thriller

List

86%

57 Reviews

Tomatometer

67%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

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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Alec C

In the real world, guilty or innocent is never as clear-cut! Rusty Sabitch is a prosecutor who learns of the death of his coworker and is put on the case, unknown to anyone that the victim was a secret lover of Rusty. This film manages to question all of the characters, leaving us unsure of who's being completely straight in this intense, psychological thriller!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/29/24

Full Review

Robert R

A decent legal thriller that really thrives on its commitment to not telling the audience whether or not the protagonist actually did what they're accused of until the film's final moments. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention, however, that my enjoyment of this was neutered by the fact that I unfortunately had things spoiled for me prior to this watch. Nevertheless, there was definitely enough in this for me to stay entertained for most of the running time, even with the more staid and muted approach from director Alan J. Pakula. Admittedly, things aren't as naturally gripping in this for me as in, say, "All The President's Men," but with getting spoiled and all, I'll probably never really know the truth of what might have been. A shame, but not the movie's fault — it's definitely solid overall.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/20/23

Full Review

Douglas M

A pressure chamber of great acting and tight direction. The court room scenes rival those of "The Verdict".

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/25/23

Full Review

Jack O

Rusty Sabich is a prosecutor. He is part of the business of accusing, judging and punishing. He explores the evidence of a crime and determine who is charged, who is brought to this room to be tried before his peers. He present his 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? That's right, Harrison Ford is Rusty Sabich. He's gain a lot of reputation playing well known characters like Han Solo from the Star Wars films and Indiana Jones from the Indiana Jones films. In this one, he is a prosecutor and he remembers the woman named Carolyn Polhemus. He can remember her from flashbacks and he still loves his wife played by Bonnie Bedelia who which I knew her from the Die Hard films. There's an obvious twist at the end which you gonna have to figure it out for yourself because I think it's incredible. The screen shots are impressive in which the courtroom look pretty beautiful. Even the music score is by (wouldn't you know) John Williams are intriguingly nothing that memorable but I don't mind it. I like old fashioned music. I was intrigued that he composed music in movies that are rated R. Overall I think this movie is decent. I don't think it's one of those movies I can watch over and over again, but if I did, I can get to like it even more and gets some enjoyment out of it. If you're a huge fan of Harrison Ford you can get to watch it with your expectations. I just think it's one of the better mystery drama films. There was a crime. There was a victim. And there is punishment.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

06/22/23

Full Review

S M Raisul I

Ford never fails to deliver, so is Mr. Julia. Great movie !

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Super excellent courtroom drama/thriller. The writing is perfect

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

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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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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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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
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
Sound Mix: Surround

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