Presumed Innocent

Presumed Innocent is an influential book and film from 1987 that gave dramatic jurisprudence a much-needed injection of drama. Now on Apple TV+, its story returns with an exceptional cast led by Jake Gyllenhaal and Ruth Negga bringing fresh insight.

Misogyny that marred the earlier adaptation is mostly absent from this version, though problematic elements still remain, including Raymond Horgan being arrogant and Tommy Molto (Peter Sarsgaard) acting venomously against him.Presumed Innocent

Presumed Innocent | The Plot

Harrison Ford stars as Rusty Sabich in this exciting adaptation of Scott Turow’s best-selling book about an unsolved murder case which brings down an entire prosecutor’s office. Also inspired by its 1990 film version, this Apple TV+ series offers a compelling drama of obsession, power and love as it tells of one man’s struggle for innocence.

Jake Gyllenhaal plays Rusty Sabich, an innocent bystander enjoying life with his family until he receives word that his colleague Carolyn Polhemus (Ruth Negga) has been murdered at her own home. Rushing over, Rusty finds out from Raymond Horgan (Bill Camp) that what awaits them inside isn’t pretty and leaves without answering his call for help.Presumed Innocent

Rusty begins to question his innocence while fighting to prove it in this intense legal thriller that probes into man’s moral boundaries.

Turow’s story uses Rusty’s internal monologue and self-examination as literary devices to generate empathy from viewers for his character, convincing us of his innocence despite mounting evidence suggesting otherwise. Rusty himself remains at the core of it all as Rusty keeps talking out loudly to himself over and over, invoking sympathy from them all.Presumed Innocent

Presumed Innocent | The Cast

Rusty Sabich appears to have it all: a successful career, beautiful family life and an intoxicating affair with Carolyn Polhemus – but when a murder investigation brings him under scrutiny, questions of guilt or innocence become uncertain. Gyllenhaal, known for his roles on LA Law and Ally McBeal before making a markful performance as Rusty in Big Little Lies is the ideal actor to portray this moral chameleon: his performance can switch between being bluntly forceful when necessary while conveying wounded decency that causes us to question whether Rusty truly deserves our sympathy or is misguided or is just misguided in his perceptions.

Kelley and his cast have done an outstanding job of adapting Scott Turow’s best-selling novel into an entertaining eight-episode series that shows a prosecutor’s life as more than simply an occupation; rather it involves complex obligations and relationships that need to be managed daily.Presumed Innocent

Gyllenhaal and his fellow DA, Raymond Horgan (Bill Camp), both play their parts to perfection – Gyllenhaal as the stoic protagonist; Horgan as an idealist with soured ideals (O-T Fagbenle); Peter Sarsgaard as deputy DA Tommy Molto adds inscrutable motive to his menacing weaselly persona while Ruth Negga as Barbara gives depth and perspective to her character beyond just being another victim; O-T Fagbenle gives his role heft and infuriation (sarsgaard adds another delicious layer to his menacing weaselly persona while Sarsgaard adds an incredible layer of inscrutable motive to his menacing weaselly persona while Negga brings her A game, giving Barbara depth beyond being simply another victim portrayed.Presumed Innocent

Presumed Innocent | The Director

David E. Kelley follows up his forgettable Netflix adaptation of Tom Wolfe’s A Man in Full with another big-screen legal thriller, this time an adaptation of Scott Turow’s 1987 bestseller and later film Presumed Innocent. This time around it centers around a murder investigation in which Jake Gyllenhaal plays the prosecutor who finds themselves under suspicion – hence its title.Presumed Innocent

Kelley keeps this show grounded in more serious matters from its very start, citing how law presumes a defendant innocent until proven guilty, while also depicting Rusty Sabich’s struggle to understand what has transpired even with confirmation from coworkers that they know he did nothing to kill Carolyn Polhemus.Presumed Innocent

The series also eliminates many characters who weighed down its predecessor, like Tommy Molto and Nico Della Guardia (portrayed here by Peter Sarsgaard and O-T Fagbenle respectively), to speed up its story arc and avoid sexual indiscretions that might have made the book or movie more engaging.Presumed Innocent

This version also does an impressive job of exploring Barbara, Rusty’s wife. Rather than portray her as an exploited victim as is often done in this genre, Ruth Negga delivers an exquisite performance in which she conveys Barbara’s feelings without allowing them to overtake her completely.Presumed Innocent

Presumed Innocent | The Score

Presumed Innocent is generally well-acted and constructed legal thriller entertainment, yet its overreliance on soapy melodrama and the constant repetition of two queries (whodunit and will someone prove Rusty Sabich is innocent) becomes tiresome after only a few episodes.

This limited series based on Scott Turow’s 1987 novel follows Rozat “Rusty” Sabich, a deputy prosecuting attorney for Kindle County. After Carolyn Polhemus is brutally murdered by another colleague, Rusty becomes suspected. However, his innocence remains undoubted. Harrison Ford won praise in 1987’s film adaptation due to its realistic depiction of legal processes; unfortunately the TV version loses this important detail by delving deeper into office politics than intended.

Jake Gyllenhaal’s adept performance as an unlikable obsessive is put to good use here, yet both he and Peter Sarsgaard struggle with lackluster material beneath them. Ruth Negga excels as Rusty’s steadying presence during an otherwise emotional investigation and trial process; watching just for her performance alone would likely be enough for you – though other legal dramas this summer might provide greater entertainment value than this show.