Presumed Innocent (1990)
Average Rating: 7.2/10
Reviews Counted: 33
Fresh: 31 | Rotten: 2
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.
Average Rating: 7.3/10
Critic Reviews: 10
Fresh: 10 | Rotten: 0
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.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.3/5
User Ratings: 20,845
My Rating
Movie Info
Rusty Sabich (Harrison Ford) is a bland, oppressed man who burns with a quiet, corrosive intensity that can flare uncontrollably. A Philadelphia prosecutor, Sabich's fire seems to have one outlet: his job. He loves prosecuting people. Otherwise, his life is dead-ended. He has a loveless marriage to a neurotic woman (Bonnie Bedelia) and an overbearing boss (Brian Dennehy) in a labyrinthine law enforcement world of corruption and twisted relationships. Then Carolyn Polhemus (Greta Scacchi) comes
Jul 27, 1990 Wide
Dec 16, 1997
Warner Bros.
Watch It Now
Cast
-
Harrison Ford
Rusty Sabich -
Brian Dennehy
Raymond Horgan -
Raul Julia
Sandy Stern -
Bonnie Bedelia
Barbara Sabich -
Paul Winfield
Judge Larren Lyttle -
Greta Scacchi
Carolyn Polhemus -
John Spencer
Detective 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 -
Reodorina Bello
Ernestine -
Michael Tolan
Mr. Pohlemus -
Madison Arnold
Sgt. Lionel Kenneally -
J. Bennett
Guerasch -
Ronald C. Frazier
Stew Dubinsky -
Jesse Bradford
Nat Sabich -
Joseph Mazzello
Wendell McGaffney -
Tucker Smallwood
Detective Harold Greer -
Leland Gantt
Leon Wells -
-
David Wohl
Morrie Dickerman -
-
Carla Goff
Reporter -
Bo Rucker
Mike Duke -
Peter Appel
Glendenning -
John Ottavino
Chet -
Robert Katims
Cody -
Joseph Carberry
Mr. McGaffney -
John Seitz
Balestrieri -
Bill Winkler
Tom -
Richard L. Mewcomb
Undercover Cop -
John C. Vennema
Hudge Mumphrey -
Michael Genet
Court Clerk -
-
Ed Wheeler
Jim Arresting Detective -
Miles Watson
Arresting Detective -
DeAnn Mears
Loretta -
Julia Meade
Moderator -
Thom Cagle
Camp Counselor -
Ricky Rosa
Camper -
Allison Field
Reporter -
Janis Corsair
Reporter -
-
-
Rick de Furia
Prosecuting Attorney -
Victor Truro
Prosecuting Attorney -
Liz Williams
Prosecuting Attorney -
Jeffrey Wright
Prosecuting Attorney -
Ted Neustadt
Prosecuting Attorney -
Kimberleigh Aarn
Prosecuting Attorney
ADVERTISEMENT
All Critics (33) | Top Critics (10) | Fresh (32) | Rotten (2) | DVD (6)
Honed to a riveting intensity by director Alan Pakula and featuring the tightest script imaginable, Presumed Innocent is a demanding, disturbing javelin of a courtroom murder mystery.
Top CriticIn a welcome return to suspense, Pakula effectively conveys the claustrophobia of domesticity and courtroom procedure.
Mr. Ford, who comes alive in the flashbacks recalling his tempestuous affair with Carolyn, spends much of the film with a wary, cautious expression masking all other emotions. He does this with flawless delicacy...
Ford -- breaking again from his Indiana Jones heroics -- is astonishingly fine in a performance of controlled intensity.
An engrossing adult drama that relies on complex characterizations and twisty plotting, and doesn't ask us to accept its central character as a superman.
The adaptation of Turow's novel does a good job of presenting the evidence as needed, and no more than is needed, while allowing time for the characters to establish themselves.
Gripping, well-acted whodunit courtroom drama.
I mean, honestly. Sabich torching his marriage and career makes perfect sense opposite a full-court-press from the likes of Greta Scacchi. Pakula was no fool.
As moody mysteries go, the courtroom drama Presumed Innocent is among the moodiest. [Blu-ray]
No masterpiece, but it has a certain snappiness to it that is entertaining, at least.
Solid courtroom melodrama from the Scott Turow novel
Excellent courtroom drama.
First-class thriller -- even though my role was cut out of it!
So good you'll wonder why John Grisham gets all the cinematic adaptations and not Scott Turow.
Audience Reviews for Presumed Innocent
Super Reviewer
-
- Sandy Stern: I believe Larren today did what he thought was just. You tell me, Rusty. Was justice done?
Discussion Forum
There are no discussion threads for Presumed Innocent yet.
Latest News on Presumed Innocent
May 12, 2008:
Indiana Jonesin': The Best of Harrison FordWe count down Harrison Ford's best-reviewed films outside of the Indiana Jones franchise and the...
What's Hot On RT
Every Star Trek movie listed
Star Trek is Certified Fresh
Forest Whitaker serves the White House
Trailer for Tom Hanks thriller
Featured on RT
- Weekly Ketchup: Will Smith to Star in Wild Bunch Remake? 14
- Critics Consensus: Star Trek Into Darkness is Certified Fresh 73
- Red Carpet Roundup: Star Trek Into Darkness Edition 0
- Video Interviews with Katie Aselton & Lake Bell of Black Rock 2
- VIP Access: Eli Roth talks Aftershock 1
- Total Recall: Star Trek Movies 84
- Parental Guidance: Star Trek Into Darkness 18
Top Headlines
-
J.J. Abrams Talks Star Trek Into Darkness, Star Wars, and More
0
-
Vin Diesel Says Fast & Furious 7 Will Begin a New Trilogy
2
-
Mickey Rourke Confirmed for Expendables 3
3
-
Brad Bird Still Mulling Incredibles 2
0
-
Reese Witherspoon, Jena Malone, and Martin Short Join Inherent Vice
0
-
Bruce Willis Makes an Expiration Date
1
-
Drew Pearce Hired for Mission: Impossible 5
0
Fresh Links
Featured
Star Trek Movies Ranked
HitFix offers their own take on the worst-to-best of the Enterprise crew's cinematic adventures.
Top 10 Star Trek Villains
Rolling Stone unveils the Enterprise's most irksome adversaries.
Celebrity Yearkbook Flashback
We'll bet you never realized how many stars were cheerleaders and high school athletes!
50 Most Classic Movie Moms
In celebration of Mother's Day, TimeOut offers up 50 iconic matriarchs from the big screen.
Weirdest Movie Siblings
From Twins to The Royal Tenenbaums, Moviefone explores cinema's oddest siblings.
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter!
Spice up your feed with hourly Tomatometer updates!
On second watch, a couple years after the first, I downgraded my rating a bit. The movie is almost too obscure.