Author John Grisham created a market of great legal thrillers turned to film in the early 90s with gripping and exciting pieces such as “The Firm,” “The Pelican Brief,” and “A Time to Kill” Just before that, lesser known author Scott Turow would see his 1987 debut novel Presumed Innocent turned over to Hollywood. Alan Pakula would direct the 1990 legal thriller of the same name, but despite its cast of top tier talent, “Presumed Innocent” would fail to capture the grit and intrigue of any of the aforementioned Grisham tales.
A great story is laid out at the onset, as an attractive and sensual assistant prosecuting attorney (Greta Scacchi) is found raped and murdered. Powerhouse prosecutor Rusty Sabich (Harrison Ford) is put in charge of the investigation. “Catch me a bad guy.” Instructs Rusty’s boss (played by the great Brian Dennehy).
Elements of missing case files, a police cover-up, and a potential political conspiracy are introduced, adding the necessary backdrop of intrigue to the story. What ices the cake is the extra marital affair Rusty once had with the deceased attorney. “There are 150 lawyers down there,” Rusty’s wife Barbara snaps, “they couldn’t find one who didn’t f@*k her to put in charge?”
As fragments of the affair finally start to surface, Rusty finds himself going from the hunter to the hunted as he is forced to defend himself of the murder.
In typical and nostalgic 90s style, the standard office chaos of rotary phones, archaic computers, and desks cluttered with paper are present. From the dark setting of the city to the sounds of a slamming file cabinet, “Presumed Innocent” appears to be a perfect legal thriller. Rusty’s affair is shown vividly in a series of steamy flashbacks sprinkled throughout. Many facets are employed that could be the potential cause of the crime and unlike some of Grisham’s work, Rusty’s guilt or innocence remains ambiguous to the viewer.
As an avid fan of the Grisham books and movies, “Presumed Innocent” is just okay in comparative terms. While the plot is tight, the pacing is sluggish at best. Movies like “The Firm” or “A Time to Kill” are able to effectively mix gun toting action sequences with tension filled courtroom drama. “Presumed Innocent” makes little effort to include sensible action, relying more on the borderline pornographic scenes between Ford and Scacchi (obviously borrowing from other era financial successes “Fatal Attraction” and “9 1/2 Weeks”).
Likewise, the courtroom battle features a great performance by Raul Julia, as he portrays a sharp shooting defense attorney who never loses, but even that falls drastically short of memorable. The over the top action pirate Harrison Ford is kept subdued in his stiff designer suits, a roll probably not best suited for the man who made famous such characters as Indiana Jones and Han Solo. Despite the severity of the stakes, you never really get the sense that his life or his freedom are in peril.
Also squandered are the brilliant talents of one of my favorite actors, Brian Dennehy. Whether its his beginning as the antagonistic Sheriff Will Teasle in the first Rambo movie, or a spot on portrayal of real life serial killer John Wayne Gacy, Dennehy has mastered the art of playing the wicked. Sadly, his character in “Presumed Innocent” has too little in the way of depth, and glows with a radiance that screams red herring right from the start.
Bonnie Bedelia co-starred in the ’80s blockbuster “Die Hard.” More recently she can be seen on the television series Parenthood. Bedelia plays Rusty’s loyal and always supportive wife Barbara. Bedelia plays the sympathetic Barbara well; torn between her support for the man she loves, and her disdain for his cheating ways.
The intrigue of the story itself makes me think the novel “Presumed Innocent” is worth checking out. Despite the big names, the film is just a little better than average.
by – Matt Christopher
