AubreyB
Re-watched 2018. Some movies don't date - this one has.
A_Different_Drummer
The 1930s and 1940s were the first golden age. But by the 1990s crime thrillers like this had reached perfection but I see by the rating the public took them for granted.Look at the talent! Paluka behind the camera, Ford, Dennehy, Bedalia, Juloa in front, a script so tight it squeaks and a surprise ending to boot.Great thriller, Ford is usually one-note but it works well here. Dennehy was one of the most unappreciated stars of his era.As for the low IMDb score, I repeat that product this good was commonplace in that era (not now and not before) so people cannot appreciation what is plentiful.Highly recommended. Engaging clever and entertaining.
LeonLouisRicci
Absolutely Average Courtroom Melodrama that is a Dull and Unengaging Movie at Worst and an Almost Yawning Yarn at Best. Harrison Ford is Miscast or not up to the Task as an Accused Attorney that may or may not have Murdered His Female Colleague. He Definitely is Guilty of Behaving Badly because He Slept with Her.Director Pakula has made some Fascinating and Great Movies. This is not one of Them. He seems on Autopilot here as does the Multi-Ethnic Cast. There seems to be a Smorgasbord of Nationalities that are there for some sort of Political Correctness. It Reeks of Pretension as does the Surprise Ending that may not be much of a Surprise.The Pacing is Slow and the High-Lights are Lowly Lit and Hardly Exciting. In the End it is an Overrated Mood Piece that is so Stagy and Solemn that what Life the Story Contained is Drained Scene by Scene until it just lies there Waiting for the Verdict and when the Murderer is Revealed it is Talked to Death and Explained Point by Point in Case You Missed the Point of all this Drudgery.
alannasser
Alan J. Pakula can usually be counted on to turn in a well honed and engaging film. And while Scott Turow is not one of the great writers of our times he tells a good story. The basic plot is sufficiently textured to augur a gripping movie. But the film disappoints badly. Most distressing is the stiff, wooden, unconvincing and amateurish performance of Harrison Ford. The man has, in all his movies, one tone of voice and one facial expression, which is dangerously close to no facial expression. Ford seems utterly at sea and out of his element in love scenes, where he is painfully embarrassing to watch. As he is at the center of this film, I found myself consistently unable to believe what was portrayed on screen. Disbelief refused to be suspended. Not my fault.Presumed Innocent builds to a kind of twist, an unexpected re-connecting of the dots which is supposed to knock the audience for a loop. And a good turn it is, on paper. Thing is, on the screen it has to be revealed cinematically, it has to be shown, not told. but what happens is that at the end of the movie, one character simply stands there and talks, monologues, speaks a paragraph or two which do no more than verbally relate the twist. it might as well have been written out on the screen for the audience to quietly read. Dreadful. The film is by no means a total loss, but it's not very good either.
AD
