Stars: Harrison Ford, Greta Scacchi, Raul Julia, Bonnie Bedelia, David Wohl, Paul Winfield, Brian Dennehy

Director: Alan J. Pakula

Summary: A coutroom drama in which a top prosecuting attorney is assigned to investigate the murder of a friend with whom he was having an affair. He discovers to his horror that he has been set up to take the rap. Based on a novel by Scott Turow.

PRESUMED INNOCENT, like most of director Alan J. Pakula's films is also a complex character study. Based on a best-selling novel by Scott Turrow, the courtroom murder mystery tells the story of prosecutor Rusty Sabich (Harrison Ford) who is accused of murdering his former mistress, the beautiful and ambitious Carolyn Polhemus (Greta Scacchi). All the physical evidence points to him, and Sabich's "golden child" character is in deep trouble. His marriage, too, is in jeopardy as new twists of events leave his wife Barbara doubting Ford's innocence, and Sabich's boss Raymond Horgan, who is running for reelection, simply wants the killer caught before his campaign suffers. Ford's performance (somewhat against type based on previous roles) is excellent as the beleaguered attorney who seeks an end to his nightmare, calling acerbic defense lawyer and rival (Raul Julia) to his rescue. Cinematographer Gordon Willis (THE GODFATHER) and Pakula, who collaborated previously on KLUTE, have created a film of shadow and darkness in which great performances keep the audience riveted right up to the unnerving ending.

WIN DVDs by rating this DVD

Average User Rating:

WIN DVDS by being amongst the first to review this DVD. Reviewing DVDs earns you bonus entries and lets you WIN DVDs!Please login before reviewing this DVD. If you're a new user, register for free and enter to WIN FREE DVDs!

Rich with ambiguity, this smooth adaptation of Scott Turow's bestselling mystery novel stars Harrison Ford as Rusty Sabich, the prosecuting attorney assigned to a case involving the murder of a beautiful, seductive lawyer (Greta Scacchi) with whom he'd been having a secret affair. After the investigation gets off to a slow start, damning evidence points to Rusty as the prime suspect. His career is destroyed when his superior and secondary suspect Raymond Horgan (Brian Dennehy) sets him up for the fall. Bonnie Bedelia plays Rusty's wife Barbara, who is not above suspicion herself. While Ford's performance rides a fine line between presumed innocence and possible guilt, director Alan J Pakula (All the President's Men) maintains a consistent tone of uncertainty that keeps the viewer guessing. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

Aspect Ratio:	4:3 Full Frame, 1.85 Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Interactive Menus, Scene Access
Subtitles:	Arabic, English
Year:	1990
Release Date:	July 26, 1999
Runtime:	121 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	D 012034
Keywords:	Innocent, General, Wide, Screen, Presumed, Thriller
Genre:	Thriller