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Actors: Harrison Ford, Brian Dennehy, Greta Scacchi, Bonnie Bedelia, Raul Julia
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| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about Presumed Innocent |
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When a gorgeous young attorney in the state attorney's office is found murdered, the boss, Raymond Horgan (Dennehy), assigns assistant attorney Rusty Sabich (Ford) the case. Unfortunately, the woman was a mistress of Sabich's, and the evidence all seems to point to him: his fingerprints are on a glass in her place, phone records show he called her the evening of her death, and his semen is also found on the premises. Sabich hires top defense attorney Sandy Stern (Julia) to handle his case while he tries to sort things out with his bitter wife Barbara (Bedelia). This is a solid 1990 filming of Scott Turow's bestselling novel--both versions far better than the usual John Grisham fare.
--David Loftus, Resident Scholar
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Rusty Sabich (Ford) is a prosecutor who is horrified to discover that his work colleague and junior prosecutor Caroline Polhemus (Scacchi) has been murdered. His boss Raymond Horgan (Dennehy) who is running for political office, assigns him to investigate the case. There is a conflict of interest however as Rusty and Caroline were once lovers. No one other than Rusty or his wife Barbara (Bedelia) know this. As the investigation unfolds, all of the evidence seems to point to Rusty as the killer. Believing the someone is trying to frame him, Rusty hires one of the most highly respected attorneys in town, Sandy Stern (Julia) to represent him.
--Patti Illsley, Resident Scholar
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| Analysis of Presumed Innocent |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Movie
Actual chase scenes or violence - 30%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 45%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 25%
How difficult to spot villain?
- Challenging
Time/Era of Movie:
- 1980's-1999
Legal/Political Thriller?
Yes
Murder Mystery?
Yes
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 70%
Murders of set profession?
- lawyer creatures
Special suspect?
- investigator him/herself
Kind of mystery?
- skilled citizen investigator
- police procedural
Legal Thriller Plotlets:
- investigating murder of lawyer(s)
- finding out whether someone is really guilty
Romance
Yes
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- a lawyer creature
Age:
- 40's-50's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Hair color?
- brunette (Brown)
Hair style
- short/standard straight (man)
Body type
- average (man)
Unclothed?
- Chest
Events of movie makes character more...
- sad
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Hair color
- brunette (Brown)
Hair style
- (man) short/standard straight
Body type
- average build (man)
How much in movie?
- 60%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
Main Adversary
Identity:
- general circumstances
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
City?
Yes
City:
- New York
- Dirty, grimy (like New York)
- wealthy
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately messy visuals of dead
Movie makes you feel...
- challenged
- concerned
How many deaths in film?
- 1
Sex/nudity in movie?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- kissing
- touching of personal anatomy
- seeing breasts
- seeing nude female butt
- sex under blankets
How much use of techno gadgets?
- 1 (None)
Any profanity?
- Occasional swearing
Is this movie based on a
- book
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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