Presumed Innocent

A classic American crime drama based on the structure of a trial of a murder suspect. Initially inconspicuous, almost looking like an ordinary film, it gradually increases the tension and creates an atmosphere of fear and a whole range of emotions from feelings of guilt to hatred. However, crucial for the review is the chilling ending, which contains a truly cynical and very depressing twist. The main character pays a price greater than the young detective in Fincher's thriller Seven for his moral failure. This is not just an immediate catharsis - this is a condemnation to never-ending horror. A very solid cast led by experienced veteran Harrison Ford. Overall impression: 90%. (08/10/2010)

A very nice court thriller. Harrison Ford’s colleague and lover is murdered and, according to the evidence, it seems he killed her. Is he crazy? Or did one of his colleagues framed him? Or is there something else? The film works very smartly with this mystery and until the very last scene, I didn’t know how things would unravel. And they unravel in a very interesting way, with a surprising twist. Strong four stars. (01/31/2012)

The theme, not that different from what appeared a few years later in the masterpiece The Fugitive deprived me of a smaller dose of surprise, even though Presumed Innocent had a completely different foundation in terms of its story and subsequent plot development, and it does end up going in a completely different direction. Director A. J. Pakula lacks any shred of dynamism he could have brought to the film, and the lack thereof is desperately evident in the result. Each scene on its own may not lack directorial precision and carries a spark of suspense or mystery, but as a cohesive whole, they lack gradation and momentum, thereby pushing the audience to the sidelines and leading to immense boredom. Even the fact that the screenplay has many original elements on paper cannot change anything about that. The cast remains diametrically very different. Harrison Ford doesn't suit the role well and gives a rather dull performance that slows the pace of the film even more. Raul Julia, on the other hand, is all the more important in a small but very important role. However, even the high-quality acting cannot lift the level of the film itself, which wanted (and certainly could have been) to be more than just an "ordinary" crime-thriller but also a compelling insight into the world of lawyers and their "big shots." (08/11/2005)

This movie is uncharacteristically dark for the type of movie Harrison Ford would normally appear in, however, rather fittingly for director Alan J. Pakula, this is a thriller about a murder committed within the world of prosecutors and district attorneys. Bold screenplay and John Williams's haunting music do well to underscore the unsettling storyline which is of regrets, cover-ups, lies, and simmering sexual tension. (07/17/2021)