MPAA Rating: R/Genre: Legal Thriller/Stars: Harrison Ford, Brian Dennehy, Raul Julia, Bonnie Bedelia, Paul Winfield, Greta Scacchi, John Spencer, Joe Grifasi, Tom Mardirosian, Anna Maria Horsford, Sab Shimono, Bradley Whitford, Christine Estabrook, Michael Tolan, Jesse Bradford, Joseph Mazzello, Tucker Smallwood, David Wohl, Jeffrey Wright/Runtime: 127 minutes

Among the many things I have learned during my time as a skilled (to what degree I am sure is a question very much open to peaceful and constructive debate) writer about various entries in the land of movie magic, there is one thing that I think is definitely worth starting this review off. That being that, for all the movies an actor makes, there will always be some that might get plenty of love from both the critics and the general public at the time, but which over time will sadly be overshadowed by other entries in that actor’s filmography. Indeed, to name but a few examples, De Niro has 1990’s Awakenings (among many others), Pacino has 1999’s The Insider, Tom Cruise has 2001’s Vanilla Sky, Brad Pitt has 1993’s Kalifornia (which I heartily recommend), and Sandra Bullock has 1997’s Speed 2: Cruise Control. Yet while I am busy both laughing as well as dodging the various spears being thrown my way for that comedic addition I added in the last section, I would like to point out that even Indiana Jones/Han Solo himself (aka Harrison Ford) is by no means immune to this aforementioned phenomenon. In fact, the man has quite a few underrated gems to his name that, when you take into account the fact that he has played 3 (and yes I am including Rick Deckard into that count) of the most iconic cinematic heroes of arguably all time, you can definitely see how they might have been pushed to the wayside a bit due to the passage of time. The reason I bring this up to you dear reader is because the slice of cinema I am reviewing for you today, 1990’s Presumed Innocent, is most assuredly a film that fits what I have been talking about to a t. Indeed here is a film that I must confess that I too had not even heard of until about 12 years ago when, whilst late-night Internet searching due to a case of the dreaded insomnia and the fact that a really bad thunder storm was going on outside my dorm, I actually found it online and, my curiosity piqued by the talent involved both behind and (especially) in front of the camera, I decided to give it a watch. A choice that, while my professor I had for an early Monday morning math class the next day might have been upset I made, I on the other hand can honestly say quite the reverse on (and not just because I hate math). Rather, it’s because this is truly a gripping and riveting little movie dear reader. To be sure, it’s not one that’s perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but even so there is no denying that with the aid of immensely skilled work on both sides of the camera Presumed Innocent is definitely one brilliant, taut, and complicated film that is sure to leave you hooked from the very first shot up until the moment the screen cuts to black and the end credits begin to roll….

The plot is as follows: An adaptation of a 1987 novel of the same name by Scott Turow, Presumed Innocent takes us to Kindle County in the great state of Illinois where we are quickly introduced to our protagonist in the form of a guy by the name of Rozat “Rusty” Sabich. A guy who, among other things that are perhaps worth knowing about him as an individual, is someone whose career of choice is as the fairly skilled Chief Deputy Prosecutor under District Attorney/mentor Raymond Horgan. Oh and I suppose it’s also worth pointing out that he also is someone who is a loving and supportive marriage with his wife Barbara despite the fact that the latter having struggled for over a solid decade to get her PhD dissertation in Mathematics completed. As wonderfully separate as his professional and personal lives have seemingly been however, we soon see that things are about to occur which are going to bring the two colliding together to say nothing of to a screeching halt. This is because it isn’t long into our story that we, along with Rusty, learn that a colleague of his named Carolyn Polhemus has just been the victim of a rape/homicide and, due in large part to feeling that a swift resolution to this case could tilt a closely upcoming and quite heated election on the horizon in his favor, Raymond has decided that Rusty should take the point so to speak on the investigation. A choice that may or may not be a bit on the problematic side since there is one thing about Rusty that I guess I “conveniently” forgot to mention earlier. That being that, awhile back, he and the deceased had a brief yet passionate affair which they had kept secret from their professional colleagues and, despite having mended things with his wife since the affair ended, he was still very much fixated (or obsessed if you prefer) on Carolyn. As bad as things are however, it should come as no surprise to learn that shortly thereafter they manage to get even worse when first Raymond loses the election, then the new D.A., a more than slightly shifty former subordinate by the name of Nico Della Guardia and his new deputy, one Tommy Molto, start looking into the matter themselves only to discover that all of the evidence begins to point in one very specific direction. That being to none other than Rusty himself. As a result, we see that our hero is shortly thereafter not only left to dry by Raymond, but also charged with Carolyn’s murder with no less than some serious prison time being what awaits him if found guilty. Thus can our hero, with the aid of a top-notch defense attorney by the name of Sandy Stern, prove he didn’t commit this crime despite his more than questionable past ties to the victim and above all: if he didn’t do this horrible atrocity then who did? Trust me when I say that by the time this movie is over you will know the answers…..

Now right off, it should be said that this slice of cinema is the blessed recipient of some wonderfully effective work by an extremely well-chosen group of professionals behind the camera. Without a doubt in my mind, this starts with the work done at the helm by Alan J. Pakula (All the President’s Men, Klute, The Parallax View, and Sophie’s Choice to name but a few). Indeed Pakula does a masterful job here of not only exploring the weighty themes that the source material grapples with, but also in giving the characters plenty of room to establish for us as an audience who they are as people rather than just archetypes. More than that, we also see that Pakula’s long-utilized talent for being able to make an audience feel both uncomfortable and unsettled, which he brilliantly showcased in a trinity of films he called his “paranoia trilogy”, is delightfully on display here as well especially at the end during a monologue that is truly haunting. I also really admire the work done by the aforementioned Pakula as well as co-writer Frank Pierson in their handling of the screenplay for this particular film. Indeed perhaps the key thing that the pair do so well is one key difference that can be found between the film and its source material in regards to the concept of ambiguity. By that I mean whereas the book, or so I have been told by those who have read it, is a more clear-cut narrative that is easy to understand, the film chooses to go down a different road instead. Instead, the film makes the choice to immerse its main character in quite a bit of ambiguity. As a result, not only does this cause you as a viewer to question the innocence (or lack thereof) of the main character as much as the supporting characters in the film, but it also raises the suspense and mystery present in the story exponentially. Lastly, I would be very much in error if I didn’t take the time in this section to give some much-deserved praise to the work done by iconic maestro John Williams on this slice of cinema’s musical accompaniment. Indeed Williams is one of those talents who you can always count on to bring his professional A-game to a project and here is no different as he manages to provide this film with a score that is deceptively enchanting, melancholic, and quite emotive that also fits in extremely well with the themes of obsession and guilt respectively. Suffice it to say that when you also incorporate an absolutely breathtakingly gorgeous job by famed cinematographer Gordon Willis (The Godfather trilogy) as well as from the editing department as headed by one Evan A. Lottman (The Exorcist, The Muppets Take Manhattan, and Maximum Overdrive among others) to name but a couple of particular examples I think it can safely be said that, while not a slam dunk by any stretch of the imagination, the work done behind the camera is most assuredly solid and engaging in the best way possible much to the benefit of the film, the equally as gifted cast in front of the camera, and all of us as viewers respectively.

Alongside the undeniably skilled work done by the various teams behind the camera, this cinematic outing is also one that is very much blessed with equally as impressive work done by a tremendous group of talent in front of the camera as well. Without a doubt, this starts with Harrison Ford in the lead role and he is spectacular here. Indeed, in the role of Rusty, Ford does an impressive job at presenting us with a man who, for the majority of the film’s runtime, we as an audience are very much torn on. This is because while we feel (this IS Harrison Ford after all) that he is innocent of the accusations being leveled against him, we also must contend with this small nagging feeling in the back of our mind that tells we are wrong and this is a cold-blooded killer we are looking at here. An internal conflict that Ford manufactures wonderfully through a blend of a, by and large, stoic and uptight manner in which he expresses himself to other characters in this, but also through how he doggedly chases after Carolyn with a desperation that is almost pitiful to say nothing of a few moments of genuine emotion that are, without going into spoilers, truly heartbreaking to see unfold. Suffice it to say that it’s a very complex turn, but one that Ford delivers majestically for all to see. We are also treated to a rather delightful turn here from the late yet great Raul Julia in the role of Rusty’s attorney Sandy Stern. Indeed it might take a fair amount of time before he makes his presence known here, but even so Julia does a spot-on job at giving us a character who is so crafty, suave, and even formidable at what he does that I could easily see him giving someone like The Lincoln Lawyer a run for his money had the two ever squared off in court. Alongside this dynamic acting duo, the film also gives us a wonderful performance from the always enjoyable Brian Dennehy as Rusty’s boss Raymond Horgan. Indeed Dennehy does a terrific job of giving us a character who might seem like the kind of boss you would want to have only to slowly but surely reveal a side to him that is sleazy, amoral, lecherous, and more willing to save his own hide should the situation call for it. Lastly I would definitely be amiss if I didn’t take the time to praise the work done here by Gretta Scacchi in the pivotal role of Carolyn Polhemus. Indeed this is a very tricky role to play due to the many facets that this character has to reveal about herself with only 20-30 minutes of screentime, but even so Scacchi does a brilliant job here at playing this character in a way that is a spot-on blend of beauty, brilliance, and yet also very much ambitious to say nothing of manipulative as well to such an extent that you can see both how someone like Rusty could fall for her while others might look at her and see nothing but bad news. Suffice it to say that when you also factor in solid work from such talents as Bonnie Bedelia (who is incredible here as Rusty’s wife Barbara), Paul Winfield (who is a delight as Judge Lyttle), John Spencer, Bradley Whitford (who I swear is just playing Josh from The West Wing here), and even early appearances from Joseph Mazzello plus Jeffrey Wright among others it’s clear that this film might be guilty of having some issues, but the cast definitely does what it can to help the film acquit itself on that front.

All in all and at the end of the day is Presumed Innocent a perfect slice of cinema by any stretch? Sadly I am afraid that is one verdict I cannot deliver for you here today as much as I would like to especially given the cast and crew involved in the making of this film. With that being said, is this the worst slice of cinema for any of the talents involved since Harrison Ford thought 2013’s Paranoia was a brilliant career move (spoiler alert: it wasn’t), Raul Julia decided to be in 1994’s Street Fighter adaptation, or Brian Dennehy thought that Category 6: Day of Destruction would be a good bit of fun to be in? Thankfully, no though in the name of fairness I must confess that I definitely have more of a fondness for the latter two than I do the first one by a fairly considerable margin. To be sure, it might have some miniscule issues here and there, but overall I must confess that really do like the heck out of this movie dear reader. Indeed the work done behind the camera is all given to us by a collection of professionals all operating at the pinnacle (or close to it) of their respective abilities and the performances in front of the camera (with particular regard to the performances given by Ford, Julia, Bedelia, Dennehy, and Scacchi respectively) by the undeniably talented cast of performers are all absolutely dynamic and they all do a phenomenal job here no matter how big or small their amount of screentime they are given turns out to be. Suffice it to say that if you are someone who is looking for a bonafide thrill ride from start to finish then I’m sorry to say, but this is not the film that you are looking for though don’t worry because I might have something coming up that will definitely be your distinct cinematic cup of tea. On the other hand, if you want a slice of cinema that operates as a genuinely engrossing mystery whilst also giving you something of fairly significant substance to ponder long after the movie has ended then definitely give this underrated slice of cinema a try. I promise if nothing else it’ll definitely give you a new look at the concept of crime and punishment by the time it’s over. As for whether or not that way is good or bad I think I’ll leave that up to you. Make of that what thou will dear reader. On a scale of 1-5 I give Presumed Innocent “90” a solid 4 out of 5.