Presumed Innocent (film)

Presumed Innocent
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAlan J. Pakula
Screenplay by
Based onPresumed Innocent
by Scott Turow
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyGordon Willis
Edited byEvan A. Lottman
Music byJohn Williams
Production
company
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release dates
  • July 25, 1990 (1990-07-25) (Los Angeles)
  • July 27, 1990 (1990-07-27) (North America)
Running time
127 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$20 million[1][2][3]
Box office$221 million[4]

Presumed Innocent is a 1990 American legal thriller film based on the 1987 novel of the same name by Scott Turow. Directed by Alan J. Pakula, and written by Pakula and Frank Pierson, it stars Harrison Ford, Brian Dennehy, Raúl Juliá, Bonnie Bedelia, Paul Winfield and Greta Scacchi. The film follows Rusty Sabich (Ford), a prosecutor who is charged with the murder of his colleague and mistress Carolyn Polhemus (Scacchi).

Several studios and producers fought to secure the film rights one year before the novel was published. Producers Sydney Pollack and Mark Rosenberg acquired the rights in December 1986 and hired Pierson to write the script. After an unsuccessful pre-production development at United Artists, the project moved to Warner Bros., and Pakula was brought in to rewrite the script with Pierson before signing on as the film's director in January 1989. Principal photography commenced in July 1989 and concluded in October of that year, with a budget of $20 million. Filming took place on locations in Detroit, Windsor, Ontario, and New Jersey, and on soundstages at Kaufman Astoria Studios in New York.

Presumed Innocent premiered at the Fox Bruin Theater in Los Angeles, California, on July 25, 1990, before being released across North America on July 27, 1990. The film has an approval rating of 86% on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics praising its directing, acting, and writing. It grossed $221 million worldwide and became the eighth-highest-grossing film of 1990. The film was followed by a television miniseries, The Burden of Proof, in 1992, and a television film sequel, Innocent, in 2011.

  1. ^ Broeske, Pat E. (May 20, 1990). "Shoot-Out at the Box Office : Hollywood's awash in money; the upcoming movie budgets are off the charts; what does it all mean? It's action summer!". Los Angeles Times. p. 5. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  2. ^ "Detail view of Movies Page". American Film Institute. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  3. ^ Kaplan, David A. (July 22, 1990). "FILM - 'Presumed Innocent' Tackles a Tough Case". The New York Times. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  4. ^ "Presumed Innocent". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 28, 2023.