Why so much hype?

hyped garbage

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

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.

I love the Indiana Jones films. But, in terms of Harrison Ford, they sometimes overshadow what I will refer to as his more serious films. So when I see a film like "42", or this one, I appreciate Harrison Ford's acting ability even more.One of the ways that I know this is a good film is that -- aside from Ford -- most of the actors are people I don't really care for. Brian Dennehy is usually a turn-off for me, but I have to admit that here he was very good as the head prosecuting attorney. I generally don't like or dislike Raúl Juliá, but here as the attorney defending Ford, he was excellent. Bonnie Bedelia, as Ford's wife, is an actress I give little thought to, and here she does her job. Paul Winfield is competent and interesting as the judge. Greta Scacchi, as the murder victim and Ford's colleague is good, and generally she turns in pretty solid performances, though she seems to generally be under Hollywood's radar.The script here is very good, particularly with the courtroom scenes that dominate the second half of the film. I do think that the film drags a little in places, particularly in the first half. Considering the film's 127 minute run time, there could have been some editing to tighten the action. There are a couple of nice twists, and all the loose ends are tied together before closure.Nevertheless, overall this is a class act (so to speak), and well worth your time. Highly recommended.

The movie starts with the voice of prosecutor Rusty Sabich (Harrison Ford) with a statement of the American legal system and his own position on it.. The story begins excellently with a nice presentation of Sabich both private and professionally, but the plot eventually gets him into a dangerous situation. The main sequences happen in the courtroom, the judge has to decide if the accused is guilty - or not. The movie lose some of its level of tension when the trail begins, every detail is gone through in too long, heavy and demanding scenes for me as a viewer. But I also have to mention that it presents dashes of good excitement. Here Raul Julia is the big star in this courtroom drama, he is very capable in this role. Overall, the pace is indeed too slow, but several camera angles got into my mind - and of course, very good acting from the people behind the main characters. Beside Raul Julia, Brian Dennehy and Bonnie Bedelia made great performances - just like the movie's center star Harrison Ford. I found this movie very good, but it's not perfect, there is something missing. And I became quite surprised when the murderer was exposed, even if I had some suspicions.

Alan J. Pakula, known primarily for his conspiracy movies ("Klute", "The Parallax View", "Rollover", "The Pelican Brief", "All the President's Men"), directs "Presumed Innocent", a very good if somewhat conventional courtroom drama.The film stars Harrison Ford as a talented prosecutor who becomes the prime suspect in the murder of a colleague with whom he had an adulterous affair. The film's first act is very slow, its second act is a fun exercise in paranoia, courtroom pyrotechnics and dispensed red herrings, and the film's climax is excellent, until, of course, Pakula's real killer is revealed. Films like this rely heavily on misdirection. The audience likes to be kept guessing. It's difficult to then reveal the killer and not have your audience feel somewhat cheated.Like many of Pakula's films, "Presumed Innocent" maintains an ominous tone throughout, and there is always the feeling of off screen characters plotting, conspiring and moving our heroes about like pawns. The film was part of a wave ("Fatal Attraction", "Final Analysis", "Basic Instinct", "Jade", "Disclosure", "Single White Female", "The Hand That Rocks The Cradle", "The Last Seduction", "Body Heat", "After Dark My Sweet" etc) of psycho-sexual thrillers which exhibited a new breed of femme fatale. Hilariously, while these films unconsciously exhibited a fear of female independence, women and a threat to traditional female gender roles, male action heroes around this time (1980s, early 90s) were responding by getting ridiculously muscular, physical, phallic and barbaric, desperately hoping to cling to fading notions of traditional masculinity. Today, everyone's metrosexual. You can't even conceive of a "Fatal Attraction" being released and making money today. An angry, murderous wife? Oh my goodness, why didn't the husband recognise the warning signs, take the kids and leave? 7.5/10 – Like most directors who did their best work in the 70s, Pakula's latter output struggles to juggle art, commerce, personal taste and popcorn expectations. Worth one viewing.