Watch Presumed Innocent For Free

i must have seen a different film!!

A lot of fun.

It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Re-watched 2018. Some movies don't date - this one has.

In the early 90s Grisham and Turow were the golden boys of legal drama. They churned out novel after novel, followed by movies of decreasing success. "Presumed Innocent", adapted from a long novel by Turow, is one of the first of these movies.Grisham plots tend to be rather simple, Turow's are more labyrinthine, with a large dose of politics added to the thriller. While a larger scope may benefit a novel, it is definitely detrimental to this movie.Rusty Sabich, played by a Harrison Ford in top form, is a chief deputy D.A. struggling with a guilty conscience. Rusty is assigned to investigate the brutal murder of his secret ex-lover and colleague Carolyn (an equally enthralling Scacchi). He proceeds, despite the huge conflict of interest.All clues point to him as the murderer, so we are given to believe that despite feeling bad about smashing his ex-lover's head, he will still try to cheat justice.The very long and politically incorrect "investigation" shows Carolyn in flashbacks, as somebody who had it coming. Rusty digs at some old case of corruption, involving political enemies and manages to drag this unrelated dirty laundry to court, leading to a mistrial.However, the truth is revealed at the end: the killer is actually Barbara, Rusty's frustrated - and deranged - wife. She plotted the murder for months in meticulous creepy details. The audience is left with Rusty planning to atone by spending the rest of his life with his nutty wife, because she is the mother of his child…. not a smart move, considering how revengeful she is…What could have been a passable thriller with a decent surprise-ending is spoiled and watered down by the political sub-plot. A tighter story at least 30 minutes shorter could have made for a more engaging view, the courtroom scenes are long and outdated and the dialogue is repetitive, with silly gags such as the judge purposely and childishly mispronouncing the name Della Guardia every time he gets a chance (which is way too often).

I've gotta admit that I conjured "The Fugitive" when reading the synopsis for "Presumed Innocent" (Harrison Ford accused of a crime he didn't commit), but the two movies are apples and oranges. With "Presumed Innocent", I got the impression that verisimilitude is what the filmmakers were after; show the audience the nuts and bolts of a trial, from the initial arrest to the actual hearing. The flashiness of your standard courtroom drama is absent here, which is why the movie is so methodically paced. And this is a great cast, although no one really has a fiery standout performance (except for Ford, whose decent man role defies his movie star status). Even Raul Julia (quickly becoming one of my favorite actors) is subdued here. Scratch that; subdued seems unfair. These actors are simply disappearing into the mechanics of the overall movie. The real surprise for me was that score, which sounds absolutely nothing like any John Williams music I've ever heard.I wasn't prepared for that ending, and I don't want to say it was cheap (although it felt that way at first), it did fit in pretty well with a movie's sleight-of-hand undercurrent.7/10

I love the Indiana Jones films. But, in terms of Harrison Ford, they sometimes overshadow what I will refer to as his more serious films. So when I see a film like "42", or this one, I appreciate Harrison Ford's acting ability even more.One of the ways that I know this is a good film is that -- aside from Ford -- most of the actors are people I don't really care for. Brian Dennehy is usually a turn-off for me, but I have to admit that here he was very good as the head prosecuting attorney. I generally don't like or dislike Raúl Juliá, but here as the attorney defending Ford, he was excellent. Bonnie Bedelia, as Ford's wife, is an actress I give little thought to, and here she does her job. Paul Winfield is competent and interesting as the judge. Greta Scacchi, as the murder victim and Ford's colleague is good, and generally she turns in pretty solid performances, though she seems to generally be under Hollywood's radar.The script here is very good, particularly with the courtroom scenes that dominate the second half of the film. I do think that the film drags a little in places, particularly in the first half. Considering the film's 127 minute run time, there could have been some editing to tighten the action. There are a couple of nice twists, and all the loose ends are tied together before closure.Nevertheless, overall this is a class act (so to speak), and well worth your time. Highly recommended.