Presumed Innocent

"Some people would kill for love."

1990 2h 7m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 855

MysteryCrimeThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Rusty Sabich is a deputy prosecutor engaged in an obsessive affair with a coworker who is murdered. Soon after, he's accused of the crime. And his fight to clear his name becomes a whirlpool of lies and hidden passions.

“Some people would kill for love.”

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Cast

Harrison Ford
Rusty Sabich
Brian Dennehy
Raymond Horgan
Raúl Juliá
Sandy Stern
Bonnie Bedelia
Barbara Sabich
Paul Winfield
Judge Larren Lyttle
Greta Scacchi
Carolyn Polhemus
John Spencer
Detective Dan Lipranzer
Joe Grifasi
Tommy Molto

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Alan J. Pakula
Writers: Frank Pierson, Alan J. Pakula
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Grossed $221M — a 10.1× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

36 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Alan J. Pakula, shot by Gordon Willis. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by John Williams. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Evan A. Lottman shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Harrison Ford and Brian Dennehy and Raúl Juliá carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Some people would kill for love.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0100404 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Alan J. Pakula directs. Gordon Willis behind the camera. John Williams scores. Evan A. Lottman cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Grossed $221M — a 10.1× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.
236 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Alan J. Pakula, shot by Gordon Willis. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by John Williams. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Evan A. Lottman shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Harrison Ford and Brian Dennehy and Raúl Juliá carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Some people would kill for love.".
8IMDB entry: tt0100404 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 11 themes, including "infidelity", "based on novel or book", "loss of loved one", "female lover".

The technical file

Cinematography: Gordon Willis
Original score: John Williams
Editing: Evan A. Lottman
Production design: George Jenkins
Costume design: John Boxer
Makeup / hair: Craig Lyman
Sound: Richard Portman
Runtime: 127 min · 2h 7m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $22,000,000
Box office: $221,303,188
Return: 1006% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Presumed Innocent (1990)

Also by

Alan J. Pakula

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2019-07-07
★ 8/10
Love - it's a killer. Presumed Innocent is directed by Alan J. Pakula, who also co-adapts for the screen with Frank Pierson from the Scott Turow novel. It stars Harrison Ford, Brian Dennehy, Bonnie Bedelia, Raúl Juliá, Paul Winfield, John Spencer and Greta Scacchi. Music is scored by John Williams and Richard Wolf, and cinematography is by Gordon Willis. Prosecuting attorney Rusty Sabich (Ford) suddenly finds himself a murder suspect after his one time lover, Carolyn Polhemus (Scacchi), is found raped and murdered in her home. As the evidence piles up against him, and his marriage comes under further strain, Rusty hires top lawyer Sandy Stern (Juliá) to represent him when the case goes to trial. Battling the system that he knows inside out, Rusty finds that there's a big can of worms about to be opened. A tip top court room mystery drama that we could do with seeing more of these days. Expertly strung together by the director of All the Presidents Men and Sophie's Choice, Presumed Innocent isn't just a by the numbers legal who done it? The makers get in deep with the political machinations of a district attorney's office, the intricate steps of a police investigation, and of course the legal eagle operations of a court room. In to the mix is an horrendous crime, of which a lawyer himself is charged with committing, he may or may not be guilty of the crime, but wonderfully we are never sure until the astonishing finale plays out. The air of mystery hangs heavy throughout, nagging away like an itch you can't scratch, with Pakula neatly unfolding the drama in a collage of flashbacks, side-plots and present time intricacies. Mood is heightened by the photography of Gordon Willis, who along with Pakula's looming camera work, manages to convey a claustrophobic feel in keeping with an unstable marriage and a court room itself. A great cast is assembled for the picture. Ford expertly plays it low key, brooding intently, he makes us unsure as to his guilt or innocence, and that's a testament to how good his performance is. Bedelia is excellent as the stoic wife, holding it together as the marital cracks begin to appear, and Juliá dominates the second half of the picture as we shift to the court room. Dennehy does a nice line in morally compromised smarm, and Scacchi wonderfully exudes a femme fatale sexuality. Winfield is a mighty presence as the judge presiding over such a tricky case, and Spencer is as reliable as ever. Only disappointments come with the performances of Joe Grifasi and Tom Mardirosian, who as the prosecutors come across as wimpy and hardly brick tight lawyers trying a high profile murder case. An intense and intellectual adult drama, Presumed Innocent is one of the best of its type from the modern era. 8.5/10
JPV8522020-08-09
Pretty good mystery-legal-drama features fine performances, especially from Ford and Raul Julia, though does rely a lot on coincidences (lucky draw to get that judge) but still finely directed and liked John Williams's score. 3.75/5
kevin20192026-01-30
★ 8/10
"Presumed Innocent" is an incredible pedigree of film on every level which opens by painting a portrait of the main protagonist Rusty Sabich, although the picture which slowly emerges is a far from perfect one. His marriage isn't all it could be or appears to be and his past is blighted by an obsessive and torrid love affair with co-worker Carolyn Polhemus. He suddenly finds himself on trial for her murder and all these unsavoury and unseemly past misdemeanours gradually and inevitably rise to the surface once more to create a fresh strain on his already fragile marriage. This is one of the many strengths of this film and it is perfectly balanced alongside the more investigatory aspects to produce a splendid film capable of some marvellously enigneered revelations which keep you completely hooked until the very end.